The Big Trip

I finished on my 31st birthday on Oct. 1st. Good weather held for the entire rest of the trip. I am now relaxing with Samantha at my dad's place in Western WA and trying to get a grasp on what the last four months have meant. I believe that you can not fully understand an experience while you are in it. Only through time and distance can we begin to understand things we have been through.

The huge alone stretch from South Lake Tahoe (where Sam left) and Mt. Hood completely exhausted my need for self examination and reflection of pre-trail existence. After a while, I just came up with the same conclusions over and over again. Hiking with friends for all of Washington was a spectacular way to end the experience and keep out of my head for a while.

Now that things are over, I might be able to come up with some summation and evaluation of the whole trip. But not yet.

Washington, as a section of trail was insanely beautiful, only marred by about 40 miles of clearcut walking around Snoqualmie Pass and the Oregon border. Almost the entire trail seemed to reside in one Wilderness Area or another. Things got super insane North of Stevens Pass in the North Cascades. The stretch around Glacier Peak was probably the toughest hiking on the entire trail. Huge vertical gains every day. Bridges washed out due to recent glacial mudflows.

Fall colors made this the most spectacular place to end the trip. Huckleberry bushes turned deep red and orange while the larch needles turned to a bright yellow. The color stood out on every alpine hillside in every direction. Quite a contrast from the bleak grey we experienced before Stevens Pass.

About two days before the border, we crossed our last highway. At the high pass above it we looked Northward to an arid region almost like high parts of Southern California. Apparently the final section lies far enough to the East to where it is in the rain shadow of the Western Cascades. Sun abounded but the temperature began to fall. Our final morning we woke up to sub-freezing temps. The water in my bottles began to turn to ice as I was walking. Nature's way of saying farewell. Seasonal change brings a nice close to the hike. Even if you are sad about leaving the trail, there is little temptation to drag things out.

We hit the border around noon and stayed for about an hour for lunch, the first to arrive for the day. A clearcut about 30 feet wide marks the border along with the PCT monument. The clearcut strip extends in a straight line up the mountains on either side. The spot was shaded and cold so we decided to move on before too long. The Canada border is almost 8 miles from the actual end of the trail in Manning Park, Cananda. It was a fairly bizarre way to end the hike. Lots of thoughts and conversations about what the end meant to each of us. Every few minutes I would exclaim to myself, "My God, this is going to be over in a few miles!"

Bittersweet was the ending. So unlike the tearful freedom I felt when I began at the Mexican Border all those lifetimes ago. My life as I knew it was over. And Samantha wasn't there.

The satellite phone at Stehekin made communication difficult which led to Sam thinking that we were going to end on the 2nd. When I called her she was still about 6 hours away and very upset to have missed the end. I got a room at the lodge and she drove on to finally get there about 1:30 in the morning. I think she likes me...

The next day we said goodbye to about 10 other hikers that had finished on the same day as us. Also said goodbye to my hiker companion On-On. He was hitching out to Toronto to visit his girlfriend. Just another travelling adventure for him!

David, Sam and I all piled into the car and headed to Vancouver. Our plan was to hit a trail angel and perhaps play tourist for a few days. What we weren't counting on was a hostile and primal reaction to that plan. The city was too much to handle and the trail angel was not too inviting. We thought about staying in a hostel but David and I were both sick of spending money on lodging. Furthermore, we would still be trapped in the city and 'hemmhoraging money' as David put it.

What I really needed was rest and a quiet place to chill for a chunk of time. Exploring a new city wasn't going to work at all. Vancouver and all it has to offer (like Pot Bars) will just have to wait for another day. I called my dad and told him to expect us the next night. And then headed South back to my State and Country of origin. David came with us as he had a friend in Seattle to look up.

The border crossing was insane. David didn't have his passport and we spent almost two hours in customs hell. I got grilled because of my arrest and conviction involving war protest. David got grilled for an arrest years ago where no charges were even filed. What justice is this when folks are questioned years later when they were never even convicted of a crime? David was flat out asked "Did you do it?" and he refused to answer. We were treated like criminals in our own country. I was asked if I was still associated with the group that staged the protest as if it were some seditious group bent on the destruction of the entire country. The most evil Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center must be destroyed before it destroys all! God Bless America. Every day brings us closer to Facism. End rant.

Slept outside that night, right after the border at Birch Bay State Park. Since we were still feeling like thru-hikers we just couldn't bring ourselves around to paying for camping. It just feels wrong. Furthermore, I felt like doing something to feel better about the mind-raping experience at the border.

Got to Seattle in the morning and made the pilgrimage to REI as David needed to return something and I needed a new headlamp. Then hit a sweet Vegan resturant on Capitol Hill. Time to say goodbye to David.

