The roads were getting busier by the minute as we got closer to the Cascade Creek Trailhead. It seemed like every other car we passed by had an out-of-state plate or was a rental. Hell, the car leading the gravy train appeared to be from out-of-town (or at least drove that way). Thankfully, not many of those vehicles seemed very off-road worthy, which I hoped meant that the trails would be relatively quiet, save for a few other off-roaders trying to get away from society for the day. 

Regardless of the trails that lie ahead, I basically stewed in my frustration with people till we pulled off the paved road and onto the Cascade Creek trailhead. There, Dad stopped hard as I attempted to get a sip of water. 

“Should we air down?” Dad asked, referring to letting some air out of the Jeep’s tires so it would ride easier over the rocks, “Or does it look pretty smooth anyway?”

“Let’s just get on with the ride.” I snorted water out of my nostrils as I stared at the constant stream of traffic rushing to-and-fro in the rearview mirrors. 

“Alrighty then!” Dad huffed back as he aggressively shifted the Jeep into first gear, and we began our journey up the mountain. 

As soon as we rounded the first bend, it was like we’d left the world behind. The woods were so thick with aspens and firs that we could barely see five feet into it on either side of the trail. All sorts of colorful wildflowers were in bloom, sprinkling the emerald green undergrowth with dots of vermillion, gold, violet, and pink. As we climbed further and further up the trail, the trees fluttered with birds and monarch butterflies. Mountain Chickadees and Northern Flickers sang their songs as we passed under the branches they were perched on. We then rounded another bend and discovered that the gun range was miraculously empty, which explained why the woods were so alive!

“Perhaps,” I thought to myself, “We’ll be alone this entire time!”

When we got to the first fork in the road, Dad abruptly stopped the Jeep and got out, explaining that he drank too much coffee. Meanwhile, I took that time to explore our surroundings on foot, and revel in the ambience of those beautiful, perfectly serene woods.