hiking by landmarks

Yesterday, Andrew brought home bad Thai food. I'm always grateful when he brings home dinner and the place was my idea but that doesn't change the fact that it just wasn't good. It was so bad in fact that it came with fortune cookies. Regardless of how ridiculous the idea of fortune cookies with Thai is, I still ate mine and the fortune said to try something new tomorrow.

I thought it was funny because that's always my goal. However, I have been grasping at new straws lately. On Sunday, I went to see Train Wreck with Sophia, Tim, and Andrew and it was really funny but going to see a movie at the Eastport is hardly new for me. My new thing was trying the Chocolate Shake Porter at Horse Brass later on. Then, on Monday, my new thing was trying a new tincture. Yesterday, I tried the pretzel bagel from Trader Joe's. Do you see what I'm talking about? So, after I got the fortune, I made up my mind to have a real authentically new experience.

I have various hikes bookmarked in my Kindle and the Aldrich Butte-Cedar Falls hike is one I often skip past because it's in Washington and the authors of the hike guide say that the trail is hard to follow. But I felt like an adventure today so Ava and I headed out there after work. I've got to say that I have never consulted a trail guide as much as I have for this hike. The paths were not clearly marked and, even if they were, the guide states that the paths and waterfall have many names and the locals can't agree on them. The guide had me looking for paths signified by a rock outcropping, the remains of a WWII gun sight, a burnt snag, an old fire pit, two 5-rock cairns, a dried up lake, and an out-of-place cottonwood tree. And surprisingly, I found most of the markers! It was like a treasure map only written out.

The waterfall was a surprise. I didn't expect much at the end but it was beautiful, tranquil, and free of other people which was most likely due to the fact that the path is not a simple one to follow. My one big hiccup on this adventure was setting up my camera on a log in front of the waterfall and turning the timer on for a pic. As soon as I moved to get in front of the camera, I heard it fall. I turned around to see it submerged. The batteries had flown out of it so it must have had a significant impact before landing in the water. Que Sera Sera. I hope it starts back up again once it dries out.

Ava had a great time, which is no surprise but as of this evening, she is exhausted and so am I. But I feel satisfied with our adventure and I may go back. I have a better idea about how to get there so maybe I can take Andrew there sometime or, maybe I'll try a new path.