David was one of the first people I met on the trail and the only person from early on to finish. Right from the beginning we had an excellent connection and friendship. I chased him and On-On for 1000 miles accross NoCal and Oregon before finally catching up near the end of the trail. As he and I parted ways, the last human vestige of the hike had gone. No longer am I a thru-hiker, I am now a jobless, couch-surfing bum. Perhaps traveller might be a kinder term. But I am not interested in travelling as much I am in sitting on my bony ass! Time to relax as I haven't done in eons. Time to enjoy Samantha and reconnect with friends. Time to figure out what has happened in the world of computers in the last nine months. Time to not walk for a while. My feet hurt.

Once again, circumstance has created a big journal hole: weather being the chief culprit. Only one journal entry for almost 200 miles of trail. The sun went away the third day in this state and has not returned until now. When I lay down at night, I just want to pull my bag drawstring and get warm rather than journal about the miserable day of walking.
Since the last entry, we hit Snoqualmie Pass, stayed in a motel, lost Amyloid to a knee problem, met my dad, hiked in rain for two more days, hiked in glorious sun for one, and hit Skykomish for the last zero day of the trail. Tomorrow we start out with a mere 170 miles left.
We are staying at some trail angels here called the Dinsmores. The walking has been physically and emotionally exhausting with all of the rain. Plus, the trail difficulty has been bumped up a notch with around 6000 feet of gain per day. At no point does the trail seem to countour. We are either going up or going down. I welcome the difficulty for the most part as climbs keep me warmer.
Hiking in cold rain are truly the worst conditions which one can experience out here. Snow is better. It doesn't stick to you and only gets your feet cold. In rain, it becomes impossible to keep yourself or your gear dry. Maybe for a day, but certainly not for two. Feet dry? Only with a complete day of sun. When you are wet, you get cold as soon as you stop moving. Breaks must be short, and happen less frequently. Having lots of bars to eat becomes essential. Just a quick stop to get the next bar out and then you are walking again. If the sun comes out for even a little bit, you must stop and take advantage of the warmth for a real break. Pull all lf the wet clothes and sleeping bag out of the backpack and hope they transition from wet to damp in the meagre time that you have. If the sun doesn't come out, you just keep hiking. Usually we stop earlier in the evening to make up for taking no real breaks.
One scary thing that happens is my sleeping bag gets wetter and wetter. Bags depend on this thing called loft. That is the thickness of the bag after you roll it out of its stuff sack. As a bag becomes wetter with condensation, it loses its loft and hence its insulation capability. We have picked up winter bivies at 15 oz. to minimize exposure to moisture and increase insulation. Three nights ago, my tarp was dripping direcly on to my bag all night long. I fixed the drip the next night but my insulation was compromised around my upper torso and I slept cold all night. Luckily the next day was glorious sun and a town stay at its end.
The scenery, when it appears, has been exceptional. Only the High Sierra compares to Norther Washington. Where the Sierra was a stark alpine moonscape, WA teems with primeval forest, moss covered and tall. Huge volcanic ridges are seperated by deep glaciated valleys and glistening alpine lakes. Things are supposed to get even more extreme for the last stretch.
As for the last stretch, I approach it with some anxiety. Will the nice weather hold? The forseeable future looks good, but the weather is hardly predictable around here as residents well know. I am anxious to wrap this experience up. The last four months (exactly four yesterday) have been constant work. I have had nearly zero time to relax. Even days which are not spent walking are spent preparing, fixing, networking and planning. I am ready for real relaxation. For a little while at least.

Rain is the word of the day. It started in the morning and continued nearly unceasingly until around 4:30 when the sun finally took a peek. The situation was made worse by poor trail conditions. Lots of huckleberry bushes overhanging the trail and abnormally steep grades. The trail seemed to forget how to contour, climbing every knob and staying on the ridgetop no matter how unreasonable. Throw in the fact that the trail was one big clearcut for just about the whole day and you get a bad mood.
However the trail had been great the previous two days and the weather fairly benign. But as we neared Snoqualmie Pass and the lower elevations, the clearcutting started. Luckily, the next section is almost entirely in Wilderness Area, invalidating logging.
Too cold to type. Will write more at the pass tomorrow.

