Well the calendar says that Summer is here. I beg to differ.
I have a presentation to give in Redmond Oregon on Monday for an audience of 50-60 educators on living a balanced life and creating goals with meaning. Seeing how I could use a little of my own advice I decided to head over the pass a little early from Portland and spend a couple of solitary nights alone in the wilderness.
There was light rain in Portland, no problem. Then I got to Government Camp near the pass visibility dropped to about 1000 yards and the rain was falling in buckets. I was driving in the clouds. OK, plan B. I will drive on to the East side and it will be dry. No such luck. The ceiling was as low on the East side all the way into Madras. I did not have a choice but to “camp” in my car that night as I had not come prepared for this kind of rain (I am always prepared for some rain).
I had planned to get to a solitary location, set up a small camp with my tarp and sleeping bag, build a fire, journal, mediate and walk in the forest. Now I was sleeping in my car not even wanting to fire up the stove for dinner it was raining so hard. I was bummed!
I woke up on schedule at 4:45 AM and headed out with good thoughts for the day’s weather. As soon as a ray of sun appeared I knew I was in trouble, see the photos. It was nasty looking. There was a place I have wanted to revisit for a couple of years and I was determined to go there. The temperature had dropped to 38 degrees from the 50 degrees it had been when I had gotten out of my sleeping bag!
As I walked the 1/3 mile or so to a sit spot at Balancing Rocks I though it might just clear up and I excitedly started planning for where I would set up camp later. As I sat down to meditate and ponder the view I was confident and happy. Twenty minutes later however I opened my eyes to darkness and HUGE rain drops stinging my face and hands. Here we go again! I headed back to the car, toweled off and headed up the road.
It was apparent that I was not going to be in the woods as planned and by the way I had not seen one animal which is always a sign of the bad weather continuing. I had a hotel reservation for Sunday so I could get cleaned up and dressed for business on Monday. I made a call about adding another night to my stay and at 10 AM Saturday I cried uncle to Mother Nature and pulled into the parking lot of the hotel.
I am not sure what the lesson here is, except we don’t always get what we want and cannot always plan for what we encounter. The Sacred Order of Survival states Shelter is the primary concern when staying outdoors. I had not packed a tent, as I prefer to travel light and sleep outside on my solo trips. I am always prepared to deal with some rain, but I was not geared up for this kind of onslaught. I kept probing my mind for ways to “make it work” because of my disappointment of a “ruined” weekend. I am glad I let my intuition win this one.
It is always better to be safe than sorry. The rain was only a part of the problem, my intuition kept telling me there was a reason I was not able to find a spot, and be dry. I am over the disappointment now, and happily writing, catching up on some work I have not had time to get done and enjoying some much-needed alone time. In fact I think I may just take a nap later! I will get out Sunday rain or shine for a day of hiking knowing I have shelter after I am done.
So the next time it rains on your parade, look for the rainbows and be happy.
