Riv's 2015 PCT Hike: Riv's 2015 PCT, Day 26, July 21, part 1

Day 26, Tuesday, July 21. From PCT mi 1716,18, elev. 4216 [note:(to honor the purist in me): I skipped mile 1715.17 to 1716,18, when I decided to return to the trail via the road walk rather than the steep (and rather unpleasant) spur trail I followed down from the PCT trail to Callahans], walked 15.12 Miles to PCT mile 1731.31. elev. 4787. Total up/Down: +2812/-2241. (Also walked ,8 miles from Calkahan's to the PCT, and if I include that non-PCT Portion, the gps app gives total up/down as +3052/-2234. So as usual on the PCT there were up's and down's. )

Dear Trail Friends,

It is after 7pm and I am sitting inside my tent at my first tentsite for this section from Callahan's/Ashland,OR to Crater Lake. I am feeling rather pleased with myself. Conversations with other hikers, especially Barbara, made me realize how much I have begun to plan ahead where I will sleep based on tentsites listed on the apps. I used to do what Barbara does-- just hike til evening and I was ready for bed, and then look for a site. So I did that today, partly by accident and partly because I think getting over controlling and giving up spontaneity is not the way I want to hike my hike. I noticed that I felt VERY anxious (the apps had no tentsites until 20 miles which is a bit too much for me) and I kept saying to myself "the trail will provide" and then answering "yeah but WHAT will it provide? The opportunity to hike all night and realize I am capable of it (or not)?"

But I reminded myself of my first hike starting at Campo at the border with Mexico and how Meander mentored me and we each just hiked and looked for a spot flat enough to camp on -- it didn't have to be a site that had clearly been used repeatedly. Anyway, a site did appear and really quite early in my search. A good feeling.

I'm just back from eating my dinner in a lovely grassy meadow near the tent site. Tall gold grass, not green grass. There's been a lot of that today. Reminds me of the hills around Sacramento with their golden grass and a poem I wrote probably nearly 30 years ago called The Woman Who Rides the Hills". Wish I had my computer and could copy the poem for you. If you cannot live without seeing the poem, you will find it in "The Woman Who..." Section of my selected poems (Magic Carpet, by River Mary Malcolm, oh -- I was going to give you the link on Amazon but of course I dont have cell coverage or Internet access. )

While the gold grass awakened memories of California, there was wild grape and the form of that plant (whose name is something like ocean spray or sea foam) we have at home, awakening memories of Orcas. I notice so few plants, and know even fewer by name. But it is still wonderful to see these few I do recognize creating a sense of "inbetween" landscapes mixing up the landscape of my childhood love and that of my mature adulthood love.

Photo 1: The Serene Green Dragon