The Mary month of June: A voyage of departure

Just the other day, it had felt like we had all the time in the world. I guess with the right people, time could continue forever and you still wouldn't have enough. I tend to need my space from people frequently, so when the sensation of tiring doesn't take hold, I know I've found a particularly exceptional friend.

It makes things all the more difficult to bring to a close, but knowing that I (or you, or anyone) can feel so strongly is simultaneously revitalizing. And I can only believe that the universe is going to allow energies that bond to meet again.

But enough with the sap!

A la Mary style, we totally went out with a (few) parties.

A week or so before, I'd come back from the food co-op with two ears of corn, thinking that it was only fitting to do one last fire and make my favorite fireside luxury. Well before we knew it, two ears turned into twelve and a small fire turned into a super shindig, infernal heat be damned! Lew and Mar offered to open their house so as to make room for more people and Mar even took it upon herself to make a store run the day before and load up on everything-party; they know how to celebrate right and proper.

We had a table of food galore, a table of even more drinks galore and our three fantastic in-house spinners taking shifts with the music all night long. I didn't stalk Mary much because there were plenty of people that had shown up that she hadn't had nearly enough time with. Plus, I wanted to get some dancing time in and tend to some thoughts that fast-paced life has a habit of throwing on you all at once. I made it to the dance floor late into the night when most others had decided to check out the waterfall down the way. Mar was left dancing in the living room with Leo spinning and the three of us basked in our own musical medley, ending with a particularly animated rendition of "C is for Cookie." I wound down fairly quickly after that, feeling fulfilled with the night.

Not to mention that we were about to embark on an even more climactic send-off the next day.

We were on the road before noon, bound for the Northern lands of the Olympics. A group of two had doubled which I was admittedly wary about at first - my travel style has tended to feel exponentially squashed as the number of fellow travelers increases - but in the end, I don't think we could've had a better blend of old and new friendships. There are few things like a good family-feud-prone road trip to quick and firmly test the waters of friendship survival potential. And we did have our moments, but overall, I wouldn't have had things any other way.

Getting ready to be stuck in a car with these crazies!

We arrived in the general vicinity around 5pm and dropped Mary and Lewis off at a very classy Bed and Breakfast near Port Angeles before Leo and I continued driving onto the Elwah Hot Springs trail. Once we'd parked (not without a horrid driving blunder from me, of course!) we scarfed down some food and assembled a haphazard collection of overnight necessities. Bugs were coming at us in droves so I finally gave up on my dinner and snagged a brownie for the road instead. Once we started out, they dispersed and we fell into a calm, easy silence for a bit before gradually making our way into conversation between our long breaths that hung in time, perched on the moment of our surroundings and the lowering sun shifting its hues through the trees. The trail is relatively flat, save for a few spaces it dipped up and back over small canal like openings spread across the trail over few feet. At about 2.3 miles, we began to see signs for the nearby CampGround and a quarter mile after that, the sulfur began to hit our noses. For at least a tenth of a mile, the trail of hot springs continued, curving along the river and then back up into the woods. We made it to the upper most spring, which probably would have been the most spacious, but opted to let the group of speedo boys have their own party. We headed back towards the front where there had been a decent-sized pool - at least a foot or two deep - and I was quick to fling my shoes off and test the waters. No sooner had my feet hit though, I clenched. HOT! I stepped out to re-evaluate and finally, when Leo said he was going all in, I beat him to it. Once we were sitting for a minute or so, our bodies adjusted and it felt much more akin to hot tub temperatures, with the soothing sauna effects of Sulfer to boot. As we basked, looking off beyond the path to the river below, it was decided there was only one proper way to finish off our soak. We scuffled our way down a rocky dip to the water's edge and with our legs feeling out the water first, we gave each other one last nervous glance as we counted to three.



The sensation was exhilarating. Over in seconds, I climbed out on limbs that felt they could go run a marathon. I'm usually fearful of getting wet if there is no immediate solution because of how sensitive I can be to the cold. But there I was, washed in the invigorating moment and happy to be feeling the stunning chill.

We packed up our things and headed back down the trail in the direction of the campgrounds. The camping areas aren't built up - semi-intentional looking clearings are the only indication that there is a designated camping area - and no one else was around so we had our run of the mill to set up. Sun was just near set once we got there and so we were quickly tent-bound after clothes were laid out. Conversation drove us into the darkness as we tried to keep our eyes open for the abundance of stars that we'd imagined would come. Yet the lights or the clouds produced a simple dark palette, where we laid our dreams instead.