Ben Burr Nature Trail, Spokane, WA
Between Liberty Park and Underhill Park, in Spokane, is the Ben Burr Nature Trail. Part of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, it is a paved trail that connects to the Centennial Trail, which I have written about a few times, and also has many access points to the named parks.
IT IS ALSO THE TRAIL WHERE I GOT TO HIKE WITH GOATS!
You may recall that Barbarian Scientist and I have a date competition. We are non-monogamous and have many systems in place to ensure our attachment to one another remains secure, unique, and exciting. Our date competition is one of those systems. I am way better at it than he is, and if he ever gets better than me, it will no longer be a competition – I will call it a tradition. I obviously cannot let him win. But. But! Sunday I woke up to some extra love and was told to get dressed into some warm clothes because he had a surprise.
A hike! Yay! But, A HIKE WITH GOATS?! I had no idea it was what we were doing, I had no idea that was even an option! The Little Goat House had an Airbnb in Spokane for awhile, where you could reserve the Airbnb to stay the night (and perhaps smoke pot while hanging with the goats), or you can reserve an “experience” with them, which is hiking a few miles along the Ben Burr Nature Trail with them.
Hiking with goats is just the silliest thing ever. They are strong and can be strong willed. We were armed with plenty of treats, but sometimes treats are not as enticing as climbing on giant rocks. I agree completely, and if a goat thinks climbing a rock is better than a treat, then they must be right. The trail was pretty, even if it was paved. The connected parks are full of little dirt trails, huge rocks, and a ton of green trees. The inland northwest is a special place, even if the politics are garbage.
The Little Goat House is now in New Mexico, and they are very happy there. The owners/operators said they wanted to go south and set up a homestead, and they did! It is really inspirational to see people reject society and make their lives their own. Of course goat people would be those people!
I also appreciate Barbarian Scientist. I love that we share the same beliefs about relationship anarchy. I love him. I think we bonded over being square pegs being told to fit into round holes, and then as we dug deeper we found so much more. And are still finding even more. We are headed into celebrating our third anniversary of being married and our I-do-not-know-how-many-years-of-being-together. We are settling into being very young empty-nesters and have our first big move on the horizon. We laugh every day and are always pushing and pulling one another toward our dreams. Nothing feels impossible and what more could I want?
This date did not win him the date competition, but it sure took me over the moon. And up giant rocks and down a pretty trail with cute little goats. And that is basically the key to my heart. Or some cheesy-as-fuck sentiment.