I remember the day that I learned that things may not be exactly what they seem. Or to use an old cliché, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” It was my first experience hiking in the Northwest up on Mt. Hood. At the time this was happening, I was five years old and had come to live with my Nana and my D-dad, in Oregon. We had spent most of my time in Oregon on the coast- a familiar territory since I am from Hawai’i. On this memorable day however, I was hiking on a rugged, mountain trail on the White River area of Mt. Hood. It was a great day for a good ‘ole family hike. My D-dad was enjoying the sunlight filtering through the windows of our ski cabin, as he thought about the best place we could get out and get some fresh air, (I didn’t really worry, because the backyard could have been good enough for all I cared!) You see, there are six of we boys, so the term “cabin fever” takes on a whole new meaning. Nana suggested White River since it seemed like the perfect sunny place get a good hike and a refreshing picnic.

          We grabbed our day packs, hiking sticks, and fleece jackets “just in case.” She kept saying that things aren’t always what they appear to be, and that what looks like a great sunny day can turn into snow around here. “Always be prepared for anything,” D-dad said as he loaded everything (including us,) into our S.U.V. The lunch was packed and taken to the car by D-dad as well, while Nana packed the extra jackets, in case it got too cold for our hoodies. “Huh! Like that will happen,” I pridefully thought. I was five years old, had just come from Hawai’i with much more than five years worth of experience, and I perceived myself as invincible! I also enjoyed water, and have always loved rivers. I enjoyed getting in the water, and was an expert swimmer- I had been swimming since I was born.

            As we drove along, we sang hiking songs and looked at all the wonderful things I had never seen in Hawai’i. We drove till we arrived at some remote shoulder on the highway. “This,” Nana said, “is a trailhead!” I was confused. I couldn’t understand what resemblance an outlet in the high way had with a trailhead, at least the ones that I had seen. “Things aren’t always what they seem,” Nana said again.