The Christmas hike
Every year at Christmas, there’s a bit of a tradition around our house. We get up, open presents, then Robyn makes mandarin orange muffins and I go for the official Christmas Day hike. This year, it started raining around noon on Christmas Eve, and continued to rain at our house almost constantly until about ten o’clock yesterday morning.
I decided to cancel the traditional Christmas hike because it was so nasty out.
Until eleven o’clock, that is, when I realized being cooped up in the house was far worse than anything the mountain could throw at me. So I put on some BDUs and long-sleeve t-shirt and dug my old hiking boots out of the corner of the garage. God forbid in get my nice bright yellow Cascadia trail shoes muddy.
After a brief—and quite nerve wracking—inspection of the boots for black widows (I found one in the garage a couple of weeks ago when we were cleaning it), I pulled them on and headed for Monte Sano. The hike was quite the experience, and really different from normal in that there was water in all sorts of places where there normally isn’t. And it was still raining there.
Of course I took my new camera, and now I give you a photographic rendition of Christmas Hike 2005.
The Wagon trail meanders down the gentle slope of the mountain.
Please note that this is the trail, not a streambed.
In the distance, the summit where the Waterline trail peaks
is clothed in a low cloud.
This is the first half of Fagan Creek, normally bone dry in the summer
and a trickle in the winter. I crossed it on the rocks.
This is the second half of Fagan Creek. There’s a small island in the middle,
where I was standing when I took this picture. Fortunately, my hiking boots are
waterproof so my feet only got a little damp walking through this.
I almost busted my ass once, though. I’m sure my windmilling arms made quite the sight.
This is normally a dry bed. I’ve never seen even a single drop of water here.
A closer view of a small cascade.
At one point on the Alms House trail, water poured forth
from a hole in the mountainside. It was pretty damn cool.
The normally bone-dry Waterline trail, just where the climb gets good.
A stream on the Railroad trail that’s normally a trickle. You can see
where they’ve put a bridge over the stream at the top of the picture.
Standing on that bridge and looking upstream.
Looking downstream from the bridge.
Despite getting wet and muddy, and the occasional slip-n-slide parts, the hike was well worth it, just for the opportunity to see the mountain in a way I never have. Strangely, there were no other people out hiking in the rain on Christmas Day. I’m not sure why.
Mister Boogers and Tom Cullen share a tender moment in daddy’s lap last night.
Tom Cullen and Sugarbutt come to help dad paint the computer room this morning.
And voila, done and put back together by noon. I’m getting good at this.
Last weekend, I painted my bedroom. I really like this color.
It’s hard to tell because the room was dark, but it’s a nice shade of diarrhea green.
I really like that paint in those two rooms, but especially in your bedroom. Did Robyn stitch that Sampler hanging on the wall?
Nice hike! I love going out into the woods in the winter when it has just rained. The sound the water makes is very much like music - and it changes according to the time of year, since we definitely have a dry season and a rainy season here in California. Merry Christmas to you and Robyn and the Spud - I hope you all had a great day!
Susan,
Robyn’s grandmother stitched that.
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Leslie,
I agree completely. Music is exactly what it’s like.
And before anyone asks, the computer room color is called “Blue Twilight” and the number is 5001-1C, American Tradition, Valspar.
My husband certainly can choose some colors, can’t he?
You are the painting machine, Fred! Do you use mere mortal tools (brush and roller?) or some new-fangled thing (like the Wagner power roller?) Your ceiling lines are so crisp and nary an “oops” on the ceilings or mouldings. How do you do it?!?!
p.s. - Robyn, is he available for hire?
Aly,
It’s all roller, with a brush around the edges. The secret to good lines is tape for the baseboards and an angled brush for the ceiling.
(and I do oops the ceiling occasionally, but have some spray-on ceiling paint to fix them)
what a nice way to spend Christmas morning. Nice pics
Something seems off to me in the pic with Tom and Mister Boogers. Do you have pillows covering your legs? Are you forming a perfect right angle? Or is that part of another person off to your right (our left)? Apparently I need a life to replace my need to understand this picture.
Cindy, I think that is funny that you had trouble with the pic too. I thought the two blue things to be legs in denim. Then I thought they were too large a legs for the hands and body holding the cat. Then I realized they were pillows. Then I decided the rest of Fred must be under the pillow coming toward us. I did lean a little closer for inspection..haha!!!
The hike made me cold just looking at the pics. The only thing I hate more than being cold is being cold AND wet!!! Beautiful pics thought. Hope you all had a Merry Day!!!
:)Kathy
The cats are on a pillow that’s on my lap. If you look, you can see a hint of my gray sweats poking out on the left.
The Fredster should have his own show on HGTV-a little bit of decorating and then some hiking,etc…
P.S. The photos were awesome-more for me to steal for future art projects,whee!
Wow those pictures are amazing. I love the way a simple rain can change the entire way you see the land. Beautiful.
Thats funny, I went running Christmas day as well on our nature trail behind my house…NO ONE! It was completely deserted…
Hi!
The pictures of the cascades are really nice.
Think you might frame any?
Probably not, Desert. Because the light was so bad, they’re a little blurry at full size.
That’s my story, anyway. I’m sure the photographer had nothing to do with it.
Great pics. Love the one of the water coming out of the mountain.
We live at the edge of the Daniel Boone National Forest and it is awesome! Many of the trails make you feel as if you are in an expensive photo layout. Sometimes Mother Nature out does Herself. It’s so perfect it almost seems as if it has to be contrived.
?I know what I said? but does anyone else?