Authors: Deanna Lynn Sletten
At the first sight of Multnomah Falls, Annie and William stopped and stared in wonder. In spring, the melting of the mountain snow as well as the rain caused the waterfall to gush over the rocks heavier and faster than any other time of the year. The moss and ferns on the ground as well as the fresh new leaves on the trees were a brilliant green. When touched by the sun, the leaves burst into all shades of the green spectrum from soft yellow to chartreuse to olive.
Annie lifted the camera that hung around her neck and snapped a few photos of the falls from where they stood. William reached for Annie's hand, and they began the one-mile upward trek on the winding trail to the top of the falls.
A short walk up, they stopped in the middle of Benson Bridge, which crossed over the pool of water between the upper and lower falls. Annie lifted her face to the cool mist that sprayed off the rushing water. William followed her lead, and they both stood for a moment, enjoying the tingling coolness of the mist. Then they moved to the other end of the bridge where the mist didn't reach them so Annie could once again take photos.
"Look," Annie said with delight, pointing toward the falls. "There's a rainbow in the falls."
William's eyes followed to where she was pointing and, sure enough, there was a half rainbow reflecting from the sun amd hitting the water. The colors were bright and clear, and Annie snapped several shots of the rainbow, hoping they turned out as beautiful as the real thing.
"My friend was married here," William told Annie after she once again capped her camera lens and came to stand next to him. He had to shout to be heard above the roar of the water rushing over the rocks. "It was in August and the mist wasn't quite as thick, but we still had to stand on one side of the bridge instead of in the middle so we didn’t ruin our clothes."
"What a beautiful place to get married," Annie said, her voice barely audible over the roaring water. "It's magical."
William looked down at Annie. The dreamy look in her eyes warmed his heart, and he couldn't help but place a soft kiss on her lips. Annie smiled back at him, then holding hands once more, they started walking up the twisting trail.
They were the only people on the trail as they climbed the steady incline, following the many switchbacks to the top of the falls. They stopped halfway up, and William pulled water bottles out of his backpack and gave one to Annie. Their bodies were warming up from the climb, so they both took off their fleece jackets and tied them around their waists, then continued up the trail.
The trail split near the top if the falls, allowing hikers the choice of continuing up the mountain or heading to the platform that overlooked Multnomah Falls. William and Annie chose the trail that overlooked the falls. The trail sloped downward. They carefully picked their way down this trail, then went down a set of stone steps and found themselves on the platform that curved out over the top of the falls.
Annie stepped over to the railing, uncapped her camera lens, and leaned over to get a few shots of the water spilling over the steep cliff.
William walked over next to her. "You really aren't afraid of heights," he said, forcing himself not to grab a hold of her in fear she might fall over the railing.
Annie laughed. "I'd better not be. Not with all the cliff houses I take photos of." She turned and took shots of the small waterfall that preceded the larger one. The air by the water was cooler, and they found they once again needed their jackets on. Soon, they headed back to the main trail and hiked further up past Weisendanger Falls and Ecola Falls, each time stopping to admire the rushing water and for Annie to take numerous photos.
"Are you hungry yet?" William asked as they neared the top of the trail.
"Starved." Annie told him.
They spied a solitary bench in a sunny location and took up residence there. William pulled out two fresh bottles of water, sandwiches, and homemade peanut butter cookies he'd purchased from Cherise's coffeehouse.
"Hmm, peanut butter cookies, my favorite," Annie said with a smile as she settled on the bench and unwrapped her sandwich. "And a turkey club. How did you know that's what I liked?"
"I cheated. I asked Cherise."
"Smart." Annie bit into her sandwich and sighed. "Oh, this is so good. What a great idea, bringing lunch along."
"I've had practice," William said between bites of his own club sandwich. "Sara, the kids, and I used to walk this trail. We learned the first time around that food was a must halfway through."
"This is a treat for me. I've never walked the entire trail. I've only walked up each side, not all the way around."
"Really? Why not?"
"I've always walked the trails alone, so I didn't want to get lost walking them by myself." When William's brows rose in question, Annie continued. "I've never had anyone I could walk the trails with. Cherise is more of a mall girl than a trail girl."
William chuckled. "That's easy to believe. I like her. She seems very nice. And she makes a heck of a sandwich." Annie nodded her agreement.
The couple sat awhile, enjoying their sandwiches and cookies as well as the warmth of the sun on their faces. The day was perfect for a long hike. The air was cool, but the sun helped to keep the chill at bay. While they were eating, William's cell phone buzzed in his pocket, and he took it out.
"Sam came in second at the golf tournament," he announced after reading the text. "He said his friend, Kyle, came in first."
"That's great. Is he heading home?"
William chuckled. "Well, if I'm reading this text right, he's heading over to Kyle's for the night. Something about a bonfire and barbecue."
"Hmm, and probably a few girls as well?" Annie teased.
"Wouldn't doubt it. They are boys, after all."
After they finished the food, they sat back and relaxed, enjoying the peaceful setting.
William broke the silence. "It seems we always talk about me when we're together. I want to know more about you."
Annie shrugged. "Like what?"
"Well, did you hike much when you lived in Minnesota?"
Annie shook her head. "No, not really. As soon as I was old enough, I always had a job after school and during the summer. When I finished college and started working, I spent most of my free time taking photos and working on improving my skills. I had a boyfriend for a couple of years who enjoyed hiking and other outdoor sports, so we went on short trips up north a couple of times to go hiking, but that was about it."
