6
Wednesday, September 9, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Commentary...
Trekking with ‘Tall Socks Tanya’
By Becky Aylor AKA ‘Short Sock Suntan’
Guest Columnist
Dirt.
There9s something about it.
As kids, we 89experience=
it. We dig in it, sniff it and
taste it. We add water to make
mud-pies, throw it and watch
it splatter, hop in it and kick
it and watch it blow away in
the wind. Together we build
and insulate our forts with
it, build jumps for our bikes
out of it, and then we grow
up and dirt seems to lose its
wonder. At some point, it9s
just <dirty= and downright
filthy. I9m constantly sweep-
ing it out of my house, out of
my car, and washing it out of
my clothing.
...and then I turned 50.
..and then the pandemic.
...then the pandemic
didn9t end.
But it was summer!
Educators are some of
the hardest workers on the
planet. I9ve worked a zillion
jobs (hardware store, piz-
zeria, toy store, pre-schools,
summer day camps, telemar-
corrections,
keter, sales, juvie-corrections,
server, banker and
a teacher, to name
a few). It9s been
almost a decade
that I9ve brushed
shoulders with
teacher peeps day
ut
in and day out. But
it wasn9t until the
summer of 920 that
ow
I really got to know
the strength of f a
local middle school
teacher.
Celebrating the early
summer birthday dinner of a
colleague ended with some
sidewalk chatter; <Hey, we
should get together again!
How about a hike? On
Tuesday?= We even kicked
around some names: Sole
Sisters; The Young and the
Rest of Us; Blister Sisters;
etc. In the end, we didn9t
really have a group name that
stuck...we had something
better. We had <Tall Socks
Tanya.=
Tanya Young defines
petite. She9s itty bitty.
Delicate, with blond hair
and perfect skin. She has the
most caring and compassion-
ate heart of a teacher with a
perfect voice to match. If you
know her at all you9ll know
she9s wicked smart and witty
too. She is also one of the
most amazing mothers that
I9ve ever met. Teaching sci-
ence full time is just her side
gig.
Then there9s <Tall Socks
Tanya.= I9m convinced her
well-traveled insulated hik-
ing boots match her overall
body weight. Her weighty
backpack is complete with
bear spray, a satellite locator,
water filter, nutrition sup-
plies (cinnamon candy bears
are essential gear), water, etc.
Her phone is well-charged
with all of her research 4
hidden under well-loved
icons.
We hiked every Tuesday
this summer after that day.
Tall Socks Tanya, true to
form, would wear socks
pulled up to her knees and
rather-worn Nike capri hik-
ing pants. I, on the other
hand, wore shorts and short
socks and am quite sure I
will have a solid tan line on
my ankle... forever (and yes,
Dr. Bachtold, I started wear-
ing sunscreen this year too).
We often rallied at
Tollgate. Masked up, car-
pooled, picked up other
teachers along the way, and
followed our fierce wil-
derness guide up the next
dusty trail of awesomeness.
Beautiful hidden trails that
wove in and out of old-
growth pines and skipped
over creeks and meadows
displaying the most vibrant
wildflowers one could imag-
ine. Some hikes were four to
five miles and others were
over 10. Several hikes had
elevation gains of 2,500 feet!
Every single step was
worth the stunning views
at the top overlooking the
snow-covered mountain
peaks, buttes, and valleys. I
was awestruck with Tanya9s
confidence and strength. I
was also awestruck at how
much dirt seemed to come
home on me.
Like Forest Gump
walking...
Tanya Young started hik-
ing two years ago. I don9t
know the why, but I know
she9s addicted. She has a
goal of walking 1,200 miles
(miles) in 2020. I9m sure
she9s at 900-plus miles by
now. She hiked almost every
day of the summer (and often
overnight weekend back-
packing trips).
This tiny, meek, seem-
ingly shy teacher is a com-
plete beast. The tallest moun-
tains have met their match.
The scorching heat of the
summer sun and the <flocks=
of mosquitos did not deter.
Often she would trek solo
on 15-plus-mile hikes. I feel
priv
privileged and grateful that
sh
she shared herself with me
an
and others on Tuesdays so
th
that we, too, could experi-
en
ence the awe and wonder
th
that Central Oregon holds
to those that seek it out 4
n not to mention the laughs
of just being together and
talking story.
Tall Socks Tanya and
I are opposite in many
of our personal beliefs
& S ONS
E
K
A
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PHOTOS COURTESY BECKY AYLOR
Author Becky Aylor got out into the back country this summer with
ardent hiker and teaching colleague Tanya Young.
4 but in the end, just like all
of us, we truly are more simi-
lar than different.
I worked alongside these
wonderful souls for years,
even shared a wall and hall
with Tall Socks Tanya. My
point? Don9t let the pan-
demic strip you of continuing
to build friendships. Get out
there and enjoy the beauty
that lies in our backyard, not
to mention it is probably the
best medicine for our mental
and physical health.
Take a hike.
Take your family.
Take just yourself.
Sucking wind, won9t kill
ya (at least I don9t think so),
but the views might just take
your breath away.
Dirt.
It still bonds.
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