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OREGON Around and About in Ashland Oregon August 25 2002 The start of this entry has more to do with theatrical criticism
than walking in the woods, but it shows a different side of me. It's
about my three days in Ashland waiting for Liz and going to the theatre. Wed 21st Aug 12am Midnight Ashland Hostel I managed to get a lot done today. The best bit was in the
library reading what people have written on the message board part of our
website. The good news is that Big Lake Camp will still be open when we
get there. Fannypack found their e-mail addresses and the reply was
heartening, thatÕs one problem solved. John and Julie have quit the trail, as have Lee and Anne.
I spoke to Julie at her home in Seattle. Bushwhacker Mark is staying
with her & John for a few days, and IÕm not sure if he intends to return
to the PCT. They'll probably have moved on when we get to Seattle, but
Julie gave me the number for her mailing service so I can have boxes sent
there. Glen meanwhile has done a huge inventory of all the stuff we
left at his place. I'm going to reply saying what we'd like where. Ashland is home to the all summer long Shakespeare Festival. My
kind of thing. So now you know why I hiked fast to get here. I bought tickets
to see Julius Caesar tomorrow night, but Macbeth on Friday is sold out.
Teamed up with Jeanie, Bethany and her friend Heela (?) to get half price
tickets (an hour before performance) for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf by
Edward Albee. I studied it at A-level, but I'd never seen this
three-hour-two-intermission leviathan of a play in production. So
intense, but a little too long. Back to the hostel for popcorn and
beer. Man this hiking is tough! Thu 22 Aug 4pm Main Street A relaxing day, but still got stuff done. Jeannie was
cooking breakfast so I ate with her, then she gave me a ride to Mailboxes
Etc. at the far end to town to UPS the first of several packages today.
The rest went from the PO, all Power & Clif bars to supplement what's in
the main boxes from Heather. Liz sounded tired when we spoke on the phone. I think
she's had a stressful time at home. I called the Seattle mailing people
John & Julie use, Wanderer's Mail Service (what a good idea!), so we now
have somewhere in Seattle to which stuff can be safely shipped knowing it'll
be stored. Now all we have to do is hike another thousand miles! 5.20pm Black Sheep Pub How "Brit abroad" is this? I'm in an
"English Pub" drinking Newcastle Brown on tap! I'm glad I
just ordered a half as it doesn't travel well and they don't have the correct
glass, but I'm saying nowt. The plays start at 8.30 pm, but I bought a $4 ticket to the 6.30
preface, a discussion of the major themes of the play, which they do about
once a week. I don't know Caesar all that well so I hope it'll be
interesting. 7.30pm Green Performance It was! And it all came back to me why I like
Caesar. The lack of a "hero" to root for, everyone saying
contradictory things, great men but not good men (nearly all men!), a perfect
parallel to modern politics. Murder seems a bit strong, but in those
days watching people get ripped apart by lions was considered sport.
Most of all the fickle yet powerful mob. After CeasarÕs death they want
to make Brutus Emperor, but seconds later, moved by the famous speech by Mark
Anthony, they want Brutus dead. Does this fickle mood swing, without
responsibility, only remind me of the British tabloid newspapers? IÕve just scored a cut price, front row ticket to tomorrow's
sold-out matinee of Macbeth, probably my favourite of Bill's plays. Fri 23 Aug 7.45am Brother's Restaurant Caesar was wonderful! Performed not in togas but in a
Mussolini type Italy, with a look somewhere between the two World Wars.
