We decided to adventure onto Third Beach the next morning.
This required a 1.4 mile trek through the rainforest to access this beach. We packed a backpack this time with water, a snack, and a phone... just in case.
Yes, there was snow on the ground which had fallen a couple of days before.
The air was crisp and the sun was out. We had the rainforest to ourselves and it was PERFECT.
We walked and talked. We stopped to take pictures along the way. There was no rush, no hurry to be anywhere at a specific time. We had all the time in the world to get where we wanted to be at the end of the trail...
All of a sudden the forest was brighter, we could hear the rush of water and we were greeted by blue skies ahead:
Once again, we had to traverse a jumble of surf logs for our feet to touch the sandy beach:
The sunshine was almost intoxicating after a long, gray winter...
We could see a waterfall and the shapes of sea stacks in the distance:
Bill took some pictures while I sat on a log and soaked up some sunshine. The late morning light was bright and the tide was high-- these factors made both photography and beachcombing difficult. We decided to just sit and enjoy the moment. We watched seagulls preen their feathers on the beach. I played in the surfline and laughed when the foamy water surrounded my rubber boots. It was a luxury to be suddenly stress-free in a natural environment.
Eventually, we decided we should head back (which meant another pep talk for the second 1.4 mile hike through the rainforest). You might think that we have run out of things to talk about after ~30 years together. Instead, there is always SO MUCH to talk about. We analyzed the presence/absence of Sasquatch in the Pacific Northwest (comparing Big Foot facts vs. fiction) and what the odds were of us running into one in the rainforest. I impressed Bill with my knowledge of rainforest ecology (ex. nurse logs, the role of shelf fungi, how ferns disperse spores, how successional events change the forest) while he patiently listened. We entertained ourselves by making up fake SNL skits. I told Bill about the latest "Gray's Anatomy" episode and when he finished scoffing about all of the character drama, it led to a discussion of today's medical advances and how technology is always changing. We made plans of where things are going to go in our new house addition. We shared our favorite memories of our last two dogs and what we are looking forward to with the next puppy. We talked about our kids and dreamed of their futures. We speculated on the rising cost of oil.
All of a sudden, we walked out of the forest after what felt like only five minutes on the trail. That is what it feels like to be with Bill-- we tend to get lost in our moments together. And I can't imagine feeling that way with anyone else. :)
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