On Mountain Life

Most of the time, I really love living in the mountains and not having motorized transport. The real beauty of the area in on the paths and switchbacks, not out on the road, and I enjoy my walk to school each day. The flowers are just amazing here—huge, gorgeous, and completely exuberant. Plus, as I hike (well, okay, stagger) up the mountain in the evenings I feel Fit. Healthy. Virtuous, even. Or at least like I’ve worked off two bites of the baked potato soup with cream and bacon that I indulged in this weekend.

The only downside to this outdoorsy life is that there is no escape from unremitting bad weather. You can’t just dash out the door and drive to the supermarket in the dry sanctity of your car. Oh no. You slog the half hour to and from work on foot even if it is raining buckets. Which it has been for the last two weeks.

This weekend was particularly nasty but at one point on Saturday afternoon, the rain seemed to abate. Joanna and I took advantage of this opportunity to make a break for the closest grocery story, about 15 minutes up the mountain. Sadly, we’d gotten about 5 minutes into the trip when the skies opened once more. However, as stalwart mountain dwellers, we had come armed with our rain gear. Out came the umbrellas. Inside out went the umbrellas. CRUD.

By the time we returned from the store with our precious eggs and butter, we were both completely and totally soaked. We’re talking drowned-rat level of squish. But that’s where the good part of bad weather comes in. You can come in out of it! When we got home, we dried off, both put on fleecy pajamas, curled up with tea and biscuits, and congratulated ourselves on what brave outdoorswomen we were.

PS – As a side note, if anyone offers you rose-water flavored digestive biscuits (i.e. cookies), allow me to recommend that you politely pretend to have gone suddenly deaf. These particular cookies smell very rosy and taste like they smell and really it is an unpleasant experience all the way around. So if anyone offers...Just Say No. You'll thank me later.