ON THE ROAD TO AHSAHKA

Orofino, Idaho, from Eureka Ridge Road. Smoke in center is right above the Gilbert Grade.

I think I'll start sanding those chairs when we get back to the farm," Mike remarked, whereupon I reminded him that we weren't home yet. It was about 1:00 and it seemed like we were making good progress with our list of geocaches. Still, you never know. One or two caches can take a while.
 

Mike & Nellie at Ryder's cache

After geocaching east of Orofino (see previous post), Mike decided to try for a couple of caches on a hillside west of town off State Highway 7, the road to Ahsahka. We found a nice wide spot to park the pick-up and trailer and crossed the road to the steep hillside. The cache description indicated the hillside trail would rise 1300 feet in ¾ mile to the second cache. I didn't think I could do it. Steep, sandy trails are intimidating to me. Slipping steps on the ascent become downright treacherous on descent.



"I think I should stay here," I volunteered. But in the end I did give it a try and reached the first cache, a bittersweet site to honor a beloved pet Schnauzer who had been run over. The next cache was on up the hill with the path becoming even steeper. 

Riverside (Orofino) from across the Clearwater River

Mike advised me to go back to the pick-up, which I did. But first I sat on a rock and took pictures of Orofino's Riverside across the Clearwater River. I thought about Orofino, my home town – how everything changes and nothing changes. Inside I still feel like the girl who grew up here. It seems like an afternoon after school.

Seems mighty steep

Then I gingerly made my way back down the hill, walking off-trail at the steepest parts to keep from slipping on the sandy trail. When I came to the approach at the very bottom, I froze. "What if I fall and a passing motorist sees me?" I thought. "Pride goeth before a fall," I counseled myself. I waited untl I didn't hear any vehicles approaching, and then I descended the steep incline as quickly as I could.

I waited a long time for Mike to return. At one point I nearly panicked, but then I looked at a topo-map of the area and determined that the time lapse was not unrealistic. Eventually he and Nellie showed up, excited for the conquest. He said there was a board at the top where those who had accomplished the hike had signed their names. However, Mike did have blisters on his feet which occurred during the descent as his foot slipped in his shoe.
We had a couple of errands in Orofino. We bought fire bricks to replace some in the fireplace that had broken – very reasonably priced – and milk, which was not. We parked briefly at the elementary school where children were playing soccer on the lawn. My class was the second, I believe, to attend school at this facility, built to meet the post-WWII "baby boom." During the six years I attended school there, we were not allowed to walk on the grass let alone play soccer. Soccer? What's that?
Yes, we got home all right, but it was about 5:00 – too late to sand chairs, too late to sew. KW