a little getaway

A short time back we packed up for a few days away at one of our favorite swimming holes. This is a pretty special place on the upper Umpqua, which Steven introduced me to back in our early days together. That first trip there for me will be forever in my memory, and each time we visit I feel all the excitement and love that I have for that place fill me right up. I want to freeze it in time forever, as the private, little-known spot it always was.

It’s not uncommon to be able to spend days here without another person around. There is such a peace in being alone in nature; the ultimate healing balm.

We had long nights of restful sleep; easy, timeless days; time to share, tune in, discuss; and so much swimming, wading and exploring of the swimming hole. The temps were near and above 100 but that kind of heat is really quite nice when you can cool yourself at any moment.

I had prepared so much food for us at home – loaf of bread, batch of muffins, a pot of beans, hummus, tomato sauce, pesto, hard boiled eggs, oh my gosh… And then of course, we weren’t even hungry in the heat. I think we would have been set with coffee, water, fruit, nuts and seeds.

One of the most memorable things for me about this trip was swimming at night. We clamoured down the trail, jumped in the water and swam in the moonlight. Gliding into the water was like entering thick, viscous, air – just so smooth and seamless. The water felt unbelievably silky in the dark, in a way that neither of us notice in our daytime swims.

Some day we would both love to live on a river, with our own swimming hole, with places to camp, and the possibility to host healing retreats and workshops, and the ease of cooking outside. A life that is attuned with nature is a full and rich life.