I wake at 3:45 because I hear a rustling noise. I look out the end of my tarp – there is nothing there. It appears that Ditty is up, but the women sometimes get up early to pee (who doesn’t). I close my eyes again. When I open them it is 4:40 – and the […]
PCT 2021
Pacific Crest Trail blog entries and information
Day 21 – Siskiyou Mountains
Yesterday evening the group discussed fire closures in Oregon. These are a fact of life on the PCT. At this point I may have to skip as much as 100 miles north of the Sisters. Nobody wants to skip, so we are going to look at the options more closely in Ashland. I don’t want […]
Day 20 – Escape from Seiad Valley
One thing I didn’t tell you about Seiad Valley is that it is part of the State of Jefferson. From what I understand, folks in this area (NorCal/Oregon) have wanted to band together and become the 51st state of the union. The energy behind the movement is really about saying “no” to the states they […]
Day 19 – Race to Seiad Valley
I did not sleep well after a run-in with a raccoon as I lay in my quilt. He was slinking up on me (looking for camp goodies) when I heard him. I scared him so bad with my reaction that he raced off into the bushes coughing and barking. I did not see him again. […]
Day 18 – A Pacific Crest “Trial”
I wake up out of a shallow slumber to hear footsteps approaching behind me. I turn over to find a hiker tromping down the path to our camp. The hiker has his head lamp on and is casting about in the dark, trying to find the narrow trail. He discovers our tents, but he does […]
Day 16 – Etna Zero
I wake often during the night, stuck in one of those recursive dreams that keep replaying over and over. I finally just get up and go to the bathroom in an attempt to clear my mind. Try as I do, I cannot sleep past 6:30! Oh well, there is much tasty food and hours of […]
Day 15 – Etna and Safe Harbor
I cowboy-camped last night (slept with no tarp over me). My friends, the stars, did not ask where I had been. They simply rose to their appointed places and looked down on me like a mother admiring here child in the crib. My feet are to the west for the first time, so the Milky […]
Day 14 – Russian Wilderness
Last night was quiet. I dreamed about the end of the world. We all gathered in stadiums to watch it happen. And when it didn’t happen, we all went home disappointed because our lives had become shabby and sordid. Alright, let’s start hiking! The plan is to do 17 miles today. That will put me […]
Day 13 – Trinity Alps
Dreams on the trail are nothing less than amazing. So much time at night is spent in a sort of half sleep because you are not comfortable or you have to pee but you don’t want to get out of your comfy quilt. Ahead of us are two big climbs totaling over 2500 feet. I […]