wild

Crater Lake, Bend, Portland, Eagle Creek, Seattle, San Juan Island, Vancouver, and back down the coast in two weeks.

Damn, we wish we had more time.

I thought a bit about how to best summarize our adventure without droning on about too many details uninteresting to anyone but us, especially since the photos below tell a pretty complete story in and of themselves. I finally settled on what is probably my favorite moment, that happened early on in the trip. It captures the heart of our journey...and, I hope, what continues to be possible for us moving forward.

But first, a little backstory: I am mildly obsessed with wolves. Ever since my first encounter with a husky puppy at the age of 7, while visiting my Aunt in Alaska, their breed and likeness to their wild ancestors have been a weakness of mine. As I've grown older and my curiosity fueled research into these creatures has lead me to become more attached, I have repeatedly declared them as my beloved spirit animal. Instinctual, expressive, loyal, incredibly communicative, compassionate, possessing a great appetite for freedom -- all of these spiritual symbols related to the wolf feel directly in sync with my core values, both in who I am and who I deeply wish to be. 

B has always found my fascination to be amusing. Blessedly, he never throws me an eye roll but rather gets a kick out of my howling or pointing out any wolf-related music, poems, movies, or images. He's often gasped with excitement when a wolf symbol of some kind serendipitously appears at the right moment (ie when driving past an area called "Wolf Creek", the song "You're a Wolf" by the band Seawolf came on our shuffle playlist). 

​On our first morning in Crater Lake we slowly awoke to nothing but the sounds of a few small birds and the tiny creek tinkling beside us down the hill, backs a bit achey (hello, 30's) but considerably well rested. Our sleeping bags (thank you for the loan, J+S!) tightly zipped around us to combat the cold night felt like safe cocoons far away from any city life. Rolling to face one another, B spoke first. Face flushed with sleep, hair tangled and voice soft but scratchy he dove right into a dream he'd had in a manner that was so endearingly like a small, excited child that I would have gladly wrapped him up in my arms had they not been tucked away so tightly from the chilled air.

"Last night", he began, "I dreamt that a grey wolf crept up under the tent tarp on your side and peered into your mesh window. At first I was scared, but then he looked directly at me, right in the eyes, and nodded...and I understood that he was good and actually here to protect us. It was so weird...real and amazing...like maybe it really did happen, and wasn't a dream."

"Wow. Seriously?", I exclaimed, surprised and delighted (and a bit jealous) at this vision. "I feel like you met a piece of my spirit!"

"I know, I think I did, too", he mumbled.

Then B stretched, rolled back over and left me lying there in silence, as if he hadn't just expanded my heart with jolt of joyful connection.

The trip felt very blessed from that point forward. Gorgeous weather, no major issues with the car or reservations or overnight accommodations; just a lot of good beers, delicious meals (both home cooked and bought), quirky towns, incredible views, generous and fun friends, and a deep appreciation for life, love, and mama earth. It was as if we were indeed safe, and being given a nod by our spirits to keep moving forward; a nod to hold onto wonder and awe and gratitude, despite any past challenges.

For the most part, these selected images are in sequential order. I feel it's important to note specifically that none of the Crater Lake photos have been edited or filtered in the slightest -- the lake really is just that damn beautiful. Seattle was the only stop I did not lug my DSLR around with me, but I'll throw in a few iPhone pics of that stop on my next post.

If you have any questions about the trip, these images, or how you can have this kind of adventure too, please do not hesitate to comment or send me a message! Fireside recipes will also gladly be shared :)

And, if you are interested in any of the nature images, I'd be happy to snail mail a copy in any size (at cost of printing).

Cheers to the PNW.....(and SkipBo, of course!!)....

Love and Light,

Trish

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