The Adventure Begins

I guess I could say that it began 3 weeks ago getting ready to hike The Wonderland Trail, or maybe it began last February somewhere on the beaches of New Zealand where I dreamed up this crazy idea...at any rate, now seems like a good time to declare a beginning as I leave for Ecuador in 2 days.

To catch some of you up, August 23rd, 2008, three friends (Shannon, Drew and BearClaw) and I set out to hike the 94 mile loop that circumnavigates Mount Rainier: The Wonderland Trail. The hike started on a beautiful day but we then had 3 days of straight rain. So much for banking on sunshine in the PNW the last week of August. The evening of day 4 we were greeted by my lovely parents (now known by many as Trail Angels) with cold beer and mom´s wonderful cooking. Once resupplied we decided to eliminate one of our shortest hiking days by combining two days together (because what fun would it be to sit around our campsite in the rain). After a couple of days with a 2000 ft. gain, 2000 ft. loss, and 2000 ft gain, we picked up our second food drop at the White River Campground where we were able to have a fire and dry out (and listen to an excellent presentation on amphibians, thank you Ranger Ben). This was fortunate timing because our next days march put us up above snow level. On August 30th, it was snowing at Summerland, and we of course were singing Winter Wonderland. My friends were able to do some sledding at one of the saddles we went over the next day. On Labor Day we hiked the entire south side of the mountain arriving back at our car at 5pm, for a total of 10 days on the trail, but 2 days earlier than planned. Thanks to wonderful friends, LOTS of good food and many helpful rangers it was a fantastic trip despite the weather. I´m not sure I´ve ever laughed so much for 10 straight days.

This week comes close though. Saturday, Sept 6th, Mandy, Kate, Sara and I departed to Mexico for a week of luxury in Cabo San Lucas. This trip, intended to celebrate the 30th year of our respective births and 20 some odd years of being friends, has helped to reinstitute the old tradition of the `annual road trip´ that started when we were 16 (but sadly now without the VW bus). We´ve enjoyed lots of pool time, card games, and several spa days (thanks to all the free gifts we racked up from suffering through time share presentations... no buying though, don´t worry.) There has been a tropical storm this week so we haven´t been able to take advantage of all the ocean activities we were hoping to, but we are optimistic for tomorrow. It has been wonderful to spend time with my girlfriends before I depart for Ecuador. Good for the soul in fact.

Next week I´ll begin intensive Spanish language classes in Quito for two weeks before I head off into the Ecuadorian highlands for a 3 week volunteer project with The Yanapuma Foundation which is a sustainable development NGO: www.yanapuma.org. After that project I´m not sure what´s next, but that´s part of the fun. :) I´ll be sure to keep you posted.
Hugs to all. - Dayna