Day 51 PCT Mile Marker 1611.57 – 1632.15 Miles Hiked 20.58 The mountains had sticky fingers, and the cotton fog clung to them way down below me in a thousand valleys. Kleenex on a stubbly beard. Suddenly the land became lush and green. Plants fighting each other for space to breathe. Growing higher and higher. Bigger and bigger leaves. Flowers on flowers on flowers. I pushed my way through them. They whacked me in the Read more…
Day 50 PCT Mile Marker 1597.24 – 1611.58 Miles Hiked 14.34 One more breakfast at Bob’s Restaurant in the morning. Turtle and two other hikers went with me. I took it easy on the coffee. I packed up and headed out. Down the road I went, my thumb on the ready for any passing cars. About ten passed me without stopping, and then… Tah-Dahhhh! A black pickup stopped! They said I could jump in the Read more…
Day 49 PCT Mileage 1597.24 – 1597.24 Miles Hiked 0 I took a shower first thing, and threw my laundry in the wash. I stood around just wearing my rain jacket and my rain skirt, my hair wrapped up in a towel. No one looked at me funny. That’s the advantage of staying at a place called The Hiker Hut. A hiker mumbled something. “What?” Someone said. Hiker: “Oh nothing. I was talking Read more…
Day 48 PCT Mile Marker 1578.57 – 1597.24 Miles Hiked 18.67 I heard there was a brewery in Etna. So it was super easy to get up in the morning and get ready to go. The four of us were hiking before the sun came up. Shower, Hot Potato, Last Call, and Icebox. They were Speed Demons. They were The Big Dogs. I was Young Grasshopper, trying to keep up. There were mountain lion tracks Read more…
Day 47 PCT Mile Marker 1562.36 – 1578.57 Miles Hiked 16.21 I was walking on sacred ground. The mountains stretched over my head, requesting silence. The path made small curves here and there. Curves strategically placed to take every advantage of the views. I stopped and stared up the mountain until I got a crick in my neck. The birds whispered. Little yellow teacup flowers backlit by the soft sun. Boulders smudged red. I Read more…
Day 46 PCT Mile Marker 1540.58 – 1562.36 Miles Hiked 21.78 The rock slides were orange now. Gritty giant boulders. An old hollow tree trunk filled up with rain water a long time ago, and a whole ecosystem was living in there. In the woods, tall alien flowers, their crowns looking like comets, all just as tall as my head. They were way taller than anything else. A million lemon pie alien comets. The Read more…
Day 45 PCT Mile Marker 1518.58 – 1540.58 Miles Hiked 22 I knew it was his tent as soon as I saw it. I held my hiking poles in one hand and put my hand over my bear bell. I snuck past his tent, the soft crunch of gravel under my feet. The Robber Wasn’t Awake. I barely stopped all morning. Fat chipmunks scampered out of my way, their bellies almost dragging along the trail. Read more…
Day 44 PCT Mile Marker 1501.93 – 1518.58 Miles Hiked 16.65 Uphill, uphill, uphill, uphill. Met a great guy named Turtle. He was faster than me. I passed a guy who had exploded his pack all over the trail. I noticed, in passing, that it didn’t seem to be PCT kind of gear. Then at lunch, he caught up to me. He said he was new to backpacking. Said it had taken him three days Read more…
Day 43 PCT Mile Marker 1498.7 – 1501.93 Miles Hiked 3.23 It was lovely sleeping in on plush sleeping bags and sleeping mats. The boys snuggled onto the bed with us. Happy Family Time. We lounged around in the tent telling stories for a long time, then Aidan made me gluten-free pancakes and eggs. He brought me three different pairs of shoes from the house. I picked a pair. I guess I’ll see what kind Read more…
Day 42 Miles 0 You know how you smack your hands together to squash a mosquito? I dreamed that Aidan was doing that to catch rattlesnakes with his bare hands. Then he’d pull out a pocket knife and cut off their heads. There was a basket of puppies nearby and one of the snakes spit. Yellow venom on soft little puppy bellies. My Dad and I took the puppies one at a time down to Read more…