Letter #25 To My Benefactor

Dear Benefactor,

I know this picture looks like it’s Photoshopped, but it is not. We were up above the trees and in the clouds.

It was freezing. It was only May, after all. But I was determined to hike to the top of this high mountain and have a good time. I’d had enough of depression and near nervous breakdowns; I wanted to enjoy nature, my family, and Jesse.

Remember the hiking poles I told you about? The ones that the physical therapist said I had to use for my lymphedema? Well, this was the first time that I would be using them. I was really self-conscious and felt like a dork lugging them along. Within minutes, though, I was thankful to have them with me.

We kept hearing a strange animal noise. I thought it sounded like a bear roaring—I know, I know, there I go again with the bear paranoia—while Ken and Adriana thought it was a marmot. Jesse wasn’t sure what it was. (It turned out to be a screech owl.)

The pathway was only about 15-24 inches wide in most spots with big erosion cracks dipping into the trail. In fact, halfway through our trek, we all stopped dead in our tracks when we heard a landslide below (above? beside?) us.

We were almost to the very top when we ran into the snow pack. It didn’t matter, though, because we ate our sandwiches, cheese, rice crackers, blueberries, and stroopwafels (Dutch waffle cookies) right next to the big pile of snow and had a great time, just like I knew we would.

Till next time….

Sincerely,

Marie

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