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My story won the "Why I moved here" contest.

In addition, I won $100 from the Good Life Magazine of Wenatchee, WA. Here's the story:

Rescuing Our Food at Domke Lake. First date with Terry.

I met Terry at a YMCA “Youth in Government” training in Olympia in 1982. Terry was a YMCA program director in Wenatchee while I was a YMCA program director in Seattle. For four days, I gazed across the table at Terry’s bedroom eyes. He was also a hiker. When it was time to leave, I pushed myself across the room and introduced myself to Terry, handing him my business card. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you in Olympia,” I said.

In Wenatchee, Terry drove around for four months looking at my business card taped to his Subaru ashtray.

At the Youth in Government program in April, Terry and I fell in love in front of 400 high school students. Highly unprofessional. Terry lied about being a runner and bought running shorts. We ran seven miles around Lake Olympia, talking and laughing. For two days, I laughed as Terry stiff-legged up the marble steps of the Capitol building.

Our first date was a backpacking trip to Domke Lake. Terry didn’t realize the Lake Chelan ferry started on Sunday. I arrived on Friday afternoon. So, Terry scrambled and hired a float plane to fly us from Chelan to Domke Lake. From the air, Domke Lake looked like an emerald surrounded by green ridges covered in evergreen trees. Wow!

I had put our food for the weekend in a large Ziploc bag, then into a stringed bag to hang high in a tree away from bears. Arriving at the lake, Terry loosely tied the food bag to a floating log to keep the food cool.

“Terry!” I called, alarmed. “The food bag is floating away in the lake!”

Terry couldn’t swim. (I taught him to swim later.) I zipped into the woods and found a branch long enough to reach the food if I hurried, stripping off small branches as I ran. Carefully walked the floating log- using the long branch for balance like the Wallenda family- and rescued our food for the weekend.

We did a cross-mountain romance. Terry sucked me over the mountains like a romantic vacuum cleaner. We were married in 1985. Our daughter was born in 1990.

“What’s the point of killing yourself hiking to a high ridge or peak, and you can’t see squat in the fog, mist and rain?” I reply when people ask if I hike in Western Washington. Besides, Western WA trails are insanely overcrowded.

After our divorce and a few escapes, I stayed in Wenatchee because I love the spectacular hiking here.

Photos:

  1. Rescuing our food at Domke Lake. Memorial Weekend 1982.

  2. Me, 28, and Terry, 32, at Lake Ingalls before we were married. August 1982.

LiterateHiker 9 Aug 22
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11 comments

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1

I enjoyed the story and well done on winning. I'm intrigued by the phrase "After our divorce and a few escapes....". Are you a magnet for unsuitable suitors? 🙄

@Petter

"Why did you get divorced?" nosy people asked. "You always seemed to get along."

Terry and I agreed never to argue in public. Wenatchee is a gossipy town. Terry and I are both well-known and in the public eye.

After we separated, I moved to Western Washington because I couldn't stand the gossip. After four years, I moved back because I missed the sunshine in Wenatchee.

2

Great picture of you. Thanks for the story.

3

sounds like a great dance, while it lasted.

2

Great story (except for the divorce). 😎

@Science-guy

When I became a mother, Terry transferred his hatred and resentment toward his mother to me. He would not touch me or have sex and lashed out at me, breaking lamps. "Transference" is a psychology term.

I dragged Terry to three different marriage counselors. None could do anything with us. With the last marriage counselor, Terry finally admitted that his resentment toward me was all wrapped up in his resentment toward his mother and "I will never get rid of it."

That's when I gave up. It was not healthy for me nor Claire to live in an atmosphere of simmering resentment. Down to 100 lbs. from emotional anguish, I left Terry.

@LiterateHiker I am sorry that your story ended as it did. It is still a great story and your love of the outdoors perseveres.

@LiterateHiker That's rough. Do you know how he is now?

@Petter

Terry is a wonderful father and a great co-parent. We are friends.

@LiterateHiker Good to hear that. Acrimony is awful.

2

Congratulations

2

Congrats!

CS60 Level 7 Aug 22, 2019
2

When I was in high school, we put in a bid to maintain and repair the trail to Domke Lake. We didn't win the bid.

2

Congrats a lovely little story ,Thank you for the insight ,happy you recovered your food

2

I love the story! At least you had the sense to keep dinner from floating away. Thank you for sharing!

2

Congrats!

2

Congratulations... that's exciting

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