Ch. 113 – New Friends & 1982

We learned news this morning that snow had freshly fallen on Mt. Adams. That, and it was currently raining. The family that owns Jonah Camp had a family reunion in the building today, so hikers were supposed to leave by 10am. I woke up around 8 and packed my bags, anticipating leaving and hiking out into the misery.

As soon as I left the girls’ bunk room, I was met with the news that we could stay – we just had to move our things upstairs and keep out of the kitchen in order for the family to use it. Now we all had to make a decision. Should we stay, or should we go?

Morning latte at Post Office Coffee!

I am easily persuaded… so we stayed. Most of us went to breakfast at Post Office Coffee, where I got a lavender latte made with raw milk. I’ve never had raw milk before, so I don’t know, wish me luck or something? We played a fun card game after eating, then shopped a bit at the market. The town comes together one weekend a year for this market. I absolutely adored the concept – all the clothes, antiques, crafting accessories, outdoor gear, etc. is donated, and all the money from purchases goes towards scholarships for children. What an amazing example of community!

Back at Jonah Camp, I watched another episode of Love is Blind UK with Dance Off & Jus-Kween. I changed into my new shirt from the community market. Assuming we have less than a week left due to fire closures, this shirt was so cute that it felt worth the weight to carry that long. Plus, I’ve been yearning to wear more natural fibers after wearing synthetics and plastic clothes all summer. Give me all the linen, cotton, and wool this fall, please!

My photo of Spicy Bite in a stroller, on our way to dinner!

For dinner, a huge group of us went out for pizza. En route, Spicy Bite noticed a stroller left abandoned alongside the road. Well, there was a reason it had been abandoned. The wheels barely worked, and it was impossible to steer. How’d we figure that out? Ummm… we may have given it a test run. Or two. Or three. Needless to say, I got to take a ride in a stroller for the first time since I was a toddler.

I got a Hawaiian pizza (my usual), and a root beer made by Pelican Brewery. It’s rare that I can eat most of a pizza, but today, I was capable of finishing all but two slices. If we hadn’t already made plans for dessert, I absolutely would have finished it off.

Van Gogh’s two birthday pies!

Dessert plans were governed by a birthday today. A couple different people had the same idea to get pie, ice cream, and candles, but the accidental double purchase worked out perfectly. There was just enough for all eightteen hikers! We lit 44 candles and sang happy birthday, then worried that the candle smoke might set off the alarm. To our luck, it didn’t!

Our last hoorah of the evening was playing fishbowl – it’s like charades but better. My favorite ones people acted out were, “Your mom”, “Big Nipple (the mountain)”, “cat hole”, and, “September 4, 1982”. That last one was especially hard, until we realized it was the date of Van Gogh’s birthday!

I’m so glad we ran into all of these lovely people here. Most of us plan to hike out together tomorrow, and hopefully we’ll get to hike with them for a bit. It’s been especially nice for me to get to be around other women for a change. If we finish out the trail with them, I think I’d love that!