The setting emphasised the political deviousness. Most impressive was the use
of the soothsayer, who became a real character throughout the play - Aate,
the Greek Goddess of wilful neglect. Ignore her warnings, and she will
be the agent of your misfortune. She was woven throughout the
narrative, including the civil war scenes, to great effect. Enough
Shakespeare. If everything is going to plan, Liz will be sitting in a pressurised
metal tube hurtling over the Scottish Western Isles right now. I have a
to finish my next TGO article. Our deputy editor John Manning wanted me
to write about what it felt like to be on a trail so long. Time and
again we've called this trail our "job", and I've heard other PCT
hikers do the same. It requires the same (arguably more) mental
discipline to get up every morning before light and start 14 hours of
punishing, physical labour. Of course it's not a real job. Who
pays the amount of money this trip is costing us to go to work! But it
does feel like one, with good days and bad. That's what I'll write about for
the October issue. 5pm Starbucks Another nice day in Ashland. It seems several folk we know
have quit. John & Julie, Anne & Lee, possibly Bushwhacker, and
from their internet journals, Pur Boy Alan and possibly Speedhiker Jared, who
was in the Sierra with serious tooth ache. Those three weeks in the UK, while
anything but pleasurable, may have re-energised me. Todays was a rather different Macbeth production. Just 6
actors, four of them women who took turns playing different male roles, and
performed in the round. No set, except a circular stage with a circular
pool of blood in the middle. This was splashed regularly across their
white costumes. It was abridged to 2 hours with no intermission so you
felt events closing in on Macbeth, but the acting could have been
better. Although it was always clear who was who, those playing
multiple parts struggled to reveal any depth of character. Banquo was
OK, but Macbeth wasn't up to the job. I didn't see the full transition
which the man must make, or even detect the fundamental base of Greek
tragedy, that the protagonist displays an excess of what in moderation is a
virtue. In Macbeth, it is ambition, and I didn't see the fire of that
ambition, stoked by Lady Macbeth, grow in any believable way before Duncan's
murder. And a black Scottish king seemed strange. In Brutus last night, also played by a black actor, I did feel
this excess - in his case it appears to be an excessive "love of
Rome" which drives him to murder Caesar. But of course in this
play, we never know who is telling the truth as they constantly contradict
themselves in different company. Brutus' noble excess is probably
nothing more than words designed to mask his true ambition. Mark
Anthony laid the irony on with a trowel, "Brutus is an honourable
man". Pass the soap box. Jeannie and I were talking about irony
the other day. So many folk, (TV reporters are among the worst
culprits!), misuse the word "ironically". Unfortunate
coincidences, such as the stamp collector killed by a pile of mail falling on
him, is not ironic. Neither are any of the examples in Alannis Morisette's
song of that name, "a dead fly in your Chardonnay, a free ride when you
just got paid". Jeees - time to get out of cultureville and back
to the woods! 9.15pm Ashland Hostel Laundry done, food cooked and eaten. Others inside playing
guitars, violin and mandolin. I'm on the porch waiting for the taxi bringing
my lover to me. No more entries tonight. 10.5pm Except this one. Liz's here! Sat 24 Aug 1pm Ashland Co-op Naturally, Liz is tired from travelling, so we're not going to
rush into hiking. Hela will give us a ride in her truck to Callaghans
at 3 pm, where we'll camp and eat. Today it was breakfast at Ashland Cafe then two hours of sorting
stuff into boxes. Another PCT hiker, Dopa, is here too, staying another
day - the Ashland vortex effect, sucking in PCT hikers! We're eating a
nice vegetarian lunch (yep, Liz is back!) in this health food supermarket
cafe, then we'll stroll around town until it's time for our ride. A gentle
start for Liz. 7.30pm Callaghans The plan came together. Heila drove us to the post office
then out here and we set up on their lawn. Luxurious, green grass -
softer than a bed. We spent an hour or two at a table with Ron and
Donna, their singer Ken, and a chap called Bob who ran the PCT ten years
ago. He still runs trails and does PCT maintenance. A great four course
meal for two came to $33. Ron and Donna are so welcoming and genuine aim to
help hikers. They also have great plans to expand this place. Rooms here
start at $65, but that includes a full service breakfast, probably worth
about $20. And - coincidence! Dr David Wilson who treated me in the
ER at Yreka was here for dinner with his wife and two daughters. So I
introduced myself, he remembered, and came back to say hello to Liz. Liz is already yawning, and I feel tired too, but it'll be weird
crawling into our tarptent just below where lots of folk are eating dinner. Sun 25th Aug 7.20am Callaghans Thick grass meant heavy dew this morning, the first dampness
I've seen on the tarp for ages. We're first in the restaurant for breakfast
