berries and garlic, brides and grooms, rivers and friends

Hello everyone!
I had a wonderful long weekend out of town. I left for Trout Lake straight from work on Thursday and arrived around 7pm. After setting up my tent in Wampler’s yard I drove to the lake where I sat for a long time watching birds dive bombing for insects, the cloud cap on the mountain forever changing and the light eventually turning it pink before fading away. I chatted with an Americorps girl, Laura, who was also there to watch the mountain at sunset, a favorite evening activity in these parts. I drove back to Wamp’s and we headed up to Flat Top Sno Park. There’s a burn ban on in Klickitat County so no more fires in Wampler’s backyard until the autumn rains return. In the National Forest it’s still legal to have a fire though. So we drove up the Forest Service road a few miles and a bunch of us gathered at Flat Top for fire and music. It was a great night and the fire was great. Half the people work for the Forest Service so they’re very aware about putting out the fire completely and having it somewhere safe. It was oddly rainy here last week (the remains of some typhoon) so the fire danger is actually quite low for this time of year. I spent part of the night talking with Jason who hopefully will be leading me and some friends up to the summit of Mt Adams the last weekend of August. We never know though because he could always get called away on a fire. Andrea had been gone for two weeks fighting the fire near Burns, Oregon (good name non?). The fire was over 200 square miles and her group was one of the first to arrive. I would get to hear stories when she returned on Sunday.

Friday morning I woke up and picked some raspberries in Wampler’s garden while my coffee was brewing. I read my book and hung out with Wamp in the backyard before going back into to pick even more berries. I showered and then made a raspberry cobbler with the fresh berries. Oh it smelled so good! Continuing on with the bounty from the garden, Wamp had harvested about half of his garlic crop. We dried it a little bit then I started braiding it. I sat in the front yard for hours braiding garlic. Sara came by and hung out with me, chatting about our Sunday rafting plans and drinking beers with me in the grass. Jimmy came by and hung out with me while I was finishing up. I got into some Zen mode and ended up braiding all the garlic, over 175 heads into 14 braids. Whoa! They sure were pretty! Wamp prepared a bunch of the food for the potluck he was hosting Saturday and I grilled up my steak for dinner. We had a mellow evening hanging out on the porch.

Saturday I woke up and showered and read my book outside. I was finishing making a late breakfast when Dave and Steve arrived from Portland as Jim the Bad Goat was playing the Trout Lake Arts Festival. I wasn’t able to see them play as I was going down into the Gorge for a wedding. I changed into my dress and got ready and drove 45 minutes down just past Stevenson. I parked and saw Mike, the groom, hanging out in a parking lot, eating cheese and crackers. I gave him a big hug then got in the shuttle van that was taking us up the hill. Once out of the van we got into boats that took us across Wauna Lake to the cabin where the wedding was being held. Inside I found Jess in the bathroom with her mom putting on her makeup and looking beautiful already. I helped her put on her dress and laced it up. I was the official dress helper having gone to the bridal shop with Jess to learn how to put the dress on, lace it up and bustle up the train so it wouldn’t drag (so much). The photographer had arrived and took Jess out back for some photos. Jess was really a stunning bride and the setting on the lake was just beautiful. Mike came back across the lake so Jess moved back inside the cabin and was moments away from getting married. I went outside and took my seat. It was a lovely little ceremony right on the lakeshore. Afterwards the newlyweds took a boat ride on the lake and had some photos taken on the other side of the lake.

Dinnertime arrived and I was lucky enough to help carry Jess’ dress (the buffet was in the muddiest part of the yard. It was fine for the rest of us, certainly not a sloppy mess, but for the girl with the long white train it was less than ideal. By helping Jess I also got my food first and sat down for a relaxing dinner. The food was fantastic, especially the short ribs and the salmon. Yummmm! I had just finished eating when I heard baby Chiron and decided to see if Lincoln and Alicia needed some help. Indeed they were just sitting down to eat and were juggling the baby with forks and water glasses. I took Chiron and we explored by the little pond, dancing to the music and checking out the plant life. He eventually fell asleep in my arms (awwww) and Alicia put him in the sling for a little nap. There were champagne toasts and the cake cutting. Jess & Mike had one of the most incredible cakes I’d ever seen. The kayakers going over a waterfall was just perfect for them! Jess and Mike had their first dance and then we all danced. Cross-Eyed Rosie, the bluegrass band Lincoln plays in, was the band so of course the music was wonderful. I danced with Chiron and the rest of my friends and had a fantastic time.

When it came time to toss the bouquet Jess threw it right at Camille who made no attempt to really catch it but rather watched as it bounced off her and landed on the ground. Apparently she’s not into the idea of being the next to marry. I spent the rest of the evening talking with friends and dancing. As it got late I said goodbye to the bride. We’ll be camping together next week so I look forward to hearing about their trip to British Columbia. Their big honeymoon trip will be in the winter when they go to New Zealand! I hopped on the barge that was taking the band and all their equipment back across the lake. It was my first ride on a barge. As we went across the water we could see that the clouds had finally cleared and all the stars were spread out above our heads. It was a wonderful end to my evening. Though it wasn’t quite done yet.

I drove 20 miles up Hwy 14, a very twisty curvy road with 5 tunnels then turned north on Hwy 141 which would take me to Trout Lake. On this last road I had to slow several times for deer and stop completely for two fawns that would not get out of the road. All in all I saw 6 deer, one raccoon and a skunk. I arrived at Wampler’s house to find the party in full swing. I talked with Dave for awhile and neither one of us were really in the mood for dealing with the drunks that had taken over Wamp’s house. There were lots of people I didn’t know including a handful of genuine rednecks. One of the guys referred to his girlfriend as a “piece of pussy” to which I replied, “You’re a real charmer!” He said, “I don’t have to be.” Well clearly… They left very late honking their horn and screaming out the window. Good riddance. I brought in the remains of the potluck from the outside table, not wanting to wake up to wild animals attacking the leftovers at 4 AM. I didn’t sleep very well in my tent as people were hanging out in the backyard and being loud until very late. Sigh!I woke up early Sunday when my alarm went off. I made coffee and ate some food before Camille and I drove down to BZ Corners. At Zoller’s Outdoor Odysseys we met Sarah, my friend who’s in training to be a river guide. After the safety talk we walked down the crazy steep stairs to the launch point on the White Salmon River. I got to sit in the front and enjoy the full blast of the water. It was a beautiful, warm and sunny day out so it felt great. The rapids were fantastic and Sarah was a wonderful guide. We portaged around Husum Falls as Sarah has not yet gone over the falls. Near the take out point we all helped Sarah to flip the raft, a harder proposition than it seems, so she could practice getting up on it and flipping it back over. We drove back up to Zollers where we changed out of the wetsuits and thanked Sarah for our Sunday morning adventure. I drove Camille and I back to Trout Lake where we hung out in the backyard before going to KJs for burgers and milkshakes. Back at Wampler’s there was more lounging around, banjos in the backyard and lots of dogs running around. Andrea got back from her fire adventure and told me crazy stories about fire tornadoes and working 16 hour days. She was wiped and went home with Jimmy for a shower and a big home cooked meal. I packed up my stuff and drove back to Portland, stopping at the White Salmon River to look at the falls and think of my great rafting trip. I can’t wait to go again!
So that was my weekend. I leave tomorrow for my first ever backpacking trip. Gina and I will be hiking a loop just south of Mt Jefferson. We’re both really excited!

Please let me know how you are and what you’ve been up to!

xox,
carolyn