The last two days have been the most difficult days yet, and strictly
because of the weather. An early storm has rolled in, dropping snow
levels to 5000 feet and encasing all in a bank of fog and mist.
Two days ago I woke up in a misty cloud. Because of my lightweight
approach, cold weather can be approached by being in the sleeping bag
or by walking. Sitting still outside is simply not an option, I lack
the gear. Motivating oneself to get out of the warm bag and pack up
in the cold is the toughest part of the day.
The trail wound up the Western slopes of Mt. Adams and mist turned to
rain, rain to snow. Cold and wet weather is the worst. I have
discovered that snow is slightly more tolerable to be in only if it
doesn't accumulate heavily. The achilles heel in the lightweight
backpacker's gear is simply the feet. In order to do big miles you
need lightweight trail runners or tennis shoes. Unfortunately these
shoes are not waterproof, and the toes are the first things to begin
going numb. The answer: stop minimally and just keep walking.
Dangerous for someone else, but easy for someone who has walked 2300
miles already!
Another bummer in cold, wet weather is the lack of views. The trail
traversed Mt. Adams all day long and not one view materialized.
Another mental game ensues as I ask myself if the trip is worth it
when I don't see anything.
Bummer number three is brush hanging over the trail. Even if it is
not raining, the brush contains a ton of water just waiting to soak
your legs with. And when the legs are saturated, the shoes are next.
I spent hours in a foul mood because of this, cursing the trail
maintainers.
Later in the day, the sun briefly came out, allowing my mood to
recover and my gear to dry. Left Adams Wilderness and entered Goat
Rocks Wilderness on a tough 30 mile day of up and down wet. The next
would be harder.
In the morning, everything I had was damp. That is what you get for
sleeping in a cloud! Up and rolling around 6:30 and got about 3 miles
of soaking brush keeping my toes from getting warm. The trail climbed
higher. Snow started to fall. Higher still. Snow began to accumulate.
As I crossed Cispus Pass at 6500 the snow kicked in hard for the next
hour and dumped a good 2 inches of powder on the ground. Just keep
walking.
The next stretch was potentially the most dangerous. Up to 7000 feet
for the highpoint of Southern WA, accross a snowfield to a North
slope traverse, and then traversing a knife edge ridge for about 2
miles before dropping to sane elevations again.
The weather cleared for the final approach and I kept walking,
catching up with David and Amyloid at the top. By then, the powder
depth was more like 6-8 inches, every foot sunk in. As we started on
the knife edge, the weather came back in, making the whole experience
detached and surreal. The wind was whipping over the ridge, drifting
the snow in the blasted trail. At times we wondered if we were even
on the trail.
I want to stress that the danger was minimal. Because of our extreme
conditioning, exhaustion was simply impossible and we just kept
walking, awed by the occasional sunbreak. The views were worth all of
the hardship. As long as I get a view every once in a while, I can
finish the trail in weather like this.
Dropping 2000 feet changed everything. Sun came out, grass glowed
green in a glorious alpine landscape. We were all intoxicated with
the beauty, feeling like stupendous badasses. After going through
what we did and not having major problems, confidence was high.
Pushed in to White Pass for a 32 mile day. I walked the last section
at a record breaking pace. In 4.5 days, I walked 150 miles, the
largest uninterrupted stretch since Central Cali.
Amyloid and I checked in to a warm motel room to warm up and get dry.
The shower was the best in my life. I realized that I hadn't stopped
being cold for more than two days. Good news: the weather is supposed
to be nice for at least three days. Hope the fog burns off soon!
Now to get my packages, make calls and roll on. This next stretch is
100 miles to Snoqualime Pass. We have all agreed to moderate the pace
to 25 mile days for the rest of the journey. This gets us to Oct. 1
with one zero day thrown in! I wish I could take that zero today. My
feet hurt. I am considering hopping out at Snoqualmie and heading to
my Dad's place in Auburn. My first glimpse of a major metropolitan
area since Los Angeles. There has got to be an Indian food lunch
buffet somewhere!
This just in, the camera is working again! It gets tempermental in
wet and cold for some reason.

Temperatures dropped by a significant amount today. A cold front is
definately moving in. Just how cold or wet remains to be seen. I am
trying not to freak out about it.
I have yet to experience cold temps coupled with wet weather.
Generally, staying warm is easy... you don't ever stop walking. When
you need a meal break or are pooped you wait until a good place to
set the tarp up. Then crawl into the bag and get toasty.
If the rain kicks in tonight, it proabaly means that it will keep at
it all day. Just a new challenge for me to deal with.
Two big bummers:
First, the camera has stopped working. Haven't taken any pics since
leaving town. I haven't decided what to do about that yet and am
waiting to get Sam on the phone to discuss possibilites.
Second, I received a bee sting in my calf muscule yesterday. Third
sting for the trip but this one is the most troublesome. I think that
the venom got deep into the muscule because it and my ankle are
swollen and sore. Not much to do but keep walking. The sting hasn't
slowed me down. Today I walked 34 miles and hit 33 yesterday.
The trail has been heading Eastward to Mt. Adams. Tomorrow I will be
traversing its flanks and finally heading North again. Goat Rocks is
next, followed by white pass.

The final leg of the journey has begun. It seems to have come full
circle for I am now again walking with David (Humungus), something
which has not happened since before Samantha joined. We seem to be
talking about the same things as well, subjects we never tire of.
David now hikes faster than I do and eats better as well. Following
him up a hill makes me think of Samantha always following me. But it
is too late in the game for me to change my pace. This works well
since we still get plenty of alone time throughout the day. He also
enjoys hiking later and I enjoy getting up earlier and this insures
camping alone. Due to my 1000 miles of alone time, a loose
confederacy seems all I am capable of.
We left Cascade Locks around 2:00 afer squeezing in one more meal. Up
until this afternoon, the trail so far has been transitional in
nature. Back before the idea of the trail was conceived, it existed
as a series of disconnected trails. The trail after Cascade Locks was
definately one of the trails made after: merely connecting together
the pre-existing more scenic trails. Many needless climbs through
mostly logged land.
Now the trail is once again starting to climb high as we approach Mt.
Adams, the next volcano to skirt.
Too tired to write............. must sleep...