to polish of a good sized meal before starting. Yes, we really are going to
have to start! Ashland - Crater Lake NP Oregon August 29 2002 Sun 25 Aug 7pm Hyatt Lake Resort We're exactly one week behind the original schedule I drew up
for this hike early in the year, which is not bad. Calaghans did a good
breakfast but we didn't get hiking until 8.30am, by which time I'd usually
have done 6ml. This section isn't exciting, utilitarian really, as the
trail re-aligns itself with the crest of the Cascades, ready to pick up what
was the Oregon Skyline Trail. The PCT runs its length. It's pretty dry too,
and we've been carrying 3 litres each. Tomorrow looks even drier. In trail miles we did 25ml today, but we took a couple of road
short cuts nearing the resort which probably cut that down. We walked in
about 5.30, so for he first day, Liz did exceptionally well. The guy who runs the place says he's had a bad season, so he
never bothered to open the cafe. As compensation he generously gave us
free camping and hot showers. We could have walked half a mile to another
cafe but, since we had a full food box here, we decided to eat our way
through it! We'll still have stuff to throw away, as we're walking
faster than anticipated. I picked up an e-mail from our friends Scott & Rachel. Today
they're in Portland, but will get their box at Cascade Locks PO tomorrow
morning and cross the Columbia River into Washington, a whole State ahead of
us. Which is where we'd have been had we not had to head back home. Mon 26 Aug 8pm Wild camped between Lake of the Woods & Highway
140 A cold misty morning was rather nice really, but made it tough
to get out of the sleeping bag, especially now I tessellate with Liz. The
alarm was ignored, all five of them. Actually, the last one did the trick and
we were hiking by 6.20. In the cool we made good time through pretty dull forest. It was
only when we hit a 19ml waterless stretch that we slowed. I'd taken a lot of
kit & food, and a gallon and a half cut my pace right back. A gallon on
Liz had the same effect. We kept going, doing some stretches on logging
roads, but it was clear we were not going to make more than 20ml to the Brown
Mountain shelter. I hadn't been studying the maps. At about 18ml we hit Dead
Indian Road, and I read about an alternate PCT which went down the road to
Lake Of The Woods resort and campgrounds, with a good store and cafe. My
stomach was upset all day (I'm running behind bushes every 15min) and the
thought of solid food appealed. Plus the Sky Lakes section ahead looked
better from this alternate, so we hit the road. After just 3ml of road walkng
our feet were very sore, so stuck out a thumb, just to see what would
happen. Cars were rare, but after about thirty minutes (roughtly the
fifth car) stopped and drove us the rest of the way. OK, we cheated. At Lake Of The Woods Resort restaurant, a pedantic menu
issue. Liz wanted a vegi-burger. The vegi-burger appeared on the
Òafternoon menuÓ, not the Òdiunner menuÓ, and they stopped serving the
Òafternoon menuÓ at 5pm. It was 5.11pm, and consequently, unavailable.
So we said we'd leave. The waiter had claimed this huge deviation from
the written-in-stone rules of the restaurant was impossible but, we asked
nicely, could he go check with the chef? Sure enough, common sense
prevailed. A vegi-burger could be pulled out of the freezer when the
sun passed a certain point in the heavens and the Gods would not smite us
down. That episode wasted 10 minutes of everyoneÕs life. The burgers
were pretty good. Walking through the resort campground and neighbouring Aspen
Point campground, it was clear they didn't have backpackers spaces. It looked
like a $15 per tent kind of place, so we kept walking and before reaching the
highway we ducked into the woods. I'm not sure how far we hiked today
but Liz's feet are sore and my "chill" (as my Mum calls the
squitters) is making me feel a bit off. Still, tomorrow is another day, in
the Sky Lakes Wilderness. Tue 27 Aug 1.30pm Red Lake, Sky Lakes Wilderness A rough night. My stomach kept me running out to the
bathroom (well, the trees) every couple of hours so neither of us slept
well. We decided we needed more time in bed (well, sleeping bags) so we
weren't walking until after 7am. We took the road route up to Four Mile Lake, and after tea &
bars (yes things are much more leisurely with my beloved) started into the
Sky Lakes Wilderness on the alternate PCT. Good for water and more
interesting walking. We've stopped at Red Lake for a 45 min lunch of
tortillas and humus, to stock up with a little water, and in a mile we'll
rejoin the PCT. 5pm Above Wind Lake We've stopped for dinner, and I have to say, it's good to have
Liz cooking again! She's much better than me. Fresh garlic is being
chopped into a pan as I write. Today we've been aware that the trees are talking. No haven't
been in the woods too long - the wind is moving them in different ways, many
of which produce sounds. And when you're walking amongst them (in Oregon it
seems you're ALWAYS among trees) it sounds like distant voices, sighing,
moaning, talking. Hmm, perhaps we have been in the woods too long. We recently passed our first Southbound PCT through-hiker.
