For some couples, Valentine’s
Day is filled with gift-giving and extravagant dinner plans. I chose to do something a little different. I decided to take my wife (S’te) hiking and
have a sunset dinner. We packed our bags
with items needed to stay overnight under the open air and inclement weather (we
never know in the Pacific North West).
Our travel to the trailhead was quite pleasant and the weather gave way
to a dry and sunny commute. Well, at least on the way to the trailhead. Once we arrived at the trailhead we each
tossed our gear on our backs and launched our hiking adventure. We were pretty
excited to note how warm the weather was.
Though the terrain was muddy and slippery, we managed to safely navigate
our way forward without injury.
The roar and aroma of the ocean greeted us with open arms as we approached the remote coast of Cape Alava. Upon arrival to the beach (I use the term beach loosely), we leisurely made our way through all the campsites in search of the perfect location to stake a claim. All the campsites were empty and offered different vantage points to take in the beauty of God’s creations. We finally settled on what we believe to be the best viewpoint (S’te is good at this). Our campsite was mostly flat and framed by beautiful trees, shrubbery, and driftwood. The view was breathtaking. The ocean pushed its waves upon the beach, creating a smooth canvas for our shoe prints to temporally mark our time there. After setting up camp (our tents), we hung out with each other. We shared our camp with an eagle having (live) dinner and a doe with her fawns grazing. We caught a view of Tskawahyah Island. This Island is adorned with freestanding trees decorating the top. To the left was a larger Island with a distinct opening center. In the center, the sun slowly nestled its way out of sight. We were able to enjoy our simple but special dinner together at the sunset.
Before hitting the
sack for the night. S’te and I played cards (UNO). I am the champion of this
card game. Just kidding, S’te WINs! Most games.
I just like playing with her.
This lovely lady puts a smile on my face and I love her very much. After a few games, we hunkered down in our
sleeping contraptions (sleeping bags) and enjoyed a cold but restful night.
In the morning we
arose to (yes) a cold and rainy atmosphere.
There was no use in trying to start a fire, it was all soaking wet from
the overnight precipitation. We heated fresh
water in our Jet Boil and made hot cocoa with instant coffee. We took in the wonderful view one last time
before packing our gear and heading back to the trailhead. As we were heading back, we came to a bridge
that covered a small body of moving water. However, the color of the water made
me rethink my position on drinking it. The color appeared dark reddish. After S’te laughed, she quickly nurtured my
concern of dying and assured me it was OK to drink. There we filled our water
carriers (filtering it first course). We
then hit the dirt trail, homeward bound.