Once again, I have spent nights camping wth people and have had a major journal lapse. Living more in the moment of the experience at the expense of detailed prose. Once again I find myself uncertain about where to start. I guess chronological order is best, but first the present.
I am currently in Cascade Locks, OR and have been here since yesterday evening. This is the last stop in Oregon, and Washington sits just on the other side of the Columbia River which I am camped next to. I am resting and setting up the mail drops for all of Washington. Still on target for hitting the border around Oct 1-3. Waiting for the P.O. to open tomorrow morning (Monday) to get packages and send drops out. Getting my tarp back, a new ground pad, and some more warm clothes. The hammock is going bye-bye and I haven't even told its story yet!
That is the present situation, I now back up 4 days to the day after I wrote the last entry. This happened to be one of the best trail days I have had yet. About 10 miles in to the day, I accomplished one of my mini-goals: meeting Scott Williamson. Scott started the day before I did, but rather than just hike to Canada he is attempting a yo-yo. What's a yo-yo? Walking all of the way to Canada then turning around and walking all of the way to Mexico. Hardcore. Scott has walked the PCT about 9 times including a successful yo-yo sometime in the last few years. This trail is his home and he is everybody's hero out here. When I started the trail I foolishly thought I could catch him until I realized he was doing 30-40 mile days right from the start. When I finally ran into khim, he had hit the border several weeks before and was moving South having walked about 1100 miles more than I have in the same amount of time. Hardcore.
Scott came upon me as I was urinating and politely waited for me to finish. By then I had figured out who he was and was overjoyed. Scott gave me a full 10 minutes of his precious time as we talked about the trail. Plenty of good tidbits on the road ahead. Most importantly, I learned that my hiker homies, Humungus (David), and On-On were only a few hours ahead! Furthermore, they were planning on staying at Timberline that night. All I had to do was hike as already planned and I would run into them.
More endless forest walking with occasional views of Mt. Hood getting closer and closer. The vegitation is becoming very familiar, stuff I grew up with. Oregon Grape, Huckleberry, Rhodadendron, Horsetail, and lots of moss. Trees are almost exclusively Douglas Fir and Western Hemlock.
Finally I arrive on the blasted Southern slopes of Mt. Hood and walk in near-dark to Timberline Lodge, twinkling in the distance. The outside of the lodge was used in shots for "The Shining". On-On was the first person I saw as I walked in and David shortly after. I hadn't seen either in more than 1000 miles!
Drinks at the bar with Calibama and company, then back out into the woods to sleep in the trees about 300 yards from the lodge.
The next day I ate at the excellent breakfast buffet with the rest of the walkers and headed out alone once again. David and On-On were climbing the mountain that day and I had no desire to do so. Patrick and I had already climbed it about 12 years ago.
The trail traverses clockwise around Mt. Hood before heading North to the Columbia River Gorge. The walking was hard as I dropped up and down heavily glaciated valleys with constant stunning views of the mountain. Only 22 miles on the day, leaving a long 27 for the next day. Crib was already at the campsite and we talked a bit before sleep.
Around midnight I awoke in a cloud and reluctantly set up the hammock as it was my only rain protection. Rain the rest of the night and in to the middle of the next day. Hiking in rain is not very pleasurable. It is the combination of the wet and cold that makes it miserable. Furthermore, my umbrella doesn't do a thing against mist.
The weather cleared up and I was reunited with David and On-on who had not summitted due to nasty ice conditions. The hike became a mad dash to Cascade Locks and the border. Along the way the trail drops about 3500 feet through some mind-boggling waterfall scenery. Day hikers and weekenders began appearing in droves. Finally I pull in to town, but my boys are nowhere to be found. I can only guess that they hit an angel on the way in. No matter, we all have to wait for the P.O. to open on Monday anyway. Found Amyloid, whom I hadn't seen since mile 650. He had been travelling with the others and was waiting for them. Lots of catching up to do.
Yesterday was the typical town day orgy of consumption. Breakfast, brunch buffet, and pizza for dinner, followed by a pint of half & half for dessert. Sam got back from Kuwait in the evening and we caught up and made post hike plans.
Now it is the morning of departure. P.O. opens in an hour and I will be there, ready to go. After that, crossing over into my home state for the last 500 miles of this trail. What will the weather do?