"High Plains Drifter" is his trail name. As we approached we gave
him quite a surprise as he hasn't seen anyone for a while. We're just a mile from where we intend to camp tonight, upper
Snow Lakes. We had thought about eating there and moving on as it'll just be
a 20ml day. But it looks a good spot on the map and it's 27ml from
Mazama Village in Crater Lake National Park. Since we want to arrive there on
a morning, we'll just do a little over 20ml tomorrow, and reach into the
re-supply place around 9am the next day. Or that's the plan.... 7.30pm Upper Snow Lake This really is a very beautiful spot. Tucked below the crest of
a ridge, a small lake at 6,700ft, encircled by pine trees which have shed
soft pine duff onto the flat ground. Others have found it ideal camping too, as
there are signs of an old fire ring which someone has dismantled. It's
hardly "stealth camping" but that's why we ate elsewhere. Our food
is in the Ursack, lashed to a tree, booby trapped with branches and the added
alarm of a bell which Liz brought out. These bears aren't meant to be like
Yosemite bears, and many PCT hikers sleep with their food throughout Oregon
& Washington, but we like this added security. We were set up here an hour ago. It really is nice stopping
early. No mosquitoes but black and yellow wasp-like things which I've heard
called "meat bees". Although we've not been stung they are
incredibly noisy. We retreated to the safety of the excellent Tarptent,
leaving them buzzing noisily outside and sometimes dive bombing the walls,
trying to burst through the fabric. My stomach seems to have settled
somewhat, so hopefully we're in for a quieter night, insects permitting. It is absolutely wonderful to be back in the back-country with
Liz. She calms me down. I'm not racing through this beauty like a solo hiking
fool, but appreciating the good bits. If only we had more time for
appreciation! Wed 28 Aug 2.45pm Stuart Falls We were hiking by 6.30 and as sometimes happens the miles seemed
to whiz by today. We covered 17ml to our afternoon eating spot by 2pm. Along the way we met two women, section hiking Oregon, who
passed on some useful info about Crater Lake, such as you're not allowed to
hitch (we intended to) but rangers give rides. And that the legendary
buffet starts 5pm. Best of all, it seems the weather and smoke from forest
fires are clearing so we should get views of the crater. Like the Grand
Canyon, the first impression for many people is reportedly disbelief, as the
mind tries to relate what it is seeing to a previous experience. We'll not
have to leave it too late, as yesterday and today, at around this time
(2.45pm), cloud rolls in. Not a lot, and the shade is welcome, but this way
Autumn lies. And with it, rain. We'll aim to hike 5ml more, leaving us
just 3ml to tackle tomorrow. 7pm Crater Lake NP, 3ml before campground Oops, I've just read you're not supposed to wild camp in the
park. Oh well, we've been set up for half an hour and with the wasp-ie things
buzzing outside (where do they spring from when we show up?) we're going
nowhere tonight. My socks stink. I don't mean a regular, healthy sweat but rancid
Corsican goats cheese type pong (that's an entirely different story). Last
night it was so bad I had to put them in a ziplock bag outside. Before we ate
our main meal we washed our feet and put on clean, sweet socks. Two hours
later - goats cheese. Why? I suspect it's a reaction between the sweat, the
volcanic dust and the shoes. Because truth be told, the shoes whiff
too. But nothing quite like the otherwise wonderful Smartwool socks. Liz has pointed out that, despite bathing a couple of hour ago,
her armpits carry a faint yet distinctly similar aroma, and I'm sure I do.
All over. So perhaps sweat and this dust do combine in a strange, smelly way.
As all the best medical journal submissions conclude, "more research is
needed". And in our case, more soap too. Thu 29 Aug 8.30am Mazama Village, Crater Lake NP A short walk to Highway 66, then a short road walk to the
entrance station. We chatted to the Ranger, casually asking if we could hitch
hike, while knowing full well we shouldn't. "Come back here and I'll get
on the radio to see if a patrol will run you to the rim", he offered.
