Portland N

Night Walkers
Tuesday, January 17
Tonight was the most physical and social of the Portland Project to date. Tuesday and Thursday evenings are Street Rambles--a walk though city--put on by the Mazamas, a local hiking club. This was one of those events that I have seen listed in the newspaper every week and always think, "I really should try that." Well tonight I walked my talk...and as it turned out, talked my walk as well.

The group meets just two blocks from my apartment at 6 pm--the earlier rain has suddenly cleared and it's a perfect evening for rambling. There are four walks: less than moderate (in other words, easy), moderate (two choices), and fast (in which they practically run.) I choose the easy one since this is my first time and we'll be walking for two hours! But as we are milling about outside the Mazamas office, I chat with someone who encourages me to try the moderate walk and I take her advice. We follow Megan who, with flashlight in hand, leads us down 19th Av. It seems everyone here knows someone else--there are several couples and I momentarily have that shy-lost feeling that I often have at parties. But this only lasts a block. I end up talking with people non-stop the rest of the way. The Mazamas are a friendly bunch.

Our halfway point is the historic Pittock Mansion in the Southwest Hills and our route takes us through my neighborhood and then past other great Portland attractions--the Rose Garden and the Japanese Garden--shrouded in the dark. Soon the trail starts going up, up, up. Some people fall back with others speed past the leader. There is a tense moment as we confront another Mazamas group walking toward us like it was high noon and I wonder who will flinch first. But we peacefully file past each other.

Megan and I have a long chat--she moved here from Chicago. She tells me about the screenplay she has written and what a good writing community Portland is. Near the top she compliments me, "you not even huffing and puffing," as we have been ascending for quite a while. At the Pittock, we are treated to a spectacular view of the lights of Portland. Someone passes around red licorice--a Mazamas tradition--and we start back.

I get so engrossed in conversation that I hardly see anything on the way down. We talk about midlife moves, creativity, following your dreams, love for Portland. There are some kindred souls here. Then we are back at the starting point and everyone peels off, quietly disappearing into the night.