Trip leader Barney reported Friday night for the Trip 8 team:

“Today [Friday] we met the llamas and ventured forth on our first hike. One of our Parkinson’s hikers shared with me the day before: ‘I thought my hiking days were finished.’ While we packed our lunches and bags for the llamas, excitement was in the air.

“By the llama barn, [llama wrangler] Charley gave us a quick course – llama 101. We made quite the sight as we hit the trail: Nine hikers, three wranglers, Charley, and five llamas. Gentle trail, weaving upslope. It wasn’t ’til lunch that we got a view.

“Charley brought chairs for us for lunch; little tables even. We hiked on a mile more after lunch and then headed back down. Smoke threatened for an hour in the morning and then disappeared. Hallelujah.

“With our base camp at Charley’s ranch, we were only 10 minutes from the little town of Cle Elum, which has a grocery store. So we sent out a car and had a wonderful chicken chopped salad. The pictures and the smiles say it all. On top of that, Charley’s wife made the most scrumptious blackberry cobbler, and in a cooler, he brought up a tub of vanilla ice cream. Needless to say, when he came back to pick it up, the tub was empty and all the cobbler was gone. I even inspired one of our hikers, scraping out every last bit with a spoon.

“We cannot say enough good things about how Charley has been treating us. Oh, and I forgot to mention that in the stream that runs near our campsite, more than half of us took a pre-dinner cleansing dip. Life is good.”

Recap of Trip 7, Mt. Rainier Day Hikes

Trip leader Judi reported for the Trip 7 team:

“We have all returned home after three days of sauntering the trails on beautiful Mt. Rainier. There was no internet on most of the mountain, so we let go – and let the mountain talk to us!

“Tuesday was a day of introductions, walking the wide, flat path of the Kautz Creek trail, and settling into our comfortable accommodations at the National Park Inn at Longmire.

“Wednesday we had alarms set early. We headed up to Paradise at 7:30 a.m. We had breakfast at the top of Paradise, then met at the flagpole in front of the visitor center at 9 a.m. First stop: Myrtle Falls. The falls are a short hike up the trail and we were met at the water by a local bear! Yes, a bear! The ranger said bears are probably coming over from the wildfire area, looking for food and water. Though a bit scary, everyone kept their distance and the bear crossed the path and continued on its way.

“At the falls, the hikers split into two groups. One group sauntered a shorter trail while the other group headed east along the Skyline Loop. The group on the longer hike was met by another bear, enjoying berries and not paying attention to us. We were in awe! The mountain did not disappoint us – the beauty, the wildlife, the weather. A wonderful day! We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the visitor center. Great sandwiches, fresh fruit, chips, cookies that hikers shared (yummy), and chocolate!

“On the way down the mountain, we visited Reflection Lake and hiked down to the base of Narada Falls, with a rainbow bonus at the bottom of the falls. When we finally returned to the National Park Inn, our bodies were tired and our smiles were huge!

“After a lovely dinner, we all met in the Fireside Room for stories and a short meditation. Then, a good night’s sleep.

“Thursday morning started at a slower pace, and we walked across the road to the Trail of the Shadows, a short hike full of history about Longmire and the most beautiful Douglas fir and cedar trees. We all hugged a tree.

“To close our time together, we met again in the Fireside Room for a drum circle, beating the rhythm of the mountain, of the outdoors, of friendship.

“Thanks to all who sauntered the trails with us. We hope to see you again on the mountain!”