The Hat that Saved Christmas!

Nov2008
It was a beautiful fall day when Ray and I decided to hike up Relay Peak and over to a back country hut on the north face. We have done a few dry hikes up where we would back country ski and get familiar with the terrain.

We started out 1.5 past the summit of Mt. Rose proper. The trail head is an easy walk up for about a mile then the elevation gain is moderate for the next 3 miles. Thick woods meandering back and forth which eventually hook back up with the service road.

We made it up to the radio towers and then switched back (SW) along the Tahoe Rim Trail and started our decent down the ridge.
The light was leaving us and after about 2 miles down decided to turn back and head out leaving the destination a dream. Reaching it on some other trek.

It still was a beautiful day and we made the decision the jet off down an unfamiliar ridge and bush whack out. Down a soft incline and sand skied for about 800 feet. WAHOO... and started heading east towards the most beautiful valley where the bears romp. NO bears in sight and felt our sense of direction was spot on. After ejecting all the sand out of our shoes we came upon a run off creek and followed it for about a hundred yards then the terrain got a bit steep and sketchy and this is where I believe my favorite blue Patagonia hat was left behind.

Yes it's true the hat fell out of the back waist of my pants and was left to be nibbled and used for nests.

All I could talk about for a few days is how I was going to go back up and retrieve this hat as i was somewhat convinced that I new where I had dropped it....Then Germany came and I was off to enjoy the Christmas markets and celebrate the season.

I had pretty much forgotten about the "blue hat" when Christmas came around.
Ray and I had a beautiful Christmas eve planned and were enjoying gifts when he said" are you sure you retrieved everything out of that box" I reached in again and realized he had put a false bottom in the box. I reached below and pulled out my FAVORITE blue hat and was so pleased and AMAZED he had found it.


Ray had actually retraced our hike while I was in Germany and found my hat. Is this man the man or what...? He is the shit!!

ps....the hat didn't really save Christmas but it sure made it special. : )