The Most Romantic Picnic!

It's the first Monday of August and time for Marriage Monday, hosted by E-mom from Chrysalis.  Check her out by clicking here. This is a monthly meme where we write about various topics regarding our marriages.

This month's topic was titled "Romantic Food Faves"

There were several titles to choose from. I chose "Our Most Romantic Picnic Ever"

It was October 1989.  Dave and I had been officially engaged for about a month.
Autumn is my absolute favorite season.  I especially like hiking in the crisp, cool mountains.
We made plans to hike in one of my favorite areas of the southern Adirondacks.
Here's the setting:
Setting:  The Wilcox Lake Wilderness Region of the Southern Adirondacks.
              Hiking trail:  The Bennett-Middle-Murphy Lakes Trail
Time:    from about 10 a.m. to 6 pm on the 7.6 mile (round trip) hike


Date:   a Saturday in October 1989 (the journal was lost where I recorded the exact date)


Dave, who was still in graduate school at RPI and working there part time, had decided he would be the one to bring the picnic lunch.  I was going to do the driving since I know that area like the back of my hand.....my parents' camp was located for years while I was growing up, in the small village just southeast of the hiking region we were visiting.  At the time, I was teaching full-time as a special education prek teacher in a classroom of 10 inner city children.  My weekends were my time to relax and have fun since my days and evenings during the week were full of IEP writing, lesson plans, apt chores, and music ministry rehearsals.  I had been out of graduate school for 2 years and was loving my life in the city of Albany.  BUT....now that I was engaged I wanted to spend as much of my weekends with Dave as possible.


Once we got on the trail, he showed me the backpack that he would carry with our lunch in it. He didn't show me the contents of the bag.  Keep in mind that we had only really been a couple since the previous June.  You can read about how we got together by going here.  The backpack  I was carrying had my keys, sunscreen, whistle, first aid kit, water bottle and light windbreaker.  It was the kind of autumn day that had a bright, cerulean-blue sky, puffy, white clouds, a crisp mid-autumn scent, and temps in the high 60's.  Just perfect for hiking!  I was wearing old jeans, sneakers (couldn't afford hiking boots at this point in my life), a tee and sweatshirt.  Comfy clothes for romping around the woods.


Our gear was light and we made great time hiking the trail.  It was a 3.8 mile hike to the 3rd lake....we were deep in the woods and moving up.  By the time we arrived at Middle Lake (about half way to the last lake), we were ready to eat.


We found a nice place on some sunny rocks right near the water's edge and spread out our sweatshirts to sit on.  It had warmed up nicely and there was a gentle breeze off the small lake.
And then I could not believe my eyes.
This is what Dave unpacked from his backpack:

homemade tuna fish salad with herbs
 and veggies on oat bran bread

Farm-fresh green grapes

a bag of Hershey's Kisses

1 bottle of Perrier
my fave drink at that time

1 can of root beer 

I had been expecting something like crackers and peanut butter, chips, cookies or trail mix, and water.

Dave had made, from scratch, delicious tuna salad sandwiches.....having some protein on the trail is always a good thing.....I usually stuck with icky peanut butter or trail mix before I met him because I could never figure out how to keep the tuna cool and unspoiled.  The sandwiches were absolutely delicious and I have never had any like them since!

He also packed my absolute favorite drink (at that time)....I could NOT believe it.  I normally just bring water bottles on a hike.  He gave himself the root beer cause he knew I don't like soda all that much and he doesn't care for Perrier.  The grapes were because he wanted us to have some fresh fruit and the kisses were for fun because hey......everyone needs a little chocolate on the trail!  And the kisses were a symbol of our love.

This was soooo romantic to me.  Just the fact that this "computer geek" of a fiance, who lived in an ultra messy apartment with 4 other grad students, could put this romantic picnic together, moved me.

And to add chocolate (my fave dessert choice!) with my fave drink was just amazing to me.  The simplicity of eating together in the Adirondack forest (one of my fave places) doing one of my absolute fave activities, with my soul-mate and best friend and soon to be husband, just wooed me.

We had so much fun that day....even when I twisted my ankle coming down the trail. (the next time we went hiking I made sure I had real hiking boots!).  We wouldn't go hiking again for 8 months:  on our honeymoon in Aruba. 

The thing that the Lord showed me that day was this:

God blessed me with a good man.  Yes, he was younger than me by 6 years.  Yes, he was still in graduate school and our first year of marriage was going to entail alot of loan repayments.  Yes, we would need to live on a budget.

But when you have chocolate and Perrier/Root Beer to share in the forest that God created, talking and laughing with the one the Lord led you to.....well......THAT is romance. And....having Dave carry me down the last leg of the trail......what a friend!  

We tell this story to new friends all the time...especially when hiking with new friends....we have told it to our children.....I remind my daughters that someday, if it is in God's plan for their lives, they, too, will have romantic picnics with a soul-mate...... and to just remember if they're hiking, to wear hiking boots! :)

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

~ Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Faith & Dave
Summit of Beech Mountain
Acadia National Park
July 2009

We still enjoy hiking all these years later.  Sometimes, when the girls are elsewhere, we will try to re-create our first hike and first picnic.  But....it is never the same really....so...we treasure that romantic picnic we had....there was no one else on the trail that day and I remember the sights, sounds, and scents.....most of all I remember the feeling of love and admiration I had for this man who was soon to be my husband....a romantic, geeky, funny, and godly guy.


And invariably, when we have those items of foods, we often laugh quietly to our selves and smile.......remembering.....Perrier....and kisses......