The Dry Hike

Unlike the snowstorms our relatives back East have experienced, we have not had adequate snow this year in our region. Last Saturday dawned sunny and beautiful. The outdoor temperature on our Oregon Scientific thermometer registered a warm 9°C (shouldn’t we all use metric?). When Kevin proposed we do something fun, April begged to go on a “real” hike (which does not mean walk up Old Main Hill and back). Kevin suggested we try the Wind Cave Trail because, and we quote him directly, “it is on the south-facing slope so it will be dry.” After eating lunch, we quickly packed some dried fruit, water, and jackets and were off.

We were careful to avoid the patch of mud at the beginning, and Kevin assured us that the trail on the hillside would be dry. He pointed out there was no snow left on the ground.

As we progressed, it became increasingly difficult to avoid the mud. Soon we were on the slope, and our feet sank deeper into the squishy trail. As we trudged upward, our feet became covered with gobs of gooey mud and made sucking sounds with every step. "Don't slip, Daddy," cautioned Erin from the backpack (early signs of a backseat driver?). "Dad, if this is a dry trail, we'd like to know what your definition of a wet trail is," taunted Megan and Ian.

In spite of the mud, Ian enthusiastically led the way and wouldn't allow anyone to pass. Megan stopped to enjoy the view of the China Wall across Logan Canyon. By the final stretch, Ian and Megan were wondering about the cold white substance coating the trail (surely not snow on this dry hike).

When we arrived at the cave (it's actually a series of big arches), Erin awoke from a short nap and was excited to run around. For Megan and Ian, however, the destination was a bit disappointing--they were frightened by the sharp drop-off at one end of the cave, even though we kept safely away from it. They managed to pose and smile for a few photos, but were anxious to leave.

At the end, April was satisfied that we had completed a real hike. Kevin realized that he should no longer comment on trail conditions prior to seeing them. Megan concluded she enjoyed 95% of the experience, and Ian said he only liked 5% (we wish we could have his level of enthusiasm for something apparently so miserable).

Ian's 5% of fun involved finding a geocache on the way down. The cache was named "Library" and had books to trade. We had not planned for this, but saw that there were a few non-book items. We ended up trading some hand warmers for a 2-inch pocket dictionary for Megan and a small penlight for Ian. All in all it was another adventure for us, and the "dryness" of the hike made it even more memorable. In fact, days later we are still remembering it as we continue to clean mud from the car and house.