"We don't make a habit of this, but prefer people don't hitch hike".
Sounds good. Showers and laundry are excellent at Mazama village store (fancy
me thinking a laundry is excellent!) but no hot food. So we're eating muffins
& drinking coffee. Lots of useful e-mails from other PCT hikers and a
nice message from Jo & Ali, our good friends back home. This Pocketmail
is great. IÕve ordered a replacement valve for my new drinking system
after the present one broke. All I have to do now is order a new shirt,
since mine has worn through at both shoulders and looks like dish rag! Our
food and fuel is here. Our clothes are clean, socks de-cheesed, and we're
sorting food. Then we'll get a ride to the PO, sort what we need from the
bounce box, then go visit this allegedly spectacular crater. Later, crater. Thr 29 Aug 4pm Crater Lake OK, it's impressive. But I think a little hyperbole slipped into
some of the descriptions I read. It's impressive, but on a "wonders of
the world" scale would come outside my top forty. Of course it'll look
better on a sunny day, clear of smoke from forest fires. "You should
have been here yesterday", someone said. Yeah- right. Perhaps tomorrow
morning. A park Ranger coming on duty gave us a ride to the Post Office
and we caught the post man just before lunch. We spent his lunch hour sorting
our bounce box, refilling stuff, putting food in zip-locks from the bounce,
then when he opened we sent it on its way to Cascade Locks. It'll be more
than two weeks until we see that again. Liz also bought as sheet of stamps
with Teddy Bears on them and a fabulous photo of a cub - cuter than the ones
we dodge every night. I decided to buy a new shirt to replace my flapping dish
rag. Dealing with REI over the phone was a frustrating experience but
we got there in the end. Or at least, when we get to Timberline Lodge, if
there's a new ex-officio shirt there, it will have been worth it. Driving to the PO, the Ranger had told us they've already had
frosts and rain in the Park, so the fleece and waterproof pants came out of
the bounce box. We intend to camp wild so we can get breakfast at the rim before
starting tomorrow. But I thought I'd find out about permits, just in case
someone asks "where are you camping". At the ranger station they
gave us a permit for "Dutton Creek Dispersal", which means as long
as we're a mile from the road we can camp anywhere down Dutton Creek. And a
mile can be elastic, right? By going to the Ranger Station I also secured for us another
ride, this time in a big Ranger Patrol vehicle (flashing lights, speed gun,
REAL guns), right up to the rim. Chatting to James as he drove, and
noticing the spare bullet rolling around the dashboard, I asked about the
different types of Ranger. All have the same title, "Ranger"
but some, like James, have handguns on their hips. He explained,
"the Rangers with weapons are trained differently to those
without". No? Really? Gosh I hope so! "The others are
tour guides and pen pushers. Some are fire fighters." It
seems Rangers like James, a former Coast Guard, are trained in rescue,
medical emergency and of course, law enforcement. This is Federal land, so
they've all been to a Federal Academy. James told us it has been a busy season with several heart
attacks in the last week. It seems a lot of folk want to take the boat trip
on the lake, and manage to walk DOWN the vertical mile of stairs. Walking
back up is when the old ticker lets them know they're not as young as the
were. And that's when James and his gun-toting buddies get to shoot them. Or get to carry them out. He probably just feels like putting them
out of both their miseries, as it'd be a hot, hard carry. On the rim the gift shop here has little of interest to PCT
hikers unless they eat t-shirts (although I nearly bought a hat, until Liz
prevailed). Alongside the Llao cafe is a big, self-service formica table
type place. The much vaunted All You Can Eat Buffet, allegedly the best on
the PCT, is not at the posh lodge as we thought, but above the Llao cafe in
The Watchman Restaurant. It's slightly cheaper for vegetarians so Liz is
happy. Crater Lake Lodge is wonderfully restored, and we strolled
around. Rooms start at $117 and are booked well in advance. Reservations are
needed for dinner here, but you can walk in for breakfast. Which is what we
intend to do. The All-You-Can-Eat-Buffet at the Watchman Restaurant was pretty
good value, but after three soups, a big salad and a couple of main courses I
could only manage five deserts and a couple of coffees. $30 for two of us and
