My Pacific Northwest: White Chuck Bench 11-26-2019

Today was just a fun little hike out on the White Chuck Bench trail with my two adventure dogs and the neighbor dog, Guzzler, who hangs out with us on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I hadn't taken him on a hike before, so I kept the distance to 4 miles. He probably would have been happier with about 3, but he was a good little sport.

I was expecting clouds, and there were some, but there was also beautiful glorious sunshine lighting up the forest. I so love this beautiful part of the world I live in. It's definitely not hard to channel the spirit of Thanksgiving out there - the earthy fresh green smells, the trees so covered with moss they look like green plush toys, the sun lighting up the ferns, the roar of the river...

I had the whole trail to myself, and wasn't super surprised. Not only is it a weekday, but I have only ever ran into one other party on this trail any of the times that I've been on it. Shhhh! I don't do trip reports for this trail because I'm scared it will get super popular haha - luckily it doesn't get to a summit or a lake or very close to the river, so unless people just want a nice relatively flat forest hike, they will probably go elsewhere.

I encourage everyone who is reading this to not buy into the commercial gluttony of Black Friday! Think about the things you're thankful for and get out into nature, plan a nice board game with friends or family, or settle in with a cup of cheer and a good book - think about the things that you're truly grateful for. I'm going to go for a long hike on Friday and hopefully burn off the calories from the day before hehe.