I fondly recall us taking off for impromptu hikes, stopping first to fill his waist pack with peppermints, which were ever-present in one of the house candy jars, and beef jerky, which there always seemed to be a good supply of in my Grandparent's home. Once we had hiked a good while and reached a proper rest stop with a view, we'd break out the goodies and soak it all in. It was always stunning. Either an eagle's view of a valley below us, or a view of an cold, clear alpine lake, or simply an amazing stand of aspen during the change of season when they were all gold and flickering. After chatting a bit, Granddad would always take a catnap (with a smile on his face!), and I'd explore the vicinity. I can't eat either peppermint or beef jerky without thinking of those good times - and wanting to get out to the mountains.
Granddad must have been with me yesterday, because good things started happening right away. Things that reminded me of him. First of all was the great sale on one of my favorite brands of jerky - the luck! Then, on my way out of Gresham on Hwy 26, I saw this old, but great looking, '70-something Datsun pickup that was so similar to the one he and I beat around in on the backroads and dirt roads on our way to trailheads in the mountains near Durango, Colorado in the '70's. The only differences were the color (Grandad's was blue, and this one was a bright orange), the OPB and NRDC bumper stickers, and the camper shell on this fabulous orange version. The one I saw on Saturday looked like this:
I took it as an omen for a great day. I drove along with a big 'ol smile on my face. And I smiled even more broadly when I got a peek a the driver. What a character! Must have been in her late 60's or early 70's - with bright white hair tied in a colorful bandana, silver bangles on her wrist and this fantastic blue denim oxford shirt, that was exactly like the ones my grandad used to wear! She's was enjoying music and tapping in rythym on her rear view mirror. She was beautiful! I had to compliment her rig when we were stopped at a red light in Sandy. She loved hearing it, and seemed to enjoy the story behind my admiration, too. I wish I could have a cup of coffee with this woman to get to know her better. There was just something about her. I had happy thoughts revolving around her and how I want to live my life all the way up to the mountain.
After a brief and accidental side trip out Lolo Pass Road (and stunning views of Mt. Hood!), I finally found my way up to the Top Spur Trailhead. I parked, got my pack on, called Molly and headed up the Top Spur trail, on my way to the Timberline trail. I found myself huffing and puffing a bit. I'm not in the shape I'd like to be in this Summer. I started to take a break, but then remembered Granddad encouraging me to go a little further all those many years ago. He'd tell me to hum a song or think of something else to keep my mind off my steps. If we kept stopping, we'd never get to our real rest stop, he'd say. Again, I smiled, remembering his advice, and I hummed myself along. And I marvelled at the wildflowers along the way, trying to remember their names. Granddad almost always knew, and if he ever didn't, we'd be looking them up in his field guide on wildflowers, which he'd nearly always have with him.
There were plenty of wildflowers on this hike. So many it surprised me. At first I saw mostly Trillium and the remains of Bunchberry, but I also saw a few Indian Paintbrush. As I got out of the trees, I found I was walking through tons more bright red Indian Paintbrush, lots of purple spears of Mountain Lupine, bright and beautiful Leopard Lillies, Foxgloves and something I later learned is called Alpine Fawn Lillies, or possibly also called Avalanche Lillies! I had to use the internet for that one, because I don't actually own a wildflower field guide. There was also Beargrass in abundance, still not fully bloomed. As I climbed higher, I saw Glacier Lillies and Mariposa Lillies. I couldn't help but think about how much Grandad would have enjoyed this day full of color and stunning vistas!
I had planned to go to a spot I hiked to last Summer, but I took the "wrong" trail and ended up hiking much farther. I'm so glad for this happy accident, because if I hadn't "messed up," I would never have seen the beautiful streams with lush green moss and other plants, and I would have missed the the giant, and very stunning rockslide. Most importantly, my mistake led me to the most beautiful meadow I've seen in a long while, with lovely shallow ponds, which were not only lined with bright green delicate grass, but reflected the mountain beautifully. It was a sight which brought tears to my eyes.
The sun was getting too low in the sky to go further, so I took off my pack, sat down and enjoyed this jewel of a place. And I savored my jerky with the warm sun on my shoulders, then chased that with a pretty little peppermint candy, while Molly explored the vicinity. I shared some jerky with Molly, too. Then I closed my eyes and I smiled.
Then I said outloud, "Thank you,for sharing the best things with me, Granddad."
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