There arrives a perfect autumn afternoon. Warm, near 50 degrees. Check. Not raining. Check. Partly sunny. Check. No swine flu or sickness. Check. Nothing much to do. Check. A friend wants to go hiking. Check.
So you dig out your backpack and camera and an extra jacket, hats and mittens and head for Little Mountain. (For all you new readers, Little Mountain is a Michigan mountain. It doesn’t count as a “real” mountain. It’s a rocky crag which juts up above L’Anse, a lovely little steep-ish hill with a panoramic view of Lake Superior and endless trees.)
Bertha and I sloshed in on a rather wet trail, narrowly avoiding getting our feet soaked. We chatted away as if we hadn’t seen one another in months. Which we hadn’t. How can four or five or six months slip by just like that? Especially since our last words were “Let’s get together again SOON!”
We used to work together, half a lifetime ago. OK, it wasn’t that long ago. It only seems like it sometimes. We spent our youth (by that I mean our 20’s and 30’s) hanging out together quite regularly. These days we try to meet for occasional walks where we try to condense months into a couple hours.
Here’s the best kind of friend in the whole world. You ask her if you need to bring anything. She says no. She says she’ll bring some wine and we’ll have a toast to friendship and mountains and sunny autumn days. And when she arrives, guess what she has? Red pepper hummus. Cut up vegetables. And two of the healthiest yummiest cookies on the planet (with pumpkin seeds!)
So we sit and talk and the sun heats us just so wonderfully. And then that sun dives beneath a cloud bank. We both dig in our packs, looking for little gloves to keep our fingers warm. We solve all the problems in the universe. We sip our wine. It’s a glorious afternoon.
I wander off to take photos of red leaves and lichen. She scoots down the hill and sits quietly.
The sun moves across the sky, ducking in and out of clouds, playing its elusive game of hide and seek. We munch the last vegetable and sip the last of our wine.
We promise, “Let’s do this again SOON!” and head down the mountain.
I’ve been to the mountain three times this year (well, maybe four times, but I can’t remember when the fourth time might have been.) The first was last winter with my daughter Kiah. We climbed up in the snow and admired icicles along the way. That was the moment the idea for this outdoor commitment and blog incubated. We had so much fun on a cold snowy day that I said, “Why don’t I go outside more at this time of year? Maybe I should make a commitment…and write a blog…and…!!!” That’s the way ideas get started, you know.
The second time was an adventure with Amy and Dan when they visited at the end of July. Click here to read that blog.
Hopefully all you readers have an opportunity to picnic on top of a mountain soon!
24 comments
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October 28, 2009 at 7:09 pm
slamdunk
Sounds like a rewarding hike.
October 28, 2009 at 7:30 pm
centria
Why yes slamdunk, it was a great hike. Thank you for reading!
October 28, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Gerry
Oh most Superior land, where friendships mellow like fine wine in the autumn sun, where “enough” is understood, along with the difference between need and want.
October 29, 2009 at 7:23 am
centria
Oh Gerry, if only “enough” was completely understood, everywhere…what a difference that would make on our planet. For our earth. Your words feel so poetic this morning.
October 29, 2009 at 5:18 am
Emma
I’d love to do that! I’d definitely pack hummus, too. 🙂
October 29, 2009 at 7:23 am
centria
OK, Emma, you’re definitely invited. Especially if you’re bringing hummus!!
October 29, 2009 at 7:10 am
Cindy Lou
What a perfectly lovely day – good friend, good wine, good weather…..life is good!
October 29, 2009 at 7:24 am
centria
Precious moments, indeed. And there is such a precious feel because you know pretty soon our winds will be howling and the snow falling and the mellowness will just be a distant memory… oops, hope that doesn’t sound like a bummer…yikes!
October 29, 2009 at 7:35 am
H. Forward
What a lovely day. The hummus is obviously made with those famous “zee” wild mushrooms too right? Huh, not gonna fool me this time! I tried google searching “zee wild mushrooms” and didn’t come up with anything. Ha! Looks delicious.
