The weekend started innocently enough. Friday afternoon we made the couple hour drive east to escape the rain and to remember we were indeed experiencing summer time. That evening, we enjoyed a leisurely dinner outside as the warm weather affords us. We slept under the stars and awoke to sunshine and patches of blue sky.
As we commenced our early morning hike, the sky drew darker, the clouds rolled in and the rain let loose. We found reprieve in a cave and hunkered down to wait out the storm. Normally we would be undeterred, we would be toting waterproof paraphernalia, but this time us Pacific Northwesterners went against every fiber in our being and trusted the weather report.
Almost an hour went by and the rain continued its incessant pummeling. Then I had the brilliant idea to unleash our emergency blankets for the purpose of being temporary ponchos. Once I donned mine, I quickly realized with my backpack on I looked like a hunched over hag, I had Cameron quickly snap my photo to confirm this notion as we made our way down the soggy trail.
Cameron's sported a much cleaner look, as his emergency blanket was not only smaller, but without all instructions printed all over it. Due to his shiny appearance he looked either like a Christmas present or a baked potato.
Rather than fight it, we embraced how ridiculous we looked and were surprised we did not get more funny stares. Bad weather has a way of weeding out the faint of heart, so possibly those left on the trail appreciated our resourcefulness rather than our ridiculous appearance.
As the wind picked up, my baked potato looked more like a superhero making his way down the trail.
The Enchantments are amongst the most beautiful places to hike in Washington. The unparalleled beauty of the area is what propels us to sleep on the ground and enjoy the ruthlessness of the mosquitoes in the week to come. When we entered this valley, I am reminded by Cameron that despite the disappointing weather we are having this Summer- this is why we live here.
The rain provides added opportunities for fleeting moments of beauty to be captured.
, it is a bit of a hike to get here, but well worth it.
As we made our way back to the trailhead, the sky became clear and we realized the early bird not only got the worm, but the rain soaked hair to prove it.
