I did not get to sleep on time last night. My mind and body refused to quiet and shut down. I ended up getting up and reading quietly on the couch for a bit and then trying to sleep again. I think I fell asleep after midnight.
I think I dreamed of a place I’d dreamed before, but I don’t remember it clearly enough to be certain. I woke with a bit of a headache, and I really wanted to sleep in, but I wanted to hike more, so I got up at my 7:15 alarm and got started with my day. The flax seeds are a nice addition to the oats, and the amount of liquid was just right. I had my last two hard boiled eggs to help fuel me for the hike, and a black tea that I hoped would ease the headache.
As I drove to the East Fork Brownlee trailhead, I had to pass through the inversion layer. First, I drove through cloudy skies. And then I entered the clouds. Every leaf, branch, and blade of grass was gilded with frost. I slowed down because visibility was pretty low. There was some snow on the dirt road to the trailhead, but nothing that I couldn’t handle. And there were hints of blue sky at the trailhead.
After I did my warm up, I got to hiking. Right away, there were patches of snow on the trail. But they weren’t very deep, and I felt confident walking through them with care. The stream crossing looked so dark against the landscape, and I liked how there was ice crusting sections of it.
I was very happy to be above the inversion layer as I hiked. It was slow going, in part because of the snow, and in part because it’s been over a month since I last hiked. I’ve still got a bit of a lingering cough from being sick a couple weeks ago, though I didn’t cough while I hiked, but only when I stopped for a break.
My break was a long one, because I was basking in the sunshine. I stopped at a spot where I knew Ambrose had taken a break before. He had a hard boiled egg there and left the shell. He was able to show me the pieces when we next hiked it together. For a while, in June of 2024, he was hiking this trail on weekdays while I worked for conditioning. Thinking of him made me linger as well.
I debated going on or turning back, and finally decided to keep going. I was going to try for a total of three miles, if the trail conditions allowed. I hiked through deeper and longer snowy sections, but felt safe traversing them. None of them had a dangerous runoff (that is, if I fell, I wouldn’t slide into danger). A little more than a mile and half in, I came upon trail that was snow covered and had dangerous run off. There were boot prints and paw prints going through it, but I decided that I was done.
I turned back and made my way carefully down the trail. The snowy sections required particular attention and care, because the boot prints that I was following had in some cases iced over, leaving little slippery spots. I did slide a few times, but I always was able to catch myself with my trekking poles and not actually fall.
As I hiked down, I saw the inversion layer, looking almost like snow down in the valley. I really didn’t want to go back down there, out of the sunshine. But alas, I had no choice in the matter. Even if I dawdled, I’d have to go back eventually.
There were a few more slips on the way down than there had been on the way up, but overall I navigated it well. Especially considering I hadn’t brought my traction devices. I thought about it as I began to hike up, but that was way too late for me to get them. The inversion layer met me before I reached my car.
On the drive back, I stopped on the side of the road to get a shot of the ice covered world.
When I got home, I went directly for a hot shower. I had kept myself pretty warm with exertion on the hike, but my legs especially were still cold to the touch. Nothing like a hot shower after a hike, whether it’s hot out or cold. And then I did some lunch and finished up a show that I started a few months ago.
For most of the afternoon and evening, I’ve been working on my hydration and trying to get rid of the headache. It went away while I hiked, but it’s just getting worse as the day goes on. And I don’t have any migraine medication even if I thought that would help. Heat is helping somewhat, but I’m not sure what to do about it.
I stepped outside as it was starting to get dark to take a picture of what it’s been like today, all gray and cloudy. No sooner had I opened my front door than I noticed that there were five or six deer in my yard, as startled to see me as I was to see them. They were kind enough to hold still for some photographs.
I boiled my next dozen eggs. Instead of putting them into water with ice, I put them into water with some frozen roasted pumpkin. I had decided to thaw that to have with dinner. I made a box of cheesy noodles, added the pumpkin, canned chicken, and some shredded cheddar. I split it into four, so I’ve got dinners for most of the week now.
I got my exercises done after dinner. I was hoping that they’d help relieve the headache, but that does not seem to have done the trick. I’m now hoping that sleep will do the trick. If it is still this bad in the morning, I’m going to have to go to Weiser to get a refill on that migraine medication. Though driving with my head like this is not fun. I’ve done it before, and I know that I can do it, but I really don’t like it.
No special plans for this week. I will try to make progress on my Day 2 write up of Snowslide tomorrow. And I want to get back to morning walks. It’s good for me to get moving in the morning.