The Cathedral of Nature

"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity..."

— John Muir

This week, I took two days off to go tramp around in the beautiful, wild, not-so-far-away places here in Oregon.

First I headed to Saddle Mountain. When I got to the turn off, there was a big orange sign and some construction equipment blocking the way. The sign said "ROAD CLOSED". But really, like that's going to stop me! I maneuvered my car around the sign and proceeded on up the mountain. Things were going well until about three miles in, when I spotted the construction crew. Oh shit. I stopped the car short and was about to turn the car around, hoping I could make a quick getaway, when I noticed that one of the crewman was actually waving me forward, probably to scold me for ignoring the obviously clear sign.

Well, no turning back now. I sheepishly pulled the car up and rolled down the window. "Go ahead through" he said, "It's clear the rest of the way from here". With both feelings of guilt and excitement, I proceeded on.

I'm glad I risked it. The hike was beautiful and challenging. When I reached the top there was a blinding fog, which, although it blocked the view, was marvelous in itself.

the view from the Saddle Mountain trail

Just a short drive from the mountain, I arrived in Cannon Beach, where I met up with the SHP cross-country bicycle group. I helped them assemble some bicycles and we broke break together. In the morning, while they reviewed policies, I went for a long walk on the beach. Believe it or not, I do really enjoy long walks on the beach. :-)

I walked out at low tide and found a secluded spot where I was all alone. The place felt instilled with magic, and I felt a rush of liveness and beauty flow over me. There were magnificent starfish clinging to the rocks, and I collected some sand dollars along the shoreline. On the way back, the tide had come in, and I had to wade through chest deep water. No matter, it was more than worth it!

Cannon Beach, OR

When I got home, I watched some of The National Parks: America's Best Idea, by Ken Burns. The first episode highlighted the life and writings of John Muir. Muir instantly became a hero of mine because of his adventurous spirit and his spiritual experience of wild places. Dude is on point.