The great gift of the energy of the summer solstice is that it's designed to move you from one phase to the next on your terms.
Deborah King- spritual teacher and master healer
I needed to get away for a little while, so I did a quick 1 ½ hour drive up to the Cascade River Road to do a little overnight boondock camping. Last year I was pretty much a hermit. Covid and the fear of traveling anywhere kept me from going camping more than once. I vowed to change that this year so off I go.
Once arrived I started setting up camp. Privy tent up, table and lounge chairs up and then I went to open the roof top carrier where the tent, sleeping bag, air bed, pump, etc. were. It was stuck. It was also hot out. So, I started to have my typical meltdown. But then I stopped and went back into the forested camp next to the waterfall, sat down, closed my eyes, grounded, and called on my angel team for guidance, otherwise I’d have to go back home. Suddenly I remembered my jack and went back to the truck and grabbed part of the rod to use to pry the carrier side up just enough so I could close it completely. Then I went to the other side and unlocked it. This was challenging since I had to reach across the canopy which was hot, and I am short. I used the other end of the rod with nubbins to pull stuff out and it worked! The power of stopping, breathing, grounding, and asking for help is truly remarkable.
The site is magical and much cooler in the forest with the influence of the water. The spot is next to a lovely long waterfall on Sonny Boy Creek. The melt off kept the water cascading over three levels of rock and the noise loud. Unfortunately, that means I didn’t hear the morning chorus of birds. Next time I’ll find a quitter spot. It’s great to be fully self-sufficient with my privy tent, my tent and airbed, stove and table, comfy chairs, and so much more! We used to camp here when my son was little and climb above the bottom of the waterfall. There’s too much windfall now and I’m not willing to climb under and over it.
A Lorquin’s admiral is fluttering and feeding off a Pacific ninebark shrub with a small patch of Sitka columbine beneath. A couple of begging juvenile Stellar’s jays are far off in the woods getting fed by a parent bird. When you sit in one place long enough you start to feel into the place and see more of what’s around you. I finally noticed that there was a pair of very active American robins with mouthfuls of something. Turns out it was food for the nest hidden by moss on a large bigleaf maple branch. They didn’t seem too bothered by my presence. I heard a Pacific wren singing and a hummingbird buzzed me.
The scent of the forest is both invigorating and calming. After a while I blend into it. When I’m out in the woods offline fending for myself I feel so strong- forgetting my health issues and aging, politics, hatred, covid- all of it. I am so fortunate and so grateful. I hear birds and know who they are, I observe what many others miss. The second morning I noticed two wild rose buds readying themselves to explode open when the sun alights on their petals. I bent down to inhale their fragrance- an uplifting scent that every domestic rose must be envious of. The scent filled my body and soaked in all the way to my toes. And I couldn’t help but smile. I suddenly felt how much I love my life. Looking at where I started, where I went, and who I’ve become has been a fantastic journey.
On the day I was leaving I wanted to stop by the 5Bs Bakery in Concrete, so I headed out with time to spare. I explored the road a bit more before leaving and found an amazing pond and another boondocking site with grand old bigleaf maple trees maybe 6-foot diameter or more! It felt like fairies and elves could live there. Going back to that site with plenty of mosquito repellant!
5Bs is a gluten free bakery located in a tiny little town far from everywhere. Best food ever! People come from quite far away to purchase their delicious food. It was 86° out so I couldn’t leave Templeton in the truck. A nice couple with a dog of their own said they’d watch him while I went in, so I put him on a patio chair and went in to delight in so much delicious food. They’re so popular that there wasn’t a lot to choose from, but I definitely found plenty.
I took the long way home in order to enjoy the scenery but instead discovered lots of forest removal. It’s hard to look at when you know we’ve passed the tipping point for heating up the atmosphere by our collective actions. Yet another reason for a weekend escape to the intact forest to replenish and heal the heart and soul.
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