A Picnic on Mount Tabor
While fall is right around the leaf-strewn corner (which I am very much looking forward to), and we had a pretty nice summer considering the circumstances, it felt like my husband Dan and I hadn’t gotten to do any of those things that make summer feel like summer. One of those things, for me, is a good old-fashioned picnic. So with that in mind, we decided to drive up to the Mount Tabor picnic area and get a taste of summer before it was gone.
Snacks
Dan and I already had plans for dinner shortly after, and didn’t want to make too much fuss preparing and packing up a whole meal. So it wasn’t hard to decide on one of our favorite snacks in the world - a simple charcuterie!
A super easy trick that’s worked great for us when we want to take a charcuterie with us on a picnic or to a friend’s place is to use a simple 9x9 inch baking pan in lieu of a grazing board or cheese board. It makes it SO much easier to wrap, transport, and even arrange, making for a neat and tasty-looking snack assortment, even after a little travel time. Just wrap the top in cling wrap or foil and place in an insulated grocery bag. I’d also recommend placing a few gel ice packs underneath the pan to keep it nice and cool. Here’s another charcuterie I whipped up for another little summer date not long ago.
In my little shareable charcuteries, I like to include at least one cheese (my go-to is a nice extra sharp cheddar), some hard salami or summer sausage, a couple fruits chopped into bite-size pieces, and some of my fresh, homemade sourdough crackers. This is a recipe currently in development, and I hope to be posting soon! They are so crispy and simple and can be customized to go with any combination of cheeses, meats, and fruits.
Location
The closest designated picnic area that Dan and I could find to us was the Mount Tabor East picnic area. It was a lovely area that I would recommend to anyone in the Portland area, once it’s safe to picnic again. There was so much open space! We found a cozy bed of leaves under a few tall pines and settled down with our snacks, enjoying the fresh air. Because we never really came within 10 feet of anyone else, we kept our masks in our pockets for the majority of the time, which was refreshing and reminded me of simpler times, allowing us to smell the pine trees and the damp moss.
The trails were wide, and it was very easy to social distance while enjoying our stroll up the mountain. Unfortunately, we never did get to the top to see what is, according to many on the internet, an impressive view of Mt. Hood. We enjoyed our treats and hiked a quick loop around the park before picking up some dinner and heading home, feeling happy and invigorated.
Takeaway
As this picnic was a good two weeks before the West coast smoke reached us, we managed to squeeze it in during the short amount of time when the weather was absolutely perfect. Temperature in the high seventies, blue skies, and that gentle early-fall breeze that reminds one of their first days of school as a child.
As I type this out, sitting on my couch and looking out at the thick smoky smog surrounding my apartment, it makes me already treasure this memory, as fresh as it may be. It really makes one appreciate things as simple as a soft wind, a clear sky, sitting in the grass, getting your boots muddy, or even watching a dog run through the park, when suddenly those things aren’t safe to do anymore.
If you’re somewhere where it’s safe to take a walk, to hug your friends, or to pick up a latte at your favorite coffee shop, I urge you to enjoy those things today. As often as I’m sure you’ve heard it, don’t take the little things for granted. Take care.