The feet are 100% improved with the shoe change and I have done a 33 mile day without ibuprofen for the first time in a long time. Today has seen Mt. Jefferson shrink behind as Mt. Hood grows larger ahead. Tomorrow night I will be sleeping on it's flanks near Timberline Lodge.
Yesterday I scored a ride past the fire closure for me, Team Calibama, and Crib. A woman approached us outside the P.O. and asked if we needed anything. What we needed the most was a lift and she went above and beyond the call of duty to give us one. The trailhead was about 2 hours away with 5 miles of dirt road at the end. Nice woman.
We rejoined the PCT right on the flanks of Mt. Jefferson, Oregon's second highest mtn. Skipped peaks to the South were Mt. Washington and Three Fingered Jack. Crossed the first glacial runoff stream of the trip flowing strongly in the evening. Probably one of the more dangerous crossings on the trail. Managed to keep the feet dry with some fancy jumping.
Camped with the gang in scenic Jefferson Park, just North of the mountain. Watched the full moon rise over it. Cold, wet night and every piece of gear was wet in the morning. Got up a little later than usual to be kind to the others.
Tonight, I am camped with the same gang again. Everybody seems to be about big miles now. I would have been passed except for the fact that there were no trailside places to roll out. These guys all hike faster than me and I keep up only by hiking earlier and later. Only about 80 miles of Oregon left!

Hitched into the town of Sisters yesterday morning. Maybe about 10 hikers here now. Calibama Boys, Johnny Walker & Librarian, Crib, and the big surprise: Ryan and Tamara. Haven't seen those folks since Kennedy Meadows. They have been moving slow, but skipped a big chunk of NoCal to catch up. Shared an expensive motel room with those two last night in this upscale touristy town.
Got new shoes for the aching feet and a new warm hat for my head as I left my old one in the hitch.
Turns out that fire is blocking about 45 miles of trail total. Luckily the approach wasn't as bad as I had feared and we have conned a local into giving us a lift in about an hour. This leaves about 120 miles left in this state. Cascade Locks by the weekend and starting into WA by Monday 9/11.
Sam is on her way to Kuwait as I write this. Thoughts go to her, entering a world much stranger than the one I am about to reenter.

Finally some views! Passed all of the Three Sisters on their Western flanks. Most of the trail was out in the open, crossing meadows or lava fields. Some of the flows were very young indicating that this area continues to be a geologic hotspot. The young flows were not from the big volcanos but rather from subsidiary cones on their flanks.
Lots of people on the trail again today. Weekenders carrying insanely heavy packs and heavy guts as well. Rumours of fire closure up North abound. Won't get the truth until we hit town tomorrow morning.
It sounds like I can get new shoes at Sisters. If I wanted a fancy pair of trail runners I would be S.O.L. but all I want are some good New Balance running shoes. My last pair lasted for 800 miles including all of the high Sierra. My current shoes are starting to cause fundamental problems. Swelling and numbness in weird places on the heel. A zero day should help things heal up.
Unless I find a trail angel I am sleeping in City Park tomorrow night. Sisters is super touristy and expensive and no room will go for less than $80.
Another thing on the agenda is pizza and a greasy breakfast.
Mile 2000 just happens to be in the next section which is closed by fire. I think it is safe to celebrate it now! Depending on the extent of trail closure I have either 600 or 650 miles left. The end is finally in sight!

I am now in the Three Sisters Wilderness, one of the best parts of Oregon. This place is full of volcanoes and lava flows. The last three days of trail have been virtually in a tunnel of trees, removed from any view. This is about to change tomorrow as I enter a clear area.
Four nights since my last entry. It has been cold. The night that I wrote the last entry the temps dropped to 37 according to a section hiker I met. The next night was even colder, leaving frost on the ground several hours after dawn. Since I lack a good ground pad right now (because of the hammock debacle which I haven't written about yet), my tolerance for cold nights is down. I tended to sleep fairly well but mildly uncomfortable. The biggest impact of the cold is on getting up in the morning. It takes a great expenditure of energy to leave the warm down bag and prepare for departure. My ultralight setup doesn't have much in the way of cold weather gear right now. I generally shiver while I put the pack together and eat a bar on the way out. Ten minutes later the exercise warms me up and the thermals come off within a half hour except on the coldest days. Breakfast waits until a nice aspot in the risen sun appears. The last two nights the temps have gotten milder, calming!
fears of an early fall season.
I hit a resupply two days ago at Shelter Cove Resort. I had arrived early by taking a guidebook sanctioned alternate route in the guidebook which was shorter, flatter and more water-blessed. At the store were two hikers Johnny Walker Red and his S.O. Librarian. Very cool folks from Portland, Maine. We all set off for the pizza place at Wilamitte Pass about 3 miles away. Unfortunately it was closed! Should've asked the folks at the store about it. They did have a payphone and I took care of calls for about an hour. Met forementioned hikers at Lower Roasary Lake 3 miles later to camp and cooked a very late dinner at 8:30.
My shoes have been giving me trouble. They are more heavy duty than the running shoes I have been wearing. The thought was to get a pair that would last all the way to the end. These will last a long time, problem is they aren't made for big miles. After about 20 miles they start to feel like blocks of wood attached to my feet.
Luckily fate has bought me some time. Sisters is the next town stop but there are two reasons I am not rushing to get there. First, the P.O. is closed tomorrow (Sunday) and the day after (Labor Day). Second, a fire has closed the last 17 miles of trail, forcing me to hitch out early and skip the chunk. This will put me in Sisters on Monday morning after 3 days of a leisurely 25 mile pace. Rumour is that the next section of trail is closed as well, possibly eliminating about 60 miles of trail. We will see about that. It would make up for the time lost in hitching to Bend for a shoe hunt.
Last night JWR and Lib cooked me a most excellent eggplant paramesean(sp?). A very wonderful and unexpected treat. Tasted very good and definately justifies getting a dehydrator at some point. Last I saw them was this morning but they shouldn't be far behind. We all plan on going in to Bend together on Monday.

