Into the Indian Heaven Wilderness
Once a month. That was the promise I made myself two years ago; get outside on an adventure at least once a month. I've come a long way since. Now I'm restless if I don't get outside at least once a week. There is a whole culture that revolves around the outdoors and a lifestyle that is so addicting. Yet there will always be rough days where your lack of motivation gets the best of you and let me tell you: I have always been really good at procrastinating. Sometimes you just have to go and not think about it. You'll thank yourself later.
That was my weekend. It was 6am, the air was still smoke-filled from the forest fires, I was still asleep in bed and my alarm was going off. I had everything stopping me from waking up that morning but my body remembered the promise that my mind was too tired to keep, and I got up.
The Columbia River Gorge was filled with color as the smoke funneled through the hills. The bright red sun was still waking up too and I was screaming in the car with Taylor Swift because that's what I do when I drive. Everything was golden. Then I went over the Bridge of the Gods and into the Gifford Pinchot National Forest until I met my destination.
The Indian Heaven Wilderness had been on my list all year but I was always too shy to head there on my own. I had found maps and lakes and all sorts of trailheads but I could never figure out what to do; I could never figure out the best path to take once I got there. So I tagged along with the expert and learned that paths are boring! All the best wild huckleberries live deep in the wilderness where only the bears can reach them and the best lakes are the ones you didn't mean to find. We covered quite a bit of ground in this introduction to the Indian Heaven Wilderness and I won't let it be the last time we meet.
🌲Keri
P.S. Since all this is new to you and me I want to let everyone know that I will be posting my weekly adventures here in the blog. You'll learn about where I go, when I go, and all the feels I have when I'm there. kthanksforstoppingby
