Thor, Bear dog, and I are now The Three Geezers, redefining adventure as we adjust for aging and disabilities.
The Roman poet Horace wrote, “Carpe diem” — “seize the day” — and most of my life I’ve followed that advice, much to the dismay of my family and advisors who wanted me to pursue security (whatever that means). I’ve lived many wonderful adventures around the globe, including stints living primitive without running water or electricity, or times I literally had to break the piggy bank to scrape together rent on a funky apartment. I have few regrets. Pursuing my passion for the outdoors, especially wilderness, is always rewarding, and I am lucky enough to have met my adventure soul-mate Thor when we were in our mid-fifties. We jokingly called ourselves “mountain gods,” always hiking or snowshoeing our beautiful Pacific Northwest mountain wilderness in addition to many travels.
We didn’t expect that recent health issues would disable both of us in our early seventies, to the extent that our favorite hikes are now way beyond our abilities. We’ve made some discouraging attempts, but now are adjusting our expectations so we can still get out there to enjoy nature on days when our bodies are cooperating. Since our beloved Bear dog has also hit that stage and may not have much more time, I’ve been hearing echoes of another poet, Andrew Marvell:
“But at my back I always hear / Time’s winged chariot hurrying near:
And yonder all before us lie / Deserts of vast eternity.”
So, carpe diem! Calling ourselves The Three Geezers, we decided that a recent sunny day demanded that we return to the mountain and walk at least a short portion of the easy Bagley Lakes hike at the foot of Mt. Baker. The giant big-leaf maple at the ranger station on the way up welcomed us to the fall colors:
First view of the lower lake:
Our friend Brenda had told us she’d be up there looking for late huckleberries, and we met her there, with her dog Barnaby:
The high country fall colors were showing off for us.
“It’s a bear!”
Soaking up the beauty:
Thor has permanent nerve damage to his right calf and foot, so must wear a device that gives him some push-off to walk, but it’s exhausting, and balance is difficult on rocky or steep trails. I have breathing/energy issues due to damage from recent chemo/radiation treatments for my never-smoker lung cancer, and Bear dog just got a lymphoma diagnosis in addition to his walking difficulties, so we all three just sort of straggled along on the flats. But we made it almost a mile to the upper lake for a picnic. A glorious day was our reward.
Geologist Thor enjoys the beauty of the volcanic columnar andesite that forms a portion of the trail, though it’s tricky for him to navigate.
Mt. Shuksan was looking majestic with a dusting of new snow.
Day seized! Grateful.
*****
You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s latest novel from Book View Café is Pause, a First Place winner of the Chanticleer Somerset Award and an International Pulpwood Queens Book Club selection. “A must-read novel about friendship, love, and killer hot flashes.” (Mindy Klasky) And it’s a love letter to her native Pacific Northwest wilderness. Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com
