Adventurers, I am closing one chapter in my story and starting another one. Goodbye Portland and Hello Boston! My 1 year and 1 month in the PNW was magical and I can’t stress enough that I will be back many, many more times for all the adventures I have yet to have. For now, I am moving back to the East Coast and will be living and working there for the foreseeable future. Who knows where life will throw me next and as we all have learned (I hope!), life is what happens while you’re making plans. Key takeaway: be adaptable!

Due to my job inherently including some travel and the serendipity of booking a campsite way back in January, I was able to drive down to Southern Oregon at the beginning of lavender season and spend a long weekend camping in Mount Rainier NP! I couldn’t have asked for a better send off than some new adventures in some truly gorgeous places.

I ended up in Medford, OR for work and noticed that the lavender festival was occurring the very next week! While I was bummed I was missing it, the discovery led me to learning about the lavender farms around the area and that they hosted open visits for people to enjoy, take photos, and support small family farms. On the day I drove back to Portland I decided to start my morning by stopping at Lavender Ally Farm where I was the first guest of the day and was greeted by two very friendly sheep dogs! I chatted a bit with a man who was working in the fields and then was left to peacefully wander through the lavender. It was early in the season and I was informed that only some of the lavender strains were up, not the full 13 colors of lavender that they have! Regardless, I was thoroughly enjoying myself, wandering up and down the rows, crouching to smell the blossoms, and basking in the sunshine of a perfect day.

Booking a campsite inside the Mount Rainier NP is all about timing. Campsites generally become available 6 months prior for a 6 month window - I was booking a campsite in June during the month of January. It was a goal of mine to camp in the park this year and so I just decided to book a spot and make it work! I chose the last weekend of June because peak season for the park (due to best weather and wildflowers) is July and August, therefore the last week of June is usually just as gorgeous and a bit less crowded! I booked a tent only site at the Ohanapecosh Campground for 3 nights (Friday through Sunday, leaving Monday morning) and it was a dream. The Ohanapecosh River runs right through the campsite, has waterfalls that are only a 1.2 mile hike away, and is located in the old growth forest section of the park.

This trip was actually the first time I had ever spent a night alone in a tent. Until I was at the campsite, with no cell service, and was preparing my dinner it hadn’t crossed my mind. There was no fear, hesitation, or anxiety about camping alone. It’s an activity that I have done enough that it’s very comfortable for me and at the campsite I was surrounded with families, groups, and other campers so I didn’t feel lonely. Camping in the backcountry alone might very well bring out a different reaction! I set up my little home, familiarized myself with the campground, and decided to take a quick hike out to the falls and back as a storm was rolling in. I got to the falls everyday that I was in the park and captured them in varying weather!

I had 2 wonderful friends join me for Saturday night and Sunday so we planned the big hike (over 14 miles total) for Sunday! As soon as I got to the campsite I knew that I had to dunk myself in the river, no matter how cold so after our big hike we hit the falls on the way back and I was determined to get in! I have no temperature reading of the water but I can tell you that 3-5 seconds after putting my feet in they began to go numb. The water was rushing and completely fed by glacial runoff and snowmelt! I found a spot above the falls where there was a bit of an eddy where I could ease myself in without being too nervous about getting swept away and prepared for the dip. I stripped down to just shorts and a sports bra and waded in before squatting, unfortunately I couldn’t submerge myself but it was too dangerous to move further from shore so I resorted to putting my face in the water.

As I said, I will be back. I have a growing list of places I want to see and adventures I want to do so the PNW content will not end here. If anything this taste has left me hungry for more! As I turn my attention to New England and the areas I am more familiar with, a couple of goals have sprung back to the forefront of my mind. 1. Summit all 47 Peaks in the Adirondack Mountains 2. Hike the Appalachian Trail from Kent, CT to Williamstown, MA 3. Camp and explore Acadia NP

Adventurers, do the thing you’ll regret if you don’t. Swim in the freezing river and make a random stop to see a lavender farm because a story is better than sitting at home saying “I wish I did” and promising to do it next time. We aren’t always guaranteed a next time - not in a morbid way, just in a life is hard to plan way. I’ve noticed that I have recently become less concerned with what other people think and more concerned with what I want to do and it has made all the difference!