Girls need to GET time to themselves
Published 10:45 am Friday, February 29, 2008
It was one of the best vacations I have ever had. With three days, three girlfriends, and nothing standing in our way, my friends Aimee, Wendy and I set out last weekend on our second annual Girls Extravaganza Trek, or GET for short. Our destination: Hood River, Ore., by way of Trout Lake, Husum, White Salmon and Bingen.
It was to be a long weekend of relaxation, adventure, and perhaps most importantly, girl time.
The first day, Aimee’s birthday, we hiked several sweaty hours up to the tree line of Mt. Adams, where we found a serene, crystal-clear alpine lake, inhabited only by a few tadpoles and visited by only a handful of hikers. We swam, dove off a nearby cliff and drank in the scenery all afternoon. Some hikers we met along the way even chimed in on a rendition of “Happy Birthday” for Aimee while we treaded water in the middle of our perfect setting.
On the second day, we took a whitewater rafting trip on the White Salmon river. I got Aimee to – by suggestion of a river guide, to voluntarily swim through one of the rapids, and all three of us laughed through the 12-foot drop of Husum Falls.
Along the way, we took in some of the night life in the area, too. We found what I believe to be one of the best bars in the world – Savino’s in Hood River – with its laid-back house party feel, picnic tables and outside seating. They also have the best cosmopolitans I’ve had in a long time and easygoing, fun people to talk to.
On our third day, we made our way to Carson Hot Springs, where we were treated to a steaming hot spring soak and full-body massages. A perfect ending to a perfect trip.
But it wasn’t until we were stuck in I-5 traffic, headed northbound just as slowly as we were coming back to reality, that I realized how long it had been since I had spent a weekend with “just the girls.”
In middle and high school, I remember whole summers spent in a girls-only mode, and even as friends changed, and came and went, “girl time” was important. In college, that notion became a little more clouded by daily responsibilities and stress, but it still seemed a constant. I guess the more you get away from those days, the easier it seems to forget how important it really is.
Maybe I won’t soon have another trip like GET 2004, but with this realization in mind, I’m already counting on – and scheduling in – GET 2005, and definitely more “girl time” throughout the year.
Shanti Hahler is a writer and editor with The Enterprise Newspapers.
