The Nice Ice Hike

Monday, January 29th, 2018

Naturally, since there was plenty to do on Monday to prepare for class, we all decided it'd be a great idea to go on a hike. And so we did. Isaac and I carpooled down to Brooke and Anna's house, getting there at the same time as Benjamin, and we went inside where Sara, Brooke's friend from Spokane, was all set and ready to go. Soon Brooke and Anna were ready as well, and then we made a quick decision as to where we should go on our hike. Now, most people would have had figured this out the night before like sensible people, but, being the people we are, we just rolled with it.

Soon we had a two-car convoy heading north out of town. After the hike Sara would drive off to Spokane for her classes and the five of us would all go back to Moscow in Brooke's car. Soon enough we arrived at Kamiak Butte. The cool, crisp morning air alivened our metabolisms and spurred us on to good and noble thoughts. We got on the trail and walked. Now, hiking up a fun new trail with five other people is always a delight. If one has ever been so fortunate as to have experienced this or something like it before, you'll know what I'm talking about. At first everybody stays in a clump and all laugh and joke together, and then as the path twists and winds ever upward, people break into smaller clusters and talk amongst themselves. Let's jump into a few hiking stereotypes now.

1. The Joker. This is the guy who makes a joke or funny insult and tells it loud enough so that everybody in the line of hikers can hear it. Never forget to bring along one of these guys.

2. The Aww-Look-At-That-Pretty-View Guy. This person stops at every rock outcropping and overlook to take in the scenery and revel in the beauty of the hike. They'll notice cool things and stop a minute to inspect it some. Without this person, you'll miss lots of the natural beauty along the way.

3. The Let's-Get-There-ASAP Guy. This person strikes off at a lively gait and doesn't stop and wait for anyone who pauses to look at something. Usually when they're about at least a half-football length ahead of you they'll holler for the rest the hurry up. This is also the guy who makes sure everybody finishes the hike on time so you can get to class later that day.

4. The Lagger. This guy likes to go at a leisurely pace and isn't in a hurry. They usually end up at the rear of the group and routinely get left behind, prompting periodical times of sprinting to catch up. The fast overly-zealous people at the front secretly like having a Lagger in the group so they can take a good breather while they wait for them to catch up.

5. The Converser. This is the guy who tries to make sure to have at least a ten minute conversation with everybody in the group before the hike ends. Something about the fresh air makes them wax philosophical, and they really make the distance go by quickly as you forget about the walking while you're going along with him and talking. Would definitely recommend having one of these guys along, especially on a long hike.

6. The Squirrel. This person gets distracted rather easily and runs off into the bushes at the first sight of some fun log, clump of moss, or patch of snow. They can never decide where in the line of hikers they should be and what conversation, if any, they should be a part of, and constantly run forward and back between all the people. Though slightly annoying, they always try to make sure everybody has fun along the way.

By and by we made it to the ridge and looked out across the palouse. It was rather pretty, though somewhat overcast. We continued along the ridge till we got to the other end where we started our descent along the now-narrow path. This side of the ridge had much thicker ice patches, which forced us to slow down and tread carefully lest we slip and break a hip or something. The ice also, heh heh, afforded me some little reprieve from the lack of winter-weather-fun. There was this particular stretch of solid ice longer than the rest, where partway down was a rock embedded in the path. This rock covered the width of the trail and had no ice on it, but beyond the rock the ice continued on for another ten feet or so before it came to another similar rock, except on the other side of this one was an eighteen-inch drop and then the slick icy patch carried on for another thirty odd feet or so. It was one long icy boi.

So I got a good running start and got some good speed sliding on the ice right off the bat. It seemed to me I picked up a little more speed as I went down the slight incline, and as I approached the first rock I prepared to jump. Since there was no ice on the rock I'd need to jump it in order to keep going, for stopping wasn't an option at this point and not-jumping would surely send me sprawling out on the path ahead. I cleared the first rock, jumped over the second rock, and landed on the ice below and kept on sliding. It went perfectly without a hitch! It was so much fun I decided to run up and do it again.

On the second go, things got interesting. I sloppily cleared the first rock, but didn't have time to regain my footing before the second one, and my attempt at jumping over that one ended up with me falling really hard on the far side of the rock. My right knee took the brunt of it as I continued to fall onto the ice below the rock on the other side. As I rolled toward the edge of the trail and started to go over, I nervously glanced at my jeans where my knee should have been: Yes, it was just as I feared; there was a hole. Not in my knee, only blood there, but a hole in my jeans. This was a good pair I'd only a few months back had repaired! Ughh. I grabbed a bush on my way down the hillside, checking my fall having only gone off the trail maybe a yard or so. As I got to my feet, the pain started to kick in. Once I was back on the trail again, I leaned against something and rested my leg for a second. Oh boy, this was going to be fun alright.

After that I continued on with a good limp, being sure to be extra cautious and slow on the ice. No more fun and games for me. A little further on, Sara slipped and twisted her ankle, and so now there were two fairly disabled people in the group. Isaac and Benjamin each took a shoulder as they helped her along, and so we continued on. There was still a little slipping and sliding, but we helped catch each other from our imminent falls and nobody else got hurt. Eventually Benjamin ran on ahead and scouted it out to see how much further it was, and Sara's ankle started to feel a little better and she could walk slowly by herself.

A good bit further on, we eventually made it to the second parking lot, where Benjamin met us with one of the cars that was originally parked in the lower lot. We piled in, and it was then that I found out that bending my knee into a sitting position was really quite painful. Anna hopped in the back of Brooke's car so I could have room to sit without bending my knee at all. The two other girls sat up front while Isaac and Ben rode on the bumper down to the lower parking lot.

And so it was we all hobbled back to Moscow. Issac and Anna may have missed their Spencer class and Sara her whole first day of classes, but we sure did have a good adventure along the way. Enjoy it as it comes I always say. Later that day found me laying on our comfy orange couch, buried chin-deep in warm blankets with my leg elevated and two pillows at my back, reading Bede's Ecclesiastical History. I sure am blessed to live such a life; despite hurting my knee and making it slow to amble around, I can still get work done and succeed in my calling, which, at this point of my life, is school. Not everyone gets to attend such a wonderful college; it really is a wonderful thing to be thankful for.

Not long after that my eyes grew quite heavy, my Bede slipped to the floor, and sleep encompassed me as I drifted off for what would become a three hour nap. What a glorious day.