At Mazama Village now. Something big woke me up this morning bounding by. Got out the light and saw its eyes, small and far apart. Think it was possibly an elk but it made this ungodly high pitched screech/hiss noise that almost sounded like steam escaping from a valve. Sometimes I thought it was a sneeze.
It would make the noise then take some thumping bounding leaps, and then make the noise again until it was far away. Wacky.


I have to expect less mileage out of civilization days. I wasn't expecting 23 for the day though. Hit the store first thing and went through packages. Got breakfast from the buffet and talked with a few hikers. I was perhaps too full from the buffet and this slowed me down. Hiked the 5 miles to the rim and scoped the circus there. Another thing which slowed me down was talking to folks. A tour guide spotted me and knew I would be good novelty for the group. Others just saw the pack and wondered where I was going. Most had never heard of the PCT before. All were impressed. Good ego food! Anyway I was originally at the rim village to just fill up all my water bottles for the 25 mile dry stretch about to start. I didn't leave till around an hour had passed.
Ugh. I hadn't carred this much weight since SoCal. Full of new maildrop food and 4 liters of water, my pack was killing me! Then the trail proceded to traverse northward around the rim. The views were amazing but the hiking was hell. I haven't been on a more rugged trail since Yosemite. The rim is anything but flat and the trail went straight to the top of every single precipice. I have to say that it was nice to have some real views for a change. So far, Oregon post-Ashland has been fairly flat and one big forest.
Another wacky thing was the fire. Down below the rim (on the equestrian PCT) was a fairly large fire sending up smoke over the crater. Interestingly, the crews had no interest in putting it out. They were letting it burn in a natural fashion and guiding it away from places where it might be less safe. Periodic fires now seem to be recoginzed as an important ingredient in a healthy forest. The fire had been burning for a month already. It will probably last until the first rains. Hope those rains hold off for a while!

I have made it to Crater Lake National Park. I am about 3 miles out of Mazama Village where my package is. Tomorrow morning I will pick up the package and hit the rumoured breakfast buffet. Any thru-hiker cannot turn down a buffet. The only problem is to not eat past the point where I can't hike for a while.
I have been without Sam for a month now and this is a good time to step back and evaluate how things are going. In the last 30 days I have hiked about 840 miles. This is an average of a very excellent 27 miles per day including zero days and neros. I took 4 zero days: 2 in Sierra City, Etna and Ashland. Several half days as well: Burney Falls, Castella. Removing those days from the reckoning yields a very impressive 32 miles per day.
I have certainly beaten the last two months. Did about 600 the first on fairly easy terrain and 450 with Samantha through very difficult terrain.
By my reconing, I have 810 miles left in just over a month to finish Oct 1. Things are looking good, especially if I keep the speed up through all of Oregon. The only variables are health and weather. A very wet September would slow things down or maybe even kill the whole thing. But that is out of my control and not worth worrying about. I just have to focus on staying fit and healthy and not burning myself out at a crazy pace.
Tomorrow the trail goes up on the rim of the crater for some fine views. Unfortunately this involves a waterless stretch of 20 miles or so. Since I had reckoned that water was not going to be a problem for the rest of the trip, I bounced my gallon water bag, leaving me with a 2 liter capacity. I generally reckon on about 5 miles per liter so I am going to have to double my capacity somehow. Probably buy some throwaways at the Mazama store.
Too many noises in the forest tonight. I wish I knew what the hell was making them. It's hard sometimes to keep the mind rational and not let the imagination go nutso. Helps when I am too tired to be scared.

Today is the day i leave my beauties of the burgh of pitts for kinnelon. Oddly enough, I have never flown to NJ from here. I am in Angelica's apartment presently and have been furiously working on patching my yarnlocks. They are lookin' good, however i'm about half a day out from being a walking sculpture to be proud of :o) T - 7 hours to airport.
Last evening was spent at Nicole's shooting plastic arrows at a bale of hay in attempts to hit a magazine photo of two ridiculous people about to kiss. The bullseye was to get the arrow right in the space between their lipsets to fuck it all up for them. Felt good to shoot a bow, it was innate for me. The closest i came was to actually hit the magazine page and take a bit o' skin off the girl's shoulder. I love my friends. Much talk, Much action.