we were there more than two hours, so decent value. 8.20pm 1ml from the road. Ish. So now we're camped where others have clearly camped before,
food up a tree, ten minutes (a FAST mile) from the lodge for breakfast. Fri 30 Aug 2pm North Crater Trail near Highway 138 OK, I was wrong. First thing this morning, with the sun
casting new light on the caldera walls and smoke wreathing Wizzard Island in
unearthly splendour, Crater Lake looked like something from Tolkien. Magical,
mystical and very beautiful. Humble pie wasn't on Crater Lake Lodge's breakfast menu. A
couple of hearty omelettes with potatoes followed by a shared tall stack of
blueberry pancakes fixed us ready for the trail. We had a lovely morning, strolling along, stopping every now and
again when the mood took us. Just like Spring, it was. I go much slower with
Liz, but I enjoyit SO much more. We intended to make it to Diamond Lake Resort tonight, and we're
now at the decision point. We'd get a good meal but it's an extra 3ml plus
1000ft down & up to the trail. We have enough food to reach Shelter Cove,
and enough water to reach Thielsen Creek camp where we'll eat our mail meal
in about 8ml. So we've decided to stick with the PCT and climb up around the
flank of the "lightning rod" of the Cascades, Mt Thielsen. No fear
of a storm today. Indeed, sadly, no clouds. 5.45pm Theilsen Creek As we finished lunch, two Northbound thru-hikers came past. Seth
and Jennifer had hitched a ride past most of the waterless stretch. They
started on 29 April and are "going slowly, taking our time", which
is a cool way to go. Liz could do that, it's not quite me. We caught them again as they were preparing to go up Mt
Thielsen. Now that is a damn fine peak! As we moved around it and down to
where we're now eating, its shattered, spine of pinnacles vanishes, and a sheer
face rises about the creek. With scree and lingering snow it looks not
unlike the Matterhorn. It's the best looking peak we've seen close up this
trip, but a climb will have to wait. 7pm Theilsen Creek We moved less than a quarter of a mile to camp. From the map,
the ground ahead looks rough and the contours are too close together to find
comfortable camping. Here we've found nice pine duff and we're near water,
ready to start a 16ml waterless stretch tomorrow. There's also a big split in
the PCT, with the guidebook authors recommending the alternative. I've yet to
study it, but I think it looks better and would bring us into our next
resupply by Sunday evening. Liz is stretching, keeping her lovely body supple. I'm trying to
do the same for my mind by writing. And as the sun goes down, it is starting
to get chilly. Autumn is just around the corner. Lets hope winter is some way
behind. Fri 30 Aug 6pm Nip & Tuck Lakes Do you think this place was named by a plastic surgeon? Two
lakes, side by side, which in the snow melt become one lake, utterly
invisible due to the density of mosquitoes. Fortunately, only a few hardy
stragglers remain. We saw one Southbound section hiker today, and otherwise no one.
It's quiet too, remarkably (worryingly?) few birds. At night there's not a
sound. It's quiet - too quiet. The hiker told us he saw a group of PCT hikers on Tuesday, but
that's four days ago, which means they're probably eight days ahead. So our wonderful
solitude should not be disturbed. Liz is particularly glad about this.
Journal readers will know of old her abhorrence of crowds of thru-hikers. Otherwise it was a non-event, one-foot-infront-of-each-other
sort of day. We made storming time at the start, starting at late at 7.30 and
covering 10ml by 10.30. But then we slowed as Liz's feet started hurting. No
huge blisters, but this damn dust is punishing. I've worn a hole in a fairly
new pair of Smartwool socks. Grit and sweat make a powerful abrasive. We've had our noodles, beans and tomatoes meal and we're now
sipping tea, planning to move on before we camp. 8.30pm Bingham Lakes The mosquitoes are back! We'd heard the next section still
suffered from their presence and here, near a lake, they're hanging about. So
we went into our wellpractised routine of setting up the Tarptent, Liz
sorting inside, while I get water, make tea, hang food and get bitten. Seems
to half work. Another month rolls in tomorrow, the fifth time we've seen a
first-of-the-month since we started this trail. And of course, it's
September. It's coming up to a year since the attacks on the Pentagon and
World Trade Centre. It will be interesting to see how different people mark
the passing of this year. Sun 1 Sep 4pm Shelter Cove Resort It was so difficult to get out of the sleeping bag this morning.