"Boyfriend, huh? What happened with him?"
"Oh, we broke up not too long before I moved here. I went through kind of a rough patch for a few months, and he gave up on me and went his own way."
William turned concerned eyes to Annie. "You mentioned that before, how you had some problems before moving here. Do you mind if I ask what happened?"
"You don't really want to hear all this boring stuff about my life, do you? It isn't all that interesting."
"I think everything about you is interesting," William said, moving closer and placing his arm around her shoulders. "But I don't want to pry."
Annie sat, staring off into the distance for one long moment before finally turning to William and looking into his warm, brown eyes. She'd just spent the night with this man, being held close in his arms. Why shouldn't she open up to him about her past? She took a deep breath, then began. "I was never really a very happy person after my father died, maybe even before that. Losing my mom, then my dad, made me feel like I could never trust caring about another person again, because the people I loved always left me. And since my relatives made it clear they didn't want me around, that solidified my feelings. So I put all my energy into my schoolwork and working. I'd gone on dates and had some short-term relationships but nothing serious. Then in my late twenties, I met Joseph. I called him Joey. We slowly became serious. It was while I was with him that I had a serious health scare and, after that, a bout of depression."
William turned his body on the bench to face Annie. "What kind of health problem did you have?"
Annie sighed. "It wasn't serious, actually, but for some reason, it affected me strongly. My appendix burst, and Joey rushed me to the hospital. I hadn't realized the pain I was having was from my appendix until after it burst. They operated, and I was okay, but I lost a lot of blood and was weak for a couple of weeks after the surgery. On top of that, for some unknown reason, I went into a funk and didn't know how to come out of it. I saw doctors and took antidepressants for a while, and finally I started to feel better. That was when Joey left me. He said I wasn't the same person anymore."
"That's terrible," William said, reaching for her hand. "He obviously wasn't committed to you enough to stay with you during the tough times." William didn't mention that his wife had died from her appendix bursting, although he couldn't help but think about it. Even though he'd lost his wife from the same medical condition, he was happy that Annie had come through it okay.
"Well, it was for the best. Not long after that, I came to Seaside, fell in love with it, and moved here. My depression went away as soon as I moved here. I had finally found a place where I could be happy." Annie looked up at William and smiled. Slowly, he bent his head down and kissed her softly on the lips.
"I'm glad you found Seaside," he told her. "Thanks for sharing that with me."
"Well, at least my story has a happy ending, so far," she said.
William grinned mischievously. "I hope your happy ending continues."
Annie winked. "We'll see," she teased.
They packed up the backpack with their empty bottles and garbage, and continued on their way down the trail. The route they took was now downhill with several switchbacks that drew them toward the river and away from it again. They stopped at beautiful Fairy Falls, named aptly for its fairytale appearance with the way the water glided over the rocks covered by thick moss. Annie took several shots of it from different angles. She even talked William into being in one of the photos. Then they headed further down the trail, where they stopped again and she took photos of the view of the Columbia River from Lemmon's Viewpoint.
"This view is in a scene from the first Twilight movie," Annie told William. When William just looked at her blankly, Annie laughed. "Didn't you take Sandy to see that movie?" she asked.
"No, thank goodness," William replied, rolling his eyes. "I did drop her and her friend off though, does that count?"
Annie playfully hit him on the arm. "Bad dad," she teased.
"I'm actually more of a Harry Potter fan myself," he said, trying to look serious. They both laughed and continued on their way. After stopping for a few minutes at Wahkeena Falls, the last waterfall on the trail, they ended their hike at the lodge where they had started. It had been a long hike, but they both felt carefree and happy as they slipped back into William's Explorer and headed down the highway back toward Portland.
They stopped at a small pub that served basket-style food where they ate cheeseburgers and fries for dinner. They talked about hiking the other trails around the Columbia River Gorge in the future and also visiting the many biking and hiking trails around Seaside. By the time they drove into Seaside and parked at Annie's condo, it was past nine o'clock, and they were beginning to feel the consequences of their long hike in their muscles.
William walked with Annie up to her condo, and they stepped inside the doorway. He was reluctant to leave her. "I had a great time today," he said as he looked down into her eyes. Her eyes were a brilliant green tonight, and he couldn't help but be mesmerized by them.
"I did, too. I'm so glad you suggested it."
William reached over and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Annie's ear. "It felt really good holding you last night, too."
"For me, too," Annie whispered. Lying next to him had felt so natural, like she'd done it all her life.
William seemed at a loss for a moment, wrestling with his thoughts. Finally, he drew on all his courage and asked, "Come home with me?"
Annie hesitated for only an instant as she looked around her condo wondering if they could stay the night here. But as quickly as she'd thought it, she rejected the idea. Spending the night with William wouldn't be the same here as at his place. His home welcomed her like she belonged there and being with William felt so right there. She nodded in reply and received a smile from William in return. After collecting a few personal items she'd need, they drove to his house, the sound of the ocean waves welcoming them home.
As they entered the house through the kitchen door, Annie asked, "Will Sandy be upset if I stay here?"
"She's at a friend's this weekend," William said. "She called me last night to tell me she wouldn't be home this weekend."
Annie nodded and followed William through the darkened house up to his bedroom.
"I'll start a fire," he said after snapping on the lights. He picked up a log and kindling from a large basket that sat on the hearth and arranged the wood in the fireplace. After stuffing a few newspapers around the wood and lighting it, the fire took off quickly and instantly warmed the room. He turned to look at Annie. "Do you want to use the bathroom first?"