On Friday, I went and got myself a pizza from Gateway Pizza in town. It lasted pretty much the whole weekend for me. It had pepperoni, pineapple, and jalapenos for toppings, because I decided to be adventurous.
I went into the Hitt Mountains hoping to get the spot at the trail head with the pit toilet. Alas, when I arrived I could see that someone had already claimed the site. I could smell a fire burning and there was a plate hanging up with the name Josh on it. I kept driving. The next spot was taken, and the big clearing where my parents and I had parked had a group of RVs parked. I decided to keep going and see what I could find.
I stopped a few times to explore spots. I used my GPS to see where I might find a place. I promised myself two more switchbacks before I turned around, and after the first switchback I found the spot. No toilet, but it was a big spot, nestled between switchbacks. Minutes after I claimed it, a truck hauling and RV drove up from the other direction. Throughout the weekend, there was traffic coming from both directions, but mostly starting from the opposite direction that I’d come from.
I was able to pitch the tent far back from the road. Passing traffic did not impart a cloud of dust onto my space. There were plenty of trees for shade. I could hear, but not see, a stream down below. The wind would travel through the trees in rolling waves, the sound building and building before reaching a peak and dwindling back down. Birds sang throughout the day and into the night. Overall, it was a very good spot.
I did forget the top to my frying pan, which I was going to use to heat the pizza. Without a top, the cheese wouldn’t melt until the crust had burned. Luckily, I’d brought a pot top that fit well enough over the pizza slices, so I managed to eat the pizza hot for each meal.
I didn’t touch my phone or computer Saturday or Sunday. I was just out there, being in the woods, feeling my feelings, and meditating. I didn’t worry about recording things in the moment. I feel like it was an important trip for me to take. Important to take the time to be out in the woods by myself. To read paper books and not care one bit what time it was. To feel close to Ambrose.
I didn’t want to leave this morning. So I didn’t. I left in the afternoon instead. This spot is only a little over an hour from where I live, unlike our old Memorial Day spot, which was a good three to four hour drive from our place in Boise. Especially in more recent years when we were backpacking out for Memorial Day, we had to break camp early to get home at a reasonable time in the afternoon.
I need new camp chairs. I’ll probably let these stay on the porch until they literally fall apart, but I need some new ones to actually take camping. Maybe I’ll get one really nice one for me, and two okay ones so I’ll have chairs to go around when I bring my nieces out. Bi-Mart has some options.