October 29, 2009 at 5:37 pm
centria
Zee mushrooms! Zee hummus! Zee mountain! (sounds like I want to go to France, right?) P.S. wonder if you could really make a wild mushroom hummus? Hmmm….you try it. Let us know! 🙂
October 29, 2009 at 10:18 am
Georgia Mom
So many colors in the leaves in your yard. Bertha is a great friend and a wonderful teacher for our grandkids in their early days.
October 29, 2009 at 5:37 pm
centria
Mom, Bertha was a wonderful teacher for the kids! I am grateful to her in so many ways…
October 29, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Reggie
What a wonderful hike – and what a great friend you have in Bertha! 🙂
The absolutely best part of hiking, I always think, is finding a place with a beautiful view or beside a sparkling stream or in the shelter of peaceful old trees, where you can have a picnic.
Our picnics don’t include wine, though – hubby and I are more of the ‘tea and sandwiches or fresh rolls’ variety! Or muffins/scones/hot cross buns, depending on the time of year. But hummus and nibblies sounds DELISH and perfectly decadent!
It was so lovely and peaceful to walk by your side up the mountain and home again. Thanks for sharing this. 🙂
October 29, 2009 at 5:39 pm
centria
Oh, Reggie, it sounds as if you enjoy picnics, as well! Our picnics don’t usually include wine, either, and that’s why it was such a different treat! What exactly is a “hot cross bun”? Is it like a cinnamon roll? I have a vague idea what it might be…
Why don’t we go on picnics more often? That’s what I am thinking about right now. We really should. We never regret it, do we?
October 31, 2009 at 8:12 am
Reggie
Hot cross buns are the soft spicy buns (sometimes with raisins, sultanas or citrus peel in them) that you get around Easter. They often have a *very* slight glazing, and a ‘cross’ over the top. I’m sure I can scrounge up a recipe if you’re curious. 🙂
October 31, 2009 at 8:13 am
Reggie
Oooh, and I forgot to say – YES, WHY don’t we go for picnics more often? I’ve *never* regretted a good picnic. They’re just … aaah…. happy, blissful sigh…
October 31, 2009 at 12:25 pm
flandrumhill
I love hot cross buns too Reggie. We have them here year round, though they do seem more popular at Easter. I like them fresh or toasted.
Kathy, you’ll love the reason why they’re traditionally made with crosses on the tops: so the faeries won’t dance on them while they’re rising on the kitchen counter!
October 31, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Reggie
Really, Amy? What an intriguing story!
October 29, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Deborah Godin
So enjoyed this – and those 4 red leaves look like they’re about to break into song!
October 29, 2009 at 5:40 pm
centria
Oh Deborah thank goodness you mentioned the four red leaves. I loved them so much. Had to put them right at the top, hoping someone else would love them. I am SO glad you were the one!
October 31, 2009 at 7:52 am
flandrumhill
Lucky you to have a friend like Bertha. Like Reggie, I tend to think of tea when I think of picnics. Not sure why that is. It would certainly go nicely with pumpkin seed cookies!!
Those red leaves look like they had their edges hand-painted orange by faeries just before you arrived on the scene. I love the lichens too.
October 31, 2009 at 7:06 pm
centria
Amy, I am always drinking tea. Tonight it’s peppermint tea, oh so lovely! I just made a batch of cookies with sunflower seeds, still thinking about Bertha’s cookies. You really think the faeries were involved with hand-painting those leaves? If we had seen the King under the elderberry tree on the Solstice, we would know so much more…
October 31, 2009 at 7:20 pm
centria
P.S. Reggie, thank you for the hot cross bun info! I think maybe I’ve seen them in the stores at Easter time. I think my mother-in-law buys them.
February 11, 2010 at 6:25 am
Well done, Kathy! « Grains of Sand
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