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Aug. 16th, 2020 06:49 pmLast week, I took a camping trip - partly to get my head clear a bit, with the trees and the water and the smell of a campfire. But primarily, to hike up a mountain as far as I could (not being an expert hiker, this was an important consideration in trail choosing) so that I could spread Chad's ashes somewhere high and beautiful.
So on Tuesday I hiked up the Green Mountain Trail, to the Green Mountain lookout (an old fire lookout, restored and listed on the national historic registry), and there I spread Chad's ashes, to the sound of the wind and the whistles of marmots.
It was a stunningly pretty hike - once I was through the forest, carpeted in pine needles and moss, nearly silent - the steep mountain meadows were covered in wildflowers, and the Northern Cascades spread out all around under a blue, blue sky.
There were only a few other hikers - one of the reasons I went on a weekday, as I hear it's quite popular, even crowded, on the weekends. And pretty much everybody had no trouble remembering to mask up as we got close, or to keep a responsible distance.
The hike was probably too steep for me - I am not super athletic, and I had to stop and rest a lot. The hike up to the top took about five and a half hours, and I nearly quit partway up, more than once. Also, I was an idiot, and forgot that bugspray doesn't last all day - I am covered in bites from mosquitoes and flies. The mosquito bites are mostly healed - the fly bites, however, are still annoying.
The hike down took only a bit over two hours - much less stopping to rest, though my knees were aching about halfway down.
At the top, by the lookout, I had a good few moments entirely alone - perfect for quiet little ceremony, which basically consisted of me writing down the coordinates, saying a few private words, and letting the ashes out on the wind. It was . . . well, I think it's what he would have wanted.
( Cut for lots of unedited pictures )
Now I just have to get in good enough shape to make this hike yearly, I think.
So on Tuesday I hiked up the Green Mountain Trail, to the Green Mountain lookout (an old fire lookout, restored and listed on the national historic registry), and there I spread Chad's ashes, to the sound of the wind and the whistles of marmots.
It was a stunningly pretty hike - once I was through the forest, carpeted in pine needles and moss, nearly silent - the steep mountain meadows were covered in wildflowers, and the Northern Cascades spread out all around under a blue, blue sky.
There were only a few other hikers - one of the reasons I went on a weekday, as I hear it's quite popular, even crowded, on the weekends. And pretty much everybody had no trouble remembering to mask up as we got close, or to keep a responsible distance.
The hike was probably too steep for me - I am not super athletic, and I had to stop and rest a lot. The hike up to the top took about five and a half hours, and I nearly quit partway up, more than once. Also, I was an idiot, and forgot that bugspray doesn't last all day - I am covered in bites from mosquitoes and flies. The mosquito bites are mostly healed - the fly bites, however, are still annoying.
The hike down took only a bit over two hours - much less stopping to rest, though my knees were aching about halfway down.
At the top, by the lookout, I had a good few moments entirely alone - perfect for quiet little ceremony, which basically consisted of me writing down the coordinates, saying a few private words, and letting the ashes out on the wind. It was . . . well, I think it's what he would have wanted.
( Cut for lots of unedited pictures )
Now I just have to get in good enough shape to make this hike yearly, I think.