Back on track. Did 33 miles today with minimal body complaints. Minor adjustments to the new shoes but so far no major complaints. Saw several bow hunters, a section hiker, a few daytrippers but no thru-hikers. I am beginning to suspect that travelling with people slows me down 3 miles per day on average. I hadn't done more than 31 since the day before Castella. Every day since then has been at least full of leapfrogging others.
I need to explain the trail name concept as well as explain my own. I also need to tell the full hammock story. However, hiker midnite (9 PM) approaches and I need the sleep. Those stories will wait.

I have been in Ashand since yesterday afternoon. Resupplied, geared up and phoned out. Food boxes sent to all of Oregon. Will write more about it tonight, but just thought some would like to know where I was. About 950 miles to go! Back to the trail. I don't even know where to begin... Ashland was such a productive and busy place. It actually sits about 10 miles North of the trail on I-5. After waiting about 30 mins for a hitch, I made it in around 1:00 yesterday. The Knights In had a fairly reasonable rate (by Ashland standards) and a hiker discount. It also had a hot tub. First order of business was to call Samantha. Next was a shower. Then a bus downtown to the food coop for the first chunk of supplies. All of Oregon is maildrops and all of them were mailed from here. Got huge amounts of bars, granola, powdered goat milk, and the obligatory smoothie.
Next, back to the room to drop the goods off and get some dinner. I knew that Ashland has all the favorites (Thai and Indian) but was unwilling to travel anywhere. So I settled for some decent and filling Mexican from the Azteca next door.
What I had planned to do was take care of the remaining food shopping at the Albertson's next door, but the full stomach was making me lazy. Time to get on the phone. More Sam, then Mom. After that I sat in the hot tub for a while. Then time for Dad whom I hadn't talked to in a while. After that more Sam again. Finally about an hour of television before sleep.
Morning: I dutifuly woke up around 5:45 and started to plan my busy day. Big breakfast at the nearby cafe, allowing time to make a list of everything needed.
After breakfast was the remaining food shopping. I was about ready to begin portioning all the food into drops when Sam called. Wow! A huge talk for at least two hours. What a miracle that I have this remarkable person in my life. The battery finally died on her phone, forcing me to get on task with about an hour before checkout. Time for mega-productivity mode. Make 4 piles, label each one. Portion out the breakfasts, dinners, bars, treats and lunches. Call Dad for a last minute pharmacy refill. Pack up and double then triple check to see if anything was left behind. Out with about 5 mins to spare. To the nearby UPS store! Food drops mailed.
Next Rite Aid to pick up presciption and new earphones as I recently have only been hearing music in one ear. While Sam can be strangely content with one side of stereo, it drives me nuts. Arr. While in Rite Aid I run into Muse and Mojave, fresh from the trail. They had put in an extra day of walking to Hyatt Reservoir and gotten picked up by their friend there. If they get back on the trail in the evening tomorrow we should be neck and neck again.
Jeremy, Mojave's old friend with the car, gave us a ride downtown where the remaining tasks awaited me. Post Office to get what I needed from the bounce box and send it on. The bounce box contains things like refills for sunscreen, hand sanitiser and soap. I send it ahead anywhere from 10 to 14 days ahead once I am done with it.
On to the fun part: gear. Got new shoes, socks, a few tent stakes for the hammock and a sleeping pad insulator for the hammock as well. The shoes are the most expensive and specialized that I have gotten to date. So far I have been sticking to running shoes. Curiosity made me wondeer if the shoes built for rugged hiking were going to last longer and create less foot complications. Time will tell.
The insulating pad was the best part of the whole deal. The outfitter had been cleaned out of the kind of pad I like, obviously from the thru-hikers over the last two weeks. The owner, Bill, told me to try bubble wrap with astronaut blanket coating. This was available in rolls at the hardware store. Turns out that this material was not only cheap, it was also cheap and light. I bought a very generous 5' chunk which cost $6, and weighed 9 oz. Lets see if it works.
After that, back to the trail after one more call to Sam. I miss her.
Got picked up within 10 mins by a woman named Donna who owns the Callahan's resturaunt by the trail. Since the food is famous on the trail and since it had just turned 5 I chose to eat dinner before returning to the wilds. Callahan's is a bit pricey but the food is exquisite. I have ben holding out on steak until the right time, and tonight it was. Tasty. The atmosphere at Callahan's is amazing as well. They are very familiar with hikers and help out where they can. In return, word spreads in the hiker community and Callahans gets more business. Many entries in the guestbook were folks from previous years just passing through on I-5 and stopping to pay homage. I was helped out by a ride the remaining 1 mile to the trail. Fed, logistic'd out, and sick of the city, I felt wonderful being back. Aloud, I proclaimed "home again!" Not 15 seconds after I said this was a tiny little sign which read "Northbound PCT. Welcome home."
Trail Magic.

