I made it...

...to the end of August!

Months ago I requested a large chunk of time off from my job at the Lavender Farm. Sarah willingly agreed to give me four weeks of time off so that I could get into these mountains that I spend day after day looking at and longing to lace up my boots and walk those rocky paths. So, with anticipation I've been watching the days slowly pass from one to another silently waiting for the first of September to approach. And here it is! Finally.

My month is chock full of fun. Starting tomorrow I'm headed into the North Cascade Mountain Range with Amber and Bailey. We are backpacking for six days/five nights along Devils Ridge, Devils Creek, Devils Dome - the aptly named trail "Devils Loop". I'm not sure what is so devilish about all of it, but I'm headed there to find out, I guess.

I will return to Whidbey for a night, before catching a bus to Bozeman, MT to reconnect with some MCC friends and the Gallatin Valley as a whole. Hopefully I can do a three or four night backpacking trip in the Beartooth or Gallatin Mountains while I'm visiting. I've missed Bozeman, the town itself, the group of friends that live, work, and recreate there, the three mountain chains that surround the valley. I'll be glad to get back, even if it only for a week.

On the 16th, my friend Heidi and I will be driving to Seattle to pick up a friend of hers from the airport and then head into the wild Olympic Peninsula. I've just recently reserved four nights of backcountry campsites in Olympic National Park. One of which is right up next to Blue Glacier, which stretches from the heights of Mt. Olympus (the highest peak in the park). It is going to be outstanding!

And just to pack it all in nice and neat, I'll have a day between my return from Olympic and my flight out to Indianapolis, back to my roots, to celebrate Lana's wedding with the rest of my family. Another trip I am anticipating and have been since June when Lana called to tell me she was engaged.

Should be a whirlwind month, but this time the whirlwind has nothing to do with growing vegies, weeding, harvesting lavender, doing yard work on the side, cutting blackberry canes, or watering plants. I'm extremely grateful for the break from work, for the natural beauty of this state and the Big Sky state, and for family and friends. So, hooray for September, I've been waiting for you!!