We had our first Mountain Girl adventure a few weekends ago, a shed hunting day trip on public land not far from home. Shed hunting is looking for antlers that all bucks lose between the months of January and April. With our packs loaded up with lunch, which he said was a surprise, water, warm clothing, our cameras, binoculars, and other items he needed for such an adventure, we set out on our very first real excursion.
We've done the long drives, short hikes, and wood-cutting in the snow adventures. He later admitted to me that he was nervous that the day wouldn't go well. We wouldn't find any sheds or I wouldn't enjoy myself. Needless to say, he need not have worried.
Bundled up for a winter storm, I quickly got warm enough to shed many of my layers. It was a beautiful day, with lots of sun, big clouds, blue sky, slight winds, and times when the sun was so warm it felt like late spring. We walked along the side of a hill, and I don't mean a mole hill. The hills we were walking along could very well have been the sides of a canyon. Not that we were dangerously scaling a cliff. No way. But as a novice, I was stumbling around quite a bit, more hilarious than scary. And I soon realized my feet were going to be pretty beat up from walking along the uneven hillside with loose rocks that kept throwing me off balance. Craig, the pro, was always a good distance ahead of me. But I didn't mind. That way he couldn't hear all of the commotion I was making as I teetered along, tripping, laughing, and falling. Thank goodness for good hiking boots with awesome support and no injuries--I don't have the best ankles.
Once we got to some open areas where deer would feed, we started walking about twenty feet apart from each other to cover more ground. I knew he wanted nothing more than for me to find the first shed. It would be the first one I'd ever found. And he was so worried that it wouldn't happen that way. But, walking along quietly, I looked up the hill to find a three-point antler, sitting propped up against the hill on a patch of dirt amongst the yellow weeds. Like it was waiting for me. I glanced at him quickly to see he wasn't looking my way and then ran to pick up it. Standing tall and proud I held it up in the air and called to him. He was SO happy! He ran quickly, closing the uphill gap of at least 50 feet between us in seconds. We reveled in the moment and snapped a picture of me and my find. Circling the area in a 50 yard perimeter we looked for the match. Although we didn't find it, we couldn't have been happier.
When it was decided we weren't going to find the other antler, the match to the one I had found, we stood about twenty feet apart from each other and stopped, both grinning from ear to ear. I felt the sun shinning down on us, brighter than it had before. I felt so blessed to be out there with him. To have him in my life. To have found my first shed. To be this happy. Did I mention this was one of those feel-good, mushy posts? Well I didn't realize it was either. Sometimes you just gotta go with the flow. So please stick with me, even if you are a not so romantic at heart or squeamish when it comes to the mushy-gushy.
After the high of finding my first shed, we continued on our journey for more antlers. Keeping up with our earlier routine which helped us spot our first find, we kept a good distance between us. I would walk up the hill and he would look below. Let me do my best to explain the region. We may well have been in a canyon, with a creek running through the bottom and many steep hills, benches, and even some jagged rocky cliffs. As I walked up the side of a hill we were on and he walked the bench below, I got to the edge of the top of the hill and decided it was too steep and brushy for myself to feel comfortable walking down. I couldn't see him, so I circled down to meet up with him. But he wasn't there. Thinking that he must have gone along the side, expecting me to be above him, I quickly followed the path I assumed he took. But he was not there, and I couldn't see around the hill enough to know where he went. A strong panic rose in my chest. I stopped a minute to calm myself down and think clearly. In such a wide open area you wouldn't think you couldn't lose one another. But, with so many dips, up and down and in and out, you wouldn't know if the person was just on the other side of the hill until you crossed it. The wind was strong enough that I knew if he wasn't close he wouldn't hear me. But I tried calling for him anyway. I walked quickly down the hill, looking for him, trying not let my panic get the best of me. When I still didn't see him, I almost let the panic take over. My brain started going through the possibilities as to why he wasn't there. What if we were going in opposite directions, both looking for each other, and just getting further apart? What if I got so lost he couldn't find me? With my adrenaline pumping I made it over the hill until, finally, I spotted him. Far away from me, but still I could see him. Standing across from me on the other side he was using his binoculars to look for me. My heart heaved a heavy sigh of relief and my breathing went back to normal. I set out on my path, pushing through brush, stumbling over rocks, and then reaching a fence that was too low to crawl under and too high to climb over on my own. Looking up I saw a hole in the fence, about five fence posts up and I made a sprint for it, straight up the hill. After crawling through it was a few more minutes until I finally reached him. I was so glad to have that ordeal over with. We decided to take a breather and have some lunch.
