In the tradition of chocolate and peanut butter, cake and ice cream, and other amazing combinations, there lies hiking and beer–working up a sweat, stretching your legs, seeing natural beauty, and then washing it down with a crisp, refreshing ale. In this blog I feel I couldn’t talk about west coast hiking and gear for women without also mentioning the beer (or ciders, sangria, etc) to reward yourself with at the top (or completion) of a strenuous hike. I wanted a name that would convey both the hikes and the pints to come.
Since I figured REI would sue the rainproof pants off of me if I went with HOPt Outside, I decided to go for something a bit homier. I next chose Citra Hops & Cedars (my favorite tree and my favorite hop), but realized citra hop is actually trademarked! Far be it from me to step on the toes of the hardworking people who brought me my favorite hop! So I landed on Wet Boots, Dry Hops. Seattle is known for the rain we get (although I love to point out many other cities have an annual rainfall total higher than ours). Living here my whole life, I actually look forward to the rain–the smell in the air when it first hits the pavement, how clean everything feels after, and seeing the sun break through the clouds with raindrops dripping from the boughs of the trees. Because of the rain, it is not uncommon to have wet hiking boots. Even hiking on the sunniest of days can get your boots wet if there is a river crossing or puddles on the trail. Thanks to the advent of Gore-Tex, the wetness should only be on the outside of your boots now, even if caught in a downpour.
Now for the dry hops. I love beer. I love local beer. I love all styles of local beer. Washington is the hop capital of the world, and home to an ever-growing number of excellent breweries (as well as bottle shops that carry yummy beers from neighboring states too). While not every beer I drink is dry-hopped, there’s something about working up a sweat that makes a beer that punches your taste buds with hops more appealing to me. All in all, I’m lucky to live where views and brews are plentiful!