Sunday, October 23, 2011

10/23/2011 Lake Serene, What a Nightgown!

The angry roar of the helicopter blades
matched my mood as we approached Lake Serene.
When we emerged from the forest towards the lake
we could see the helicopter lifting a body-basket,
and then it was gone.
We looked down the steep cliff to the lake and
wondered what had happened.
Terry and I had just transitioned from
health club friends and coworkers to dating.
This was not a good start.
He had picked out the Lake Serene hike from a
hiking book published in 1975 and assured me
it would be a snap.
Maybe, if you are six foot three, two hundred pounds
and used to gaining 2,000 feet in elevation in
2,000 feet of hiking.
I had my little black skipperpoodle Susie,
as usual, and the "trail" ended up being
a vertical ladder of wet, slimy roots.
Terry carried Susie like a fluffy football
under one arm and led the way.
By the time we reached the top
I was tired, hungry and thirsty.
Terry said it was a short hike so we hadn't brought any food.
After a half hour of hiking around the lake,
trying get cheered by the viewing the pristine beauty,
I gave up and wanted to go home.
The clouds were gathering black in the late afternoon sky,
but didn't come close to my mood!
We started back down which was way harder than going up.
By the time I was on the logging road out
I told Terry, "If you wanted to break up,
you didn't have to try to kill me, you could
JUST SAY SO!"
I hiked ahead to the car and waited for him.
I didn't speak a word to him
for two months.
When he did show up at my apartment with chocolate and flowers
two months later,
I caved in and we resumed dating.
We laugh about it now twenty-five years later.
That was in 1986 and the trail was closed for a long time
and listed in hiking books,
"Trail closed due to extreme danger."

1 comment:

  1. boy.... that reminds me of a couple of dates I had... I was sore for a week... twice!!!

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