From campsite at PCT mile 2430.84, elev. 4222, walked 15.56 miles to campsite at PCT mile 2446.40, elev. 5528. Total up/down: +4610/-3309.
Dear Trail Friends,
Here I stand, on a rock promontory above perhaps the loveliest creek from which I have ever collected water on the trail. I am leaning against a boulder, my ankle and knee feeling fragile ( but I slept without significant pain and I am able to walk) and my gut feels fragile too -- my fourth day of diarrhea, not sure from what. I can't decide whether I feel sorry for myself or feel ridiculously lucky, or both.
Lucky for sure to be in this beautiful place. The sound of the creek soothes and comforts; sitting and watching the flow, the swirling patterns of ripples, the reflections-- and looking up to see the golden morning brilliance on the mountain peaks--all this helps me realize how lucky I am. And how lucky that I am still walking, that I did it have to be helicoptered out with an injury that would prove to be temporarily (or even permanently) disabling.
I am waiting for my gravity system to purify 2 liters of wAter. I don't want to eat, being just one mile out from where I camped. I am giving up inverted pose for now because it seems to make the knee and ankle injuries worse. I spent the early predawn hour in my tent reading so as not to leave until it was light (I don't think I have ever had a fall in the dark but still it seemed prudent not to hike in the dark with my injury).
So I am whiling away the time talking with you. And I see I have succeeded -- my filtering is completed. Alleluia.
Photo 1. View of my first water stop from rock promontory.
Now I am in my tent and it is dark. I have so much I want to tell you about. First of all, what a miracle after what felt like a serious injury to be able to go on hiking pain free for a full day. Probably I was lucky and the injury pulled and stretched but did not tear muscles, ligaments, tendons. No doubt the maximum allowable doses of Naproxen and Tylenol helped. But what I attribute the miracle to is your prayers. As I went to sleep last night I felt as if I could feel myself surrounded by dozens and dozens of prayers. They were like soft winged angels fluttering in the air. My mother used to give me "butterfly kisses" with her eyelashes. They were soft and subtle presences like that in the air above my sleeping bag in the tent. I thank you with all my heart. Both for the healing, and for feeling so cared about.
I was concerned about the injury today. Even though the ankle was clearly doing better, even though my overall energy levels were better ( though I could feel the physical energy being diverted into "repair and maintenance" work related to the injury, and also in my gut related to the diarrhea that has plagued me since Snoqualmie Pass ), I was very very concerned about the knee. I had hardly noticed it at the time of the accident. As long as I walked with poles it seemed fine. Then when I started to camp, as I walked without poles every step was a limp and an ouch, and I could not kneel on that knee or squat. That made putting up ( and taking down) my tent quite a challenge, and even getting in and out, taking off shoes and socks. I was quite concerned and decided to do my best to hike a greater distance -- not for an experience of hiker community (yesterday's motive) but so I would only need to camp out one more night and could rest my knee Tuesday night in a motel.
In fact, though I have been aware of both stiffness and weakness in the knee, I am amazed by what it can do. I managed to do stream crossings on rocks. They were scarier than before the injury but I did them.
Photo 2: a beautiful rock/hopping stream crossing which probably would not have started my adrenaline going if not for my injured knee. However, I made it just fine.
I managed to clamber down rocks to creeks to collect water. It was slower and more difficult but I managed.
And tonight when I put up my tent it was much easier than I expected. Though I could not go down on my right knee first, I found that if I began with my left knee and placed the right carefully beside it I could now kneel in both knees. (This morning I had to do all my kneeling chores cross legged). I think that is astounding recovery in one day, even allowing for the contribution of medications.
My morning hike started slow. It was a tough uphill hike and my body was taxes I am sure by all the repair work on the injury. I took a much earlier rest break than planned. Shortly after that break a thru hiker passed me. We chatted briefly. His trail name was Flash. Then he slowed down and hiked with me and we chatted for a couple hours. I couldn't understand why he slowed down. I also noticed that he would pause and just stand and talk about the view. I found those standing tests puzzling but very very helpful.
(Later I realized he was tuning into my body better than I was, and pausing to give me little rests.)
Photo 3: Flash pointed out to me how white the central mountain was, how different from the gray in the left foreground or the reddish color below.
He stopped for lunch and I went on. We met again at my second water stop. He stopped to chat and ask how my ankle and knee were doing. (I had told him about the injury). He said "you are a bionic woman. I don't need to worry about you." After he left, I realized he had hiked with me because he was concerned about my injury. I found that very moving.
Photo 4 Second water stop. Once again I feel soothed and comforted by moving water-- the sound and sight both. I filter water, wash my socks and bandana, and eat a snack. The three logs in the picture are how I crossed the creek. When I saw other people hesitate, I told them that using my pokes had helped me keep balance. A couple of people took their poles off their packs and used them.
Photo 5. One of the men who seemed slightly hesitant about crossing (blue shirt) told me this is a week long hike with his son (tattoos) and his friend (green shirt) and his two sons ( not in photo). He and his son will climb a mountain together. It is the summer before his son leaves for college. They live in Seattle and he will go to Western Washington Univ. in Bellingham.
Photo 6. Flash. My trail angel who walked with me because ( I realized only after he had left) he was concerned about my injury. People really do look after one another on the trail.
To be continued in Day 60, Part 2
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