From PCT mile 1964.08, elev. 6466, walked 17.58 miles to PCT mile 1981.67, elev. 5157. Total up/down:
+2079/-3307.
Dear Trail Friends,
Today was a very full day. Hard to know where to begin. I woke early and started hiking at 5:30am. South Sister, in whose presence I camped, was still the dominant presence. As I hiked, she began to diminish and Middle Sister became the commanding presence. I had yet to see North Sister.
I decided my first water stop should be at Sisters Spring in honor of this portion of the walk (through the Sisters Wilderness) being a walking-prayer and contemplation of my siblings and our relationships. I came to a lovely creek and rested beside but did not gather water because it felt important to literally drink from the Sisters Spring. Then I discovered that the creek emerged from the spring. There were three springs actually, three different places the water bubbled up out of the mountain to feed the little creek. I was charmed that there were three sister springs like the three sister mountains.
Before long South Sister got very small and Middle Sister became the dominant presence. I thought a lot about the idea that the visibility, size and shape of the sisters changed dramatically with my location and point of view. I meditated on sibling relationships, how love and hate are both inextricably part of them. And I made up lists of the 10 best things that had happened to me in each of my sibling relationships. The Sisters Spring was in a special area called Obsidian Limited Access Area. I picked up five very small fragments of obsidian (a mortal sin against the Leave No Trace ethic on the trail) from the trail just beside the Sisters Spring -- one for each of my siblings (and me).
At some point a new mountain appeared and grew larger than Middle Sister. I checked with an Oregon hiker and yes this new mountain with its jagged peaks was North Sister.
Then some new mountains appeared in the distance and a local identified them for me as Mt Washington, Three-Fingered Jack, Mt. Jefferson and Mt Hood. Though it was barely visible in the still smokey air, Mt Hood was definitely there. I felt excited knowing I was hiking toward Mt Hood and would see it grow larger and larger until I meet Chris there on Sept. 13.
There was a lot of hiking across meadows, then lava beds. There was a very steep ascent -- followed by an equally steep descent -- on a very rough rocky trail. This brought back memories of hiking the Sierra.
I stopped for my second rest at a small lake. The day as I hoped had warmed up enough for me to go in for a dip. I went with my clothes on, then discretely wrung out my shirt and put it back on and wrung out my pants and hung them up to dry on a fir tree --along with socks, gloves, gaiters, towel-bandana. I can't say I got clean but I did get less dirty and it felt great.
Tomorrow I hike only 11 miles (plus .8 on a spur trail) to the youth camp where I will camp and enjoy I hope a couple hot meals, then Thursday morning hike just 6 miles to meet Pam at Santiam Pass. So I am going to have a lot of (badly needed) rest.
Photo 1: I didn't realize when I snapped this of South Sister that she would saloon diminish and then disappear. She was such a huge presence as the day began.
Photo 2 and 3: I just wanted to give you a glimpse of these mountain meadows I love. Two very different meadows--one grassy, one dry and looking a bit like desert or tundra with plants interspersed with space between them. How they shone in the morning sun.
Photo 4: As I glanced at this view (in the opposite direction from the shifting sisters) I thought: a sea of mountains. Then the song "Sea of Heartbreak" sung by Roseann Cash began to echo in my mind. I thought that we don't only ride the waves of our joys and dreams. We also ride the waves of our heartbreaks. So this "sea of mountains" is my selection for Bonnie riding her wave today -- acknowledging and contemplating the waves of heartbreak we all must ride right along with the waves of joy.
Photo 5. The Sisters Spring. The water just comes bubbling up out of the mountain in three different places (one on the right, one in the middle, one on the left) all feeding into the creek.
Photo 6. Pieces of obsidian beside the trail.
To be continued in Day 40, part 2.
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