We wake up in the surprise king-size bed. It’s already 9am. Definitely, not farm life time. Erin has probably been up for more than three hours. I’m well-rested, my back only hurts a little from the unfamiliar bed, but I would’ve been far less comfortable had I been sleeping on my sleeping pad in my current physical state. Honestly, I was nervous about that. Should I thank the Universe for giving me a bed? Maybe, but I really really really love camping. I put my camping dress on, make us coffee in the surprise full kitchen and then Brie and I head out to find Erin. Continue reading “Day Two: Williams and Wolf Creek”
Day One: Portland to Williams, Oregon
My alarm goes off at 7:50, but like most days lately, no matter what time it’s set for, it takes me about thirty minutes to get up. I lay in bed and check email as Brie continues to sleep undisturbed. I have a pingback awaiting approval from a website I’m not familiar with. Pingbacks are these notifications on WordPress, my webhost, telling you when someone has linked a page from your website to theirs. I check what’s been linked and a random woman has written an entire article grossly misinterpreting a piece I wrote, Fat Woman Falling. It’s fake sympathetic, off-the-mark about everything I actually wrote, focusing on what she perceives as my body shame and it accompanies no less than a dozen truly awkward photos of her thin, socially-acceptably attractive self working out. Whatever horror I was feeling evaporates as I look at a couple more things on her website: more of the same weird articles about what she incorrectly deems “body-positivity” and weird selfies accompanied by fat-positive hashtags. No comments or likes on any it. I can’t really get it up to give a shit, which is refreshing because lately I care too much about everything.
I get out of bed, finally waking Brie, and put on my beloved camping dress. Yes, I have a camping dress. It’s nothing special, just a black, stretch cotton, two-strap, mid-thigh length dress with an empire waist. It’s super comfortable, passes for cute and I’ve worn it on pretty much every camping trip for the last three or four years. We have a goal to be out the door by nine AM, which is lofty for us and our night job lifestyle, but we actually do it. I mean, we still have to go grocery shopping for the weekend, which almost always sends me into an anxious, agoraphobia spiral, but as I carry all of the stuff down the four flights of stairs to my car, I notice that my normally pain-bogged body feels kind of… not terrible. Grocery shopping is quick and easy, Brie and I are on the same page despite our still uncaffeinated, early morning selves. Our camping trip bodes well! Continue reading “Day One: Portland to Williams, Oregon”
Day Trip: Rattlesnake Falls
- Location: Husum, Washington
- Google map: don’t bother. From the Hood River Bridge, head west for 1.5 miles then make a right on SR 141. After 6 miles, just past Wet Planet, turn right onto Oak Ridge Rd. for 0.8-mile. Turn Right on Rattlesnake Rd and set your odometer. At the nine mile mark (most of this is unpaved, but fine for 2-wheel drive in drier weather), stay right and soon you’ll see the R1800 junction just after a tree with a “6” on it. Ignore any other trees with “6” on them, just pay attention to the mileage (I saw at least one other “6” tree). Turn right for another 0.8 until it dead ends.
- Drive time from Portland: 1h45m
- Permit: n/a
- Intensity: Easy (Beginner Level: Doable, but there is a creek crossing). 0.5 mile, little to no elevation gain
- Open: mid April through July? Depends on the rain, I imagine it completely dries up in hotter months.
- Pair with: Coyote Wall, Panther Creek Falls, a visit to White Salmon or Hood River
“Unlikely Hikers: An Invitation to the Outdoors”
Tagg Magazine is a magazine for “everything lesbian, queer and under the rainbow,” and they graciously interviewed me for a piece about @UnlikelyHikers. This came out weeks ago, but my head has been too up my butt to share it. I was in a deep grief brain fog when they interviewed me, but they skillfully made me sound good. Thanks, Tagg Magazine!
https://taggmagazine.com/unlikely-hikers-portland/
(Also, a correction, I started Unlikely Hikers in 2016. A year ago this month!)
Queer Adventure Storytelling – June 14!
Our first Queer Adventure Storytelling was a HUGE success and we’re doing it again June 14!
Queer Adventure Storytelling is a new event featuring stories of the outdoors, traveling, and beyond by queer, trans and gender non-conforming speakers. We hope to build community, share knowledge, elevate lesser-heard voices and inspire each other’s next adventures! Join us for presentations and workshops that lie outside of the common narrative found in outdoor media and gear shops. There will be a Q&A after the speakers and time to meet new adventure buddies.
This event happens every second Wednesday of the month at the Lucky Labrador on N Killingsworth. 7pm. Free! RSVP on facebook or don’t, just come!
Continue reading “Queer Adventure Storytelling – June 14!”
Dalles Mountain Ranch
- Level: Easy (Beginner level: challenging)
- Length: ~5.5 miles
- Elevation: >1,000 ft. gain
- Type: loop
- Open: all year, peak wildflower time is mid-April to mid-May
- Permit: Discover Pass or $5
- Drive time from Portland: 1h30m
- Google map: “crawford oaks trailhead”
- Features: Eastern Gorge, spring wildflowers, waterfall
Every day that has passed in the week-and-a-half since I did this trail, I’ve felt like I was hoarding it. It was so unbelievably beautiful. You must go before the flowers go to seed and it gets too damn hot. There’s very little shade and it’s been so gross in Portland that I wasn’t even thinking about sunscreen yet and got pretty badly burnt. WEAR SUNSCREEN. Continue reading “Dalles Mountain Ranch”
Unlikely Hikers nice & slow group hike!
This is a SPECIAL EDITION group hike specifically for people who NEED a slower pace on a flatter, shorter trail. I want to create a safer space for people to be able to be in their bodies in nature with others who understand needing extra or specific care. This is for the chronic pain cuties, fat babes who want/need a safer setting like this, etc. I don’t want to overly define this, so if you see yourself in it, welcome! If you are NOT SOMEONE WHO NEEDS THIS, the next group hike will be posted Monday, 5/15.
I’m keeping the invite private/invite only, so please send me an e-mail address via comment here or e-mail me at thejennybruso@gmail.com.
