Aahh... Golden Week in the east Cascade Mountains! Only two conifers in North America lose their needles in the Fall. For one glorious week in October, Northern Larch needles turn bright gold before falling.

My daughter and her boyfriend Gage had never seen Golden Week. Last Sunday we drove to Blewett Pass, WA. The last mile of the gravel US Forest road to the trailhead is extremely rough. But Gage has a Toyota truck with 4-wheel drive. We were fine.

Near the end of the road, we came across a van stuck in the mud. Spinning tires uselessly. No cell phone service. We stopped. "Need any help?" Gage asked. To avoid a large, deep puddle, the man had tried to take a motorcycle bypass/jump around the puddle. It was narrow and super-steep. One rear tire of the van was in the air.

For an hour Claire, Gage, the wife and I ran around gathering branches and flat pieces of bark to shove against the tires. Pushed and pushed the van as his tires spun uselessly, flinging mud on us.

By the time he finally got traction (cheers!) we three looked like Pigpen. I laughed as Gage wiped mud off my face.

"Hey, getting muddy doesn't matter," I said. "We're going on a hike. I'm not wearing an evening dress."