It wasn't too cold outside but so warm inside. I had to take the Tarptent
down around Liz, exposing her to the world before she'd shift. "How are you going to get me up in Washington when it's
cold and raining? I'll just dive deeper into my sleeping bag", she
warned. "I'll get a terrier", I told her, "or a ferret, and
send it down the hole". It was quite an easy day, just 16ml to the resort, but we
stopped to chat to Nona Rowat and her husband Peter. We'd met Nona near
Belden and she'd introduced herself as the "trail host" for
Vancouver, giving us her address as a place to stay. Her husband Peter is a neuroscientist, dividing his time between
Vancouver and San Diego, but originally hailing from the Black Isle near
Inverness. So we had quite a chat about Scotland, chaos theory, tents and
their daughters who've just done an amazing ski traverse in winter of the
entire BC range. Food drops in lumber camps and by air - quite an achievement.
Peter too has quite a climbing pedigree and it was good to chat to him.
We gave them our tea bags (which Peter misses) our granola and alcohol fuel. The store at Shelter Cove is tiny, a poor resupply, although
they do have Heet fuel. The $6 PCT camping area isn't up to much, the poorest
spot we've had fora while, but the cabins are all full, except one which
takes 8 people for $175. No thanks! The shower was expensive - $6 to get us both clean, then $2 to
wash and dry the clothes, but it's done. Seth and Jennifer showed up and four
of us are on theporch eating, sorting and hanging out. All our boxes are here
too, so we can move on first thing tomorrow. September 14 2002 OK, I hear you. "What have you guys been doing? It's AGES
since your last entry" Well, this is what happened: 1. The Pocketmail battery ran out. 2. We've been so intent on making miles I got out of the Journal
habit. It's easier to hike, eat & sleep without writing, so I waited to
replace the batteries with spares in our box at Timberline Lodge. Plus 3. I have three article's I had committed to writing. This came
first 4. This was all ready to send from Cascade Locks. Then we
decided to hike the alternate start via the road, so I thought I'd send it
from Stevenson. Then I forgot. Since I knew it would be out of date I have not made the Journal
as fulsome as in the past. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things
now. Mon 2nd Sep Bobby Lake Fresh scrambled eggs for breakfast. In the dark! Excellent!
Messes up the pan, of course, but well worth it to avoid granola. We have had a positive identification of a huckleberry! We read
lots about them in the guide, and of course everyone here knows what they
look like. But I had to ask a kid at Shelter Cove who I saw pulling berries
of a bush and stuffing them into her mouth. Probably thinks I'm a little
daft, not knowing what a huckleberry looks like! We've met another thru-hiker called Miles. However, Miles
reckons he's not a proper thru-hiker as he skipped 400ml of trail. He also
took two weeks out in San Francisco and is taking it easy. I was thinking this afternoon about the time pressure winter is
placing on us, and a line of poetry came into my head. It's from Ode To A Coy
Mistress by the British metaphysical poet Andrew Marvel, "but at my back
I always hear time's winged chariot drawing near". He probably had no
idea he was coining a clichŽ, and summing up the time pressure felt by many
PCT hikers, but he was spot on. (Incidentally, this poem is one great chat-up
line, as the poet tries to get a reluctant woman into bed. Worth reading
boys!) Dinner is mung bean casserole with rice. I'll stop writing
because it's almost ready. Moments later The casserole is superb. And I've just worked ou ******************************* I can't remember what flash of insight took me, because that's
where the Pocketmail battery died! Looking back on Oregon I'd say it held long, dull periods in
trees interspersed with spectacular mountains. Low points were in interminable
conifer corridors and on ankle twisting lava flows which Liz thoroughly hated
- actually wanted to be back in the trees! Highlights were Crater Lake
(naturally) and all the big mountains, where the huge moraine features
reminded us of other big mountain areas we've enjoyed like Alaska, Canada,
the Himalaya and Karakorum. The (non-PCT) Eagle Creek descent to Cascade
Locks was good too. Now I'm very tired, and Liz is too. We should be excited as we
look across the huge Columbia River to Washington. Our last State. Instead
I'm strangely numb, like this is now just a job to be done. I wrote words to
this effect in my last magazine piece and it's more true now. The Don
Whillans approach to climbing mountains - work. |
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