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 are part of (and their policies). The people are nice enough (as most people are), but their political speech sounds angry. Don’t tread on me! Right now, the tread on the PCT is calling us.

Let’s be smart about this

Yesterday was a reminder that I need to be cautious when hot days appear. Today we face a big ascent out of the Valley (4600 ft) back up to the 6000ft level. The rule of thumb for temperature reduction at elevation is: temps are reduced by 3 degrees for each 1000ft of elevation. If we can get up the ridge quickly enough, we can avoid the super hot temps. We roll out of the campground at 4:45.

I know I said I was going to hike my own hike, but this is by my choice. The women can drag me up the mountain sooner than I can myself. Their company is pleasant, too. The hard truth is I won’t hike by myself in the dark, and I tend to get lost by myself. I know, it’s sad.

The trail moves on

Dawn eventually breaks and the soft pastel colors of the mountains on the opposite ridge calm me. The mighty Klamath River below never sleeps.

In passing, one of the women says to watch out for the poison oak along the trail. When I ask how to identify it, Annette points to this.

Not to be confused with the other oak in the area.

The poison oak indeed is everywhere, and I am the only one in the group wearing shorts. Oh well, it should keep me focused. The quest to avoid poison oak is complicated by the same kind of heavy trail overgrowth we have experienced for the last two days. Some beautiful flowers along the path detract me in a good way.

The journey in perspective

It is fun hiking with people. You see them on the trail ahead or behind and it shows you what you look like: a plodding, overburdened pack horse on a rough trail with just enough stuff to make it to the next settlement. How different it is from how I imagine myself. I am an adventurer, moving quietly along through wild spaces, taking in the beauty and thinking about the future.

When you see hikers on the trail as it cuts across the landscape, you realize just how programmed the adventure is. And yet, when you are walking it, the possibilities seem endless. It’s an illusion we all share.

We pause for lunch and are visited by the third hummingbird I have seen on this trip. It is very curious about us and bounces from branch to branch, ever closer, until satisfied that we are nothing special, it vanishes as if into thin air.

What day is it?!!!

And now for something completely different. Did you happen to notice something slightly odd about the photo at the top of this post? Yes, that is me. But did you notice that I am wearing only my pack, a hat and my shoes!? Folks, be warned: I fully participated in National Hike Naked Day. That’s right; June 21 every year on the summer solstice people shed their clothes and hike naked all across America. It is actually not illegal, as long as one is not try to be vulgar in some way. It is not a crime to simply be naked.

I hiked the last mile of the day naked. The trail is too rough and exposed to do more than that. The woman I am hiking with were consulted before I attempted this. In fact, Christie (one of the Wander Women) volunteered to take several discreet photos.

Now you may be wondering how it went as I walked the last mile down the mountain wearing much less than normal? Well, it was different, but as I grew less self-conscious, it began to feel ok, even kind of good. Rest assured, this is not the kind of lifestyle I intend to pursue, but I am glad I did it. I felt a kind of camaraderie with all the other fools letting their inhibitions go, even if we all might be better off if we held on them more tightly!

Does this dead tree look like a face. It may have been looking straight ahead before I walked by naked!

The place we have stopped is called Cook and Green Pass. It has a pipe spring which is an above-ground cistern that collects water from the spring and then empties it through a little pipe for easy collection. They are the best.

We are not sure what we will do tomorrow, but we are aiming to be in Ashland, Oregon in three days. The Oregon border is only 21 miles away. And that will be something to celebrate.

• June 21
• Starting mile: 1655
• Ending mile: 1670
• Daily PCT miles: 15
• Total PCT miles: 298
• Animals: hummingbird, wooly bear