And that, my friends, was quite the dramatic explanation of how I thought I was lost in a canyon without my boyfriend. Little did I know he assumed I would be over there, which I should have been if I wouldn't have retraced my steps. And, that he was not as concerned as I was. But of course, and possibly this is just natural to a woman, I worried. My mind automatically spun to the worst case scenario. And what seemed like 30 minutes of endless searching was probably more like a mere five minutes. Funny how your mind can create these scenarios, ones that have your beloved dangling from a cliff, fingers clinging to sweet life. Or it's led you to believe that you completely lost in the broad daylight, with a mere hill in between you and the other person. To say I feel a little silly for panicking is an understatement. But, I did learn from the situation and since my Mountain Girl days are far from over, this is a good thing.
Eager to learn about my surprise lunch? He did such a good job! Sparkling cider to celebrate our first Mountain Girl adventure and indulge in a little bit of romance. And soup he was able to heat up with some kind of can heating device. He's gonna give me a look for screwing up the name of this oh-so-useful tool, but he's not here right now and it's definitely not something I use enough to know what it's called. But it was so thoughtful that we made me warm soup for lunch, knowing all too well my ability to always be cold. I'm such a lucky gal.
After lunch we continued on our search for more sheds. It wasn't until we found some flat spots, on our way back to the pickup, that I struck gold again. Walking alongside each other, looking through the grass, enjoying the late afternoon, I found a very white three point antler laying in the grass that had grown around it. Again, another great moment. From there on it was smooth sailing. He soon found another shed. And then I was hooked. We decided we make a good shed hunting team and want to make a yearly shed hunting trip. One weekend where we camp and look for sheds all weekend. Surprised I'd actually commit to such a yearly trip? Let me shock you further. I suggested it. And then he made me even happier and suggested we do a yearly trip that is something that I want to do. I think this is a great plan. I love it when we compromise.
The way back was much easier going for me. I tripped less, felt like I was going to roll down a steep hill less, and started to feel the rhythm of hiking. And then the time came to hike our way straight up to get back to the pickup. We picked our ascention spot and got at it. My man is in good shape. No wait, very good shape. I don't think it was too difficult for him to climb up that hill like a mountain goat. But for me, moderately in shape, I felt like every five steps was the equivalent to sprinting a mile. Maybe a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea. And then it came time to climb straight up, which is what I thought I was doing before until I reached this particular point. I don't want to paint a dramatic picture of me rock climbing with a pack on my back, but it was very steep. I was using my hands to pull and climb up. Craig suggested we zig-zag up. But this is where my stubborness kicked in and I did not want to take any more time that necessary to get up that hill. So straight up we went. And finally, we reached the top. I know he was proud of me and all worries were gone. We had our first Mountain Girl adventure, and besides one minor setback, it was nearly perfect. We sat on that hillside, arms wrapped around each other, relieved to be on the top side of the hill, or maybe that was just me, and just very happy.
"We always seem to have these romantic moments while sitting on a hill," Craig said. Which is so true. Our second date we sat on the side of a hill and it was then that I knew, two dates in, that he was meant for me. We took a great picture of our first mini hiking trip on the side of a hill. And earlier that day we had a great time sitting on a hill eating our lunch, sipping on sparkling cider. Which was oh so romantic since it was more like chugging straight from the bottle.
Needless to say, we like hills. And much like our hike, and any normal relationship, our relationship has ups and downs, but I'd definitely say we are blessed with more ups than downs. So much so that the "downs" are rarely noticeable amongst all the "ups." And when we reach those high points, we are so content to take the time to enjoy them that any low point we face is well worth all that we learn from it and the journey back up.
It was a great day. It was actually a fantastic day. We were so happy. What am I saying? We are happy. Every day, no matter what.
