Their call beckons all through the winter and snow. The itch for them causes me to tick when I sit at my desk at work. Daydreams of them make me sad as I veg in front of the TV. And then Summer arrives. The mountains and I go on our first date of the season. Granted it was still early in the season. You see, I have a hiking calendar all planned out: APRIL-JUNE: No matter how the mountains scream for you, don’t go. There’s still tons of snow up there. JULY: Right about now, the snow is waning. If the call is too powerful, be prepared for the occasional snow drift and some muddy slogging. AUGUST: Don’t even think about it. This is when the mosquitoes rule the forest. They all wait like streetland gangs ready to pounce on unsuspecting prey. SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER: This is when I go. This is when I plan to eat up all my vacation days. It’s just cool enough to put the mosquitoes to sleep till next year. The huckleberries are harvestable & peaking. This is my Xanadu, oh wait that’s a corny 70’s movie(Man! And I was flowin’, too!) THISISMY Shangri-la. ******************************************* Ok, back to FIFE’S PEAKTRAIL! ******************************************* I had to get out of town and head to the Cascades. I intended to head toward Chinook Pass. I’ve only driven this road a few times, but I have remembered seeing trails along the way. I made mental notes of «to-do-ing» them some day. Just before making the final vertical climb up Chinook Pass, I found a pull-off: Fife’s Peak Trailhead. This looked as good as any place. There were only a few other cars here. My companions(two dogs) and I set out on the trail. There’s nothing like being out on the trail. Within seconds you just get it. The smells are so sweet(well, except when Gomez has to poop). The colors are so vibrant(the blues and greens brand themselves on my brain). The silence can be ear-busting. We were having fun on the trail. We passed over a few streams. Saw cool views of the craggly peaks to the north of us. We kept on walking. I was waiting for when we’d point northward and start climbing. Unfortunately, it never happened. This trail basically paralleled the road. We ended up hiking for about 45−60mins and hit a camp ground — sort of disappointing. Here, there was a map of the area. Apparently, we were hiking on cross-country skiing trails. So yeah, there might have been an honest to goodness hiking trail, but I think I missed it. I blame Gomez. Gunner & I always blame Gomez. So, it was an ok hike. It was good for ending my mountain-hiking-virginity for 2010. But yeah, go here for a short mountain bike ride, or some decent cross-country skiing in the winter.