-

Writing has been sparse for the last couple of days. I haven't been in the mood for some reason.
Out of Etna, I headed for the Marble Mountain Wilderness. A very scenic place, but visibility was minimal. Several forest fires have been raging to the West and the place looks like L.A. on a bad day. The effect on my lungs has probably been comparable as well.
The centerpiece of the wilderness is (big surprise) Marble Mountain: a long ridge with a many hundereds of feet thick band of marble passing through it. Marble, like its limestone parent, is predisposed toward caves and I passed many. Unfortunately I was too mileage driven to do any extracurricular work. Like the section before it and the current secton as well, MM is a long series of ridgewalks punctuated by gaps and then another ridge.
I spent two nights in MM then dropped 4000 feet down to the town of Seiad Valley, home of the famous 'Pancake Challenge' which I had been warned against. Got a new toy in the mail: a Hennesy Hammock. I am giving it a whirl as a shelter for all of Oregon. Tarp got bounced to Cascade Locks.
In Seiad were a ton of walkers. All of the Calibama group plus Rigg, Stomp and Crib. John and IvaJoe as well. They had passed me by not descending to Etna. Their hike is almost over as they have a wedding to attend in early September.
All of those folks are behind me now as I pass another wave. Not Muse and Mojave, however. We have been leapfrogging since Etna. It is great to walk with folks that have the same mileage goals and schedule. They are both here now, preparing a late dinner before bed. Excellent senses of humor. And we are all carrying the same pack. I have the heaviest pack of the bunch as they are able to share gear.
So yesterday after only a 3 hour layover in Seiad, I started out again. Ahead was a moderate grade climb of 4500 feet in eight miles. This is pretty much like climbing from the bottom of the Grand Canyon to the rim. To make things slightly more painful, I started the climb around 11:00, setting things up for midday heat. It took about 4 hours; I am definately in good shape!
In the middle of the climb is an excellent spring called Lookout Spring. Mojave was getting water when we were both startled by a small rattlesnake. It had slowly crawled out of some ferns. Instead of being intimidated by our prescence and rattling and hissing away, it calmly and slowly crawled back in to the fern. Mojave actually grabbed the rattle as if it were a cat's tail. The snake just pulled until the rattle snapped out of his grip. Still, the snake was not agitated. M&M then realized that they had heard about this snake from a southbounder several days ago. Apparently it has made this spring its home. A hiker is just another thing that comes and goes. Definately a sacred space: a magical spring guarded by a snake. The southbounder said that it was a Mojave Green, a very deadly poison. I got a nice picture for a positive ID iin the future.
Today has been long and scenic as the smoke is finally behind us. Mt. Shasta has appeared again to the Southeast, slowly advancing to true south.
Oh Yeah! Big news! I am no longer in California. About time. CA is almost twice as long as both WA and OR combined. Bye Bye!

hello my people ~

I am once again going off to another country. This time on the other, other-side-of-the-world to the land of Kuwait. You must be thinking... "wait,wait, what happened to going back to Prescott in 12 hours??!?" Well, Mike-L Vetere's twin, Katie, gave me light physical therapy exercises and I wrote the alphabet with my foot, prompting it to proclaim its soreness, and I knew there was no reason to test it with high mileage.... it is just not ready. So, I will take my crutches to the middle east. Today marks one week until I fly from Pittsburgh to Newark and I will be embarking on September 5th to that distant land. Oh & yes folks, you read that right, Pittsburgh has magically appeared in the list of destinations this summer. I leave on a greyhound on Thursday morn at 8:45. My summer is leading me along like a silver river and I realized today that I will have set foot in 5 countries this year all before Halloween! Man, I was practically breathing air from Mexico in May, that would be 6 if I had hopped over that fence! The last will be O' Canada as Kirk and I get ourselves to the border before Matthew.... the race is on; it's amazing that I am taking a detour through Kuwait and will still be there before him. It will be 4 full days of wedding festivities with quite a sliver of my family.
My cousin, Bobby, has finally been given permission to wed Jawaher and wed they will with over 400 people to witness!! I think they might have considered the ....................................................galactic_dev & ooh__pretty ........................................ route if they had choices. These two flew to Hawaii and invited only each other. So, I will study the opposite end of this dichotomy until the 10th of September and return to New Jersey only staying away from planes until the 14th when I am hurled more time zones into Prescott, Arizona. I think I will have flown a week of this year away by the dusk of 2007... an entire week at over 30,000 feet. 16 separate flights, if my tallying are correct, by the time I land in Arizona. This is counting the connecting flights and is actually a total of how many times I've watched a flight attendant pretend to put on an oxygen mask... it could even be 18 if I knew if the safety show happened 2 or 4 times when I braved NJ in January. Finally tired in Avon Lake, Ohio.

Etna has been excellent! Late night, high level conversations with
some of the most interesting hikers on the trail. Mojave, Muse, Ol'
Dirty, Funnybone and Gouda all contributed. Now to do some last
minute shopping and then back to it. My feet seem to be sorer than
yesterday, almost as if resting them only makes them more aware of
the crap they have gone through.

Waiting for a ride to Etna on a very dead road. As I was dropping to
the pass I saw one car going my direction. That was about 30 minutes
ago with nothing since. Might be a long wait.