A few Fridays ago, on a grey and wet morning typical of the Pacific Northwest we all know and love, I received a phone call. I had just settled in at the dining room table in my sweats and slippers to write up some new résumés, when I heard my phone ring. Very few people call these days instead of texting so I knew it was either a sales call or my mom, who had recently announced to the family she was no longer going to be texting. Oh, we could text her but she would only be replying with a phone call.
“What are you doing today?”
“Writing resumes and pretending to be job hunting.”
“Want to come up to the Iron Goat with me? I need to replace the registers and I want to check out the new trail to Kelley Creek and see how far it goes now.”
I think, Mom you are distracting me, but I say, “Okay.”
My mom is a long time volunteer for the Iron Goat Trail that runs along the old train tracks near Stevens Pass and is the scene for the deadliest train wreck in our state. The volunteer group she was been a part of for years has disbanded due to its members aging out but she still enjoys supporting the trail and working with the forest service when she can. She is one of the reasons I do trail work today, she has been a great example of giving back to trails. And needless to say, she is the main reason I have a healthy love of public lands.
So instead of job hunting, I rode shotgun up HWY 2 towards Stevens Pass with the windshield wipers swooshing back and forth, joking with my mom about how wet we were going to get. And how it wasn’t going to be a long hike if the weather didn’t improve. I must really not want to seek employment if I volunteered to go hiking when it was already raining.
Luckily, by the time we arrived at the trailhead an hour later, the rain had stopped and it was actually sunny! I waited while she changed the first trail register at Martin Creek and I remember it had been about 5 years since I had been up here with her as I trained for hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2013. The rain must not have been a deterrent that day, either.
Over the years we have been on many hikes and I have even introduced my mom to backpacking. I wish I had more pictures from our early days, mostly short hikes on the Mountain Loop Highway where we spent a lot of time hiking and camping as a family.
Mom and I spent 5 hours walking a new trail that has been built to connect the Iron Goat with the Wild Sky Wilderness area, admiring the railway artifacts and picking an entire Nalgene of huckleberries. I was so worried there wouldn’t be any left when I got back from the United Kingdom but there seem to be an abundance this year.
As I enjoyed this woodland time with my mom, I couldn’t help but reflect on my time during vacation with my son, as well. I have to admit that during our time abroad, there were quite a few times he was impatient with me. I wasn’t driving like he would have or I didn’t do things fast enough. The first week I found myself constantly having to remind him to be patient with me. That neither of us are perfect. All the while having to admit to myself that I am not always as patient with my mom as I should be. Especially when she exhibits forgetfulness I subconsciously don’t want to admit is coming my way, too. Oh, irony is a sneaky one.
These aren’t new thoughts, thinking about my relationship with my mom. We may truly love someone but often we are not as patient and kind with them as we should be. Maybe because we know they will always love us? We want to believe that our relationship is eternal? I’m not entirely sure there is just one reason as to why but it is something I have been working on lately. To remember that time doesn’t ever allow us permanent relationships here on Earth and to make the most of what we are given while we can.
I hope with a greater sense of appreciation and intention, I can both give and receive this gift. Resumes and jobs will come and go but time with loved ones is a precious commodity. Especially with your favorite hiker.
Do you have a favorite hiker? Or maybe just a favorite person you enjoy being in the outdoors and public lands with? How do you remember to appreciate how precious that gift is?
This post was written in one hour for the #naturewritingchallenge (and SO much easier than last week).
Check out Twitter to learn more or see my other posts from the challenge here.
This post was, also, shared on the Senior Salon.
For more details on our hike, you can read my trip report at Martin Creek Connector.
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