Coming off two weeks working on my parents' property right before the 2020 election drama, I craved time alone in nature. En route to home, I swung through the Wallowa and Elkhorn Mountain ranges for some true solitude. Below is a photo essay from my time there.
The summary:
No phone signal for days.
Two total other people encountered on the trail. My favorite was the ebullient Pastor Dave, who "moved to the area 17 years and 75 pounds ago, found hiking, and have been to all 76 lakes in the Wallowas!"
Lots of time on foot and pedaling in the mountains.
A big shout out to Chelsea for graciously supporting my extra time away. It made me appreciate her even more and brought to mind this Rainer Maria Rilke quote:
I hold this to be the highest task of a bond between two people: that each should stand guard over the solitude of the other. For, if it lies in the nature of indifference and of the crowd to recognize no solitude, then love and friendship are there for the purpose of continually providing the opportunity for solitude. And only those are the true sharings which rhythmically interrupt periods of deep isolation.
Photos from the Elkhorn and Wallowa Mountains!
A clearing storm on the Palouse en route to the Wallowas. It made me think of the potential in the election...
Taking in the Matterhorn view on Hurricane Creek Trail in the Wallowas. No wonder they call them The Little Alps! (Also, props to apps with 30 second camera timers...see how relaxed I look? Didn't even have to sprint.)
The sign read "Bridge Out," but clearly it was fine.
Firing larches and a perfect fall day on the S. Fork of the Imnaha.
Rather than destroying the van on a rough fire road, I opted to bike in. The snow/ice had other ideas. I'll be back, Bonny Lake!
Strange bedfellows on this trip: my keyboard, a bronze sculpture by my dad that I picked up at a foundry, and a maple 4x4 that we're going to grow mushrooms on! All less cuddly than Chelsea, but they don't toss and turn at night...
'Tis the season for magic larch colors! The air was adrift with floating golden needles.
Sunset on the stunning Elkhorn Crest Trail on Oregon's highest singletrack trail! Looking west, you see this...
And looking east, you see the desert near Baker City.
The U.S. ain't perfect by any stretch, but I sure love the huge swaths of public land for recreating and van camping with a view!
Fallen larch needles.
Tired but alive at the top of Dutch Flat trail in the Elkhorns. This trail is incredible, a combo of views, gold larches, and grin-inducing rocks, speed and... anyway. #mountainbikedorkalert
Sing us a sooooong, in the piano van! (Thanks to my friend Eric for getting THAT ditty stuck in my head for a week.)
Sunset on the sublime Elkhorn Crest trail.Deep in the zone in my happy place.
And that's a wrap! Sing us a song la da deee da da... Ciao for now, folks.
