I have not been in the wilderness since the Stevens Pass to Stehekin trek in August, so this post is mostly about how I followed through on my decision to get a Hot Tub. However, many other factors such as Covid, Massive fires and injuries contributed to why I remained relatively homebound for the rest of the season.

Upon return from the North Cascades I utilized our rotational week in Neskowin to allow my body to recover and to begin my investigation into the procurement of the perfect Hot Tub. I have always appreciated the hot tub experience but I have never really wanted to get my own. But now was the time, justified for therapeutic reasons was a good enough excuse. I started out with basic internet searches to get a feel for product and price. I knew that I wanted a relatively small tub since I did not see many hot tub parties in our future. Just give me a quality 2 or 3 seats with more jets then I would ever need. OK, I knew what I wanted but my inquiries were turning up an unexpected problem, availability. It appeared that our country has invested heavily in home upgrades to survive the pandemic. The Hot Tub business was booming with delivery options 6 to 12 months out. This was discouraging but also motivating, so I started talking with some of the larger Spa dealers around and settled on the purchase of a Dimension One Triad 36 from Spas of Oregon with an ETA about 3 months out. At least I was on the list and now I could focus on site prep.

I had a lot of fun designing where this tub would be located and how I would extend our deck out around it. I needed to put in a cement slab which is a fairly straightforward project guaranteeing some good exercise. The slab required me to dig up the sod in the rectangle area planned for the tub. This meant flat spade shovel work. What I discovered was how difficult it had become for my old body to jump up on this shovel for each initial dig.

This is where the injuries began, first to my left knee from digging then to my right elbow from lifting 60 lb bags of gravel and cement. These injuries were a real pain but they kind of added to the adventure. Next I had to fill this slab frame with cement. This is also when I got the call that my hot tub had come in 2 months early so the slab needed to be prepared ASAP. This is where having a strong son-in-law who was actually intrigued by the prospect of doing a project like this and owned a truck saved my butt. We decided to rent a 2 cu ft mixer to process 34 (60 lb) bags of Sakrete. It was a beautiful day which made for a wonderful family project.

My grandson had a great time watching and having our hand prints in the cement will be lifelong reminder for both of us.

Delivery was scheduled, however, various conflicts ended up having our hot tub installed on a Sunday evening as the sun was going down.

I had coordinated the installation of electricity a few weeks earlier and was very pleased when they were able to fit us in. I was not surprised to hear that hot tub electricity installations were dominating their schedule.

Oh boy, I filled the tub, followed the first time chemical treatment plans and thoroughly enjoyed this new hot tub. The D1 Triad 36 is basically a 2 person tub with a pump per side providing more jet strength then you would ever need. On the lounge side you are basically floating on jets. I believe that I can directly impact every muscle that I would ever want therapy for.

Now comes the fun part, building the deck and installing some low voltage lighting. I had spent many hours envisioning how this tub would be placed and accessed, many of those hours while hiking in the North Cascades. The plans were fine tuned and the building began. Unfortunately the cost of lumber is at an alltime high due to Covid work issues in the logging industry. I went with pressure treated lumber and was lucky to be able to buy what I needed at Lowes.

I will be adding other items to the installation such as a privacy screen and cabinet for towels. But for now the hot tub is in full use overlooking the farm under the open sky.

The overall cost of the project, Tub, Deck, Electricity & lighting will end up costing about $11,000.

This 4 month hiatus from the trail has been a different kind of adventure. Covid restrictions for my grandson’s daycare created the opportunity to watch my grandson two days a week, a priceless experience which has laid a relationship foundation for a lifetime. I was also able to lower my golf handicap from 20 to 16. But I am anxious to get back to the wilderness so I have blocked off low tide windows of opportunity for the winter months for the Lost Coast Trail. I just need a good weather window to match up and I’m on the Trail.