Escaping the Fourth of July | Dispersed Camping in Mt. Hood National Forest

We escaped the Fourth of July and spent three nights dispersed camping in Mt. Hood National Forest. The trip started with a last-minute fire ban that forced us to change some plans, but I had been looking forward to this weekend far too much to let that ruin it. What followed was exactly the weekend we needed. Ripley spent her Fourth of July swimming in the river instead of hiding from fireworks, we watched butterflies gather along the water, saw incredible wildlife, cooked some amazing food, and spent our evenings relaxing by the propane fire. This trip also had a little extra meaning for us. Exactly 20 years ago, I was camping in this same forest when Raylan and I said “I love you” to each other for the first time. Back then, we were 2,600 miles apart and said it over the phone. Twenty years later, we got to say it again together in the same forest. ❤️ It wasn't exactly the weekend we planned. It was the weekend we chose to make the best of, and it turned out to be pretty incredible.