Dear Trail Team,
Photo 1: I am sitting near my tent watching the sunset over the mountains and over the forest of dead, blackened trees in this burn area. Last year this area was closed because of the fire (which is why I hiked in Washington and Oregon last September instead).
Today I learned more about fire damage. The PCT crosses and re-crosses the Grider Creek ( which seems more like a river to me) five times. Three of these crossings required fording the creek. Daunting for me because I did not have the balance to hop from rock to rock -- both their spacing and their jagged shapes concerned me, as well as the Rapids, I felt a fall could result in serious injury. Finally I realized that I could find a relatively shallow area with relatively less rapids and just slosh through. Wet shoes, socks, and pant legs were not a serious concern comparatively -- and I was relieved and delighted that I could find secure footing (the river was opaque due to being so muddy and silty, so I couldn't see whether the footing would be treacherous or not. I got some pretty big adrenaline surges trying to figure out how to manage those crossings. In one case a bridge had burned, in another case it had been washed out. After a fire, erosion and mudslides become serious concerns. In fact the Grider Creek campground had been severely damaged because of that kind of flooding just a couple weeks ago. So the effects of the fire go beyond what I realized. It is interesting to sit here surrounded by all these dead trees.
Excuse me. We are just interrupted when I realized how dark it was getting and moved to the tent ( only to discover the tent stakes and guy linear needed some adjusting. A thru hiker (trail name Little Brown) asked me last night (three of us, Barbara with her dog Angel and Little Brown and I were all camped at Grider Creek campground and sitting at a picnic table (what a treat) eating our various dinners) how I set up my tent when I could not use my stakes ( meaning when the ground was so rocky you couldn't use stakes). I said I'd never been in that situation but that I would wrap the guy lines around rocks. And lo and behold, tonight I found myself in exactly that situation. I think my pitch will hold but it's a good thing it isn't windy (especially since I'm not even supposed to be here among all these dead trees in the wind, let alone camping, because dead trees have a habit of toppling. Another of the long term effects of fire.
I got up early this morning and left the campground in the predawn dark while the others were sleeping.
Photo 2: the view as I walked early this morning. I do love watching the world light up just at the cusp between night and day.
Photo 3: I stopped to rest with my feet up, lying on my back. About that time Little Brown, who didn't start til 5:30, but is a much faster hiker than i am, passed me. When he bent over to talk with me (since I was lying on the ground) I thought he looked like a woods elf.
I got to Seiad Valley about 8am. This area is seriously depressed economically -- it's livelihood came from mining and logging that I think has been halted because of environmental protection laws. The owner of the RV park where I received my resupply box, took a shower, and did my laundry told me that the Democrats in the state legislature wanted to destroy the rural economy. They knew the whole environmental thing wasn't real, but they wanted to force people out of rural areas where they could grow their own food and be independent, into the city where they could be controlled. He was a nice, kind man named Bruce.
We had a lovely grassy area with chairs and shady trees just for hikers to hang out. The dryer was broken but there was a line to hang clothes on. There was a surge board to recharge my iPhone and battery backup. The town pretty much consists of the RV park, post office, store and cafe.
Barbara and her dog Angel arrived late morning and we went and had breakfast at the cafe ( run by two sisters who grew up in Ojai). I bought some shoe goo at the store to see if I can get these shoes to hold together til their replacements arrive at the next resupply. Also to see if it might work to reattach the Velcro that was peeling off, that is used to attach gaiters, which o find are quite useful on days I wear shorts.
Then Barbara and I went back to the cafe (knowing it closed at 2, and there was no place to get dinner) and had hamburgers and salad. I was surprised and delighted they had gluten free buns.
Then a bit more resupply chores and Barbara and Angel and I climbed down to the creek (same creek: Grider) which passes under a bridge on the Main Street. We intended to both get beer (she did but I got distracted by a pint of Haagen das ice cream which I completely finished with a little help from my friend Angel the dog. I liked sitting in the shade under the bridge. Barbara thought drinking beer under a bridge had a bit too many associations. I didn't have any problem eating coffee ice cream under a bridge. When you practice sugar abstinence you forget how good certain things taste. There are moments when I suspect this whole hike is just an excuse to get to eat sugar and chocolate and drink coffee again.
There is a cricket strumming away on his musical instrument of a body just outside my tent. First I ever recall hearing on the PCT. A sound I dearly love.
Photo 4. I decided to hike out of Seiad this afternoon instead of tomorrow morning, because I've been having problems adjusting to rapid elevation change I thought it would be good to hike part way of, sleep, let my body recalibrate and hike the rest in the morning. One goes from about 1300 ft to almost 6000 in about 8 miles. For me quite strenuous. I think it was s good decision, if only to be serenaded by this fiddler-cricket here in the dark among the blackened trees. I can see the lights down in Seiad Valley from my tent. And I can see a few stars, though it's a bit cloudy. In this photo I've just started my hike up and there are a lot of dark rain clouds in the sky. Looks like rain is likely. (Just realized I forgot to update my weather report when I had wifi. Not the only thing I forgot. I even made myself a checklist and still forgot. )
So I picked this nice wave of mountains as Bonnie's Wave of the day, and there's that rain cloud she's bringing to protect her hiker sister River from wildfires.
Photo 5. I just like the curve of this dead tree and how it "talks" to the mountains and the clouds and the still living trees. There is so much to see on this walk.
Photo 6. Nature is so full of amazing designs. I love having the time and quiet to really look. That reminds me of yesterday's fortune cookie: "someone is interested in you. Keep your eyes open." I was thinking that when I was younger "interested" would have meant in a rather stereotypical romantic way. Now it means in a way that I have the gift of sparking someone's curiosity, desire to explore the unknown. That I am like the trail for someone. And I realized what an honor and responsibility it is to awaken the sense of interest in people. I like the fortune's advice "keep your eyes open. " I like the idea of seeing the impact I might have on others when I might chance to be like the trail for them -- and not to mess it up if I can help it.
Maybe part of this pilgrimage is about learning to really look at people the way I look at the natural world. Wouldn't THAT be wonderful.
Okay I think we're done for today. Tomorrow I will be hiking toward Ashland. I'll be staying outside Ashland at Callahans Lodge and will for sure take a zero day, maybe even two. My old friend from San Diego days --now more than 20 years ago --Judith Cope will come have dinner with me. And Barbara expects to arrive a day after I do, and we plan to have dinner ( I guess they have some outdoor tables where dogs are allowed). Barbara is a good influence on me. She is not in a hurry. She doesn't care how much of the trail she hikes. She just wants to be out there in the beauty and enjoy. She chooses to hike slowly, to do only 10 to 15 miles a day. She loves to camp at 4 or 5 and sit around camp reading. I think I could learn a lot from that.
It's getting cold. Time to tuck into my sleeping bag and say goodnight. Thank you again. I am beginning to feel as if I have recovered the key to the writing room. I think it is a faith, or at least a good, that someone is interested. And keeping my eyes open to that possibility. Wish I knew how to post a voice memo. I would send the sound of this cricket.
Bye for now.
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