Day 43 – The Missing Finger

I slept well last night. I did not need the head net although I had to put DEET on eventually. The nighthawks stayed with me all night. They were not diving in the morning, but their famine peent, peent was all around me.

I get out of camp a little late because Patti calls. She is sick. We think we know what the problem could be and how to fix it, but that doesn’t solve the other immediate problem – how to take care of the animals. I have walked out of cell reception before I hear how she is later. Concern dogs me through the day.

First, I need water. There is a pond two miles from camp. When I arrive, I see that an agility test is required.

The land

The land is strange today. It is the land of medium-sized trees. In some ways it reminds me of Florida scrub lands, except that in Florida, dead trees decay quickly. Here, dead trees are everywhere interspersed with the living. And there is space on the ground between them.

With the forest a disappointment, I focus on the details along the trail. I am not disappointed there.

The thistles are finally blooming. I have been looking at closed flower buds for over a week.

Markers

I pass the 2000 mile marker. No, this is not for me. This is for all those that started at the Mexican border. This is a very big number for them because it means they are only 650 miles from completion. Someday I will pass this number too, but I will be entering the final phase of my journey – the desert of Southern California. First, I gotta get to Washington!

It’s Wednesday and time for my weekly selfie. I think I am starting to resemble Donald Sutherland, maybe Richard Dryfuss. What do you think?

I pass across highway 20 at Santiam Pass. Many hikers are skipping up North from this point to avoid the burn. I and several others are hiking north from here a little farther. The trailhead at Pamelia Lake is the absolute farthest one can hike before turning back. That is where I am going. I believe the Wander Women are doing the same thing, although I am not sure where they are now.

Trail women

These young ladies are out only for the morning. When I ask them where they are going, they say, “The car!” I am not sure where they went so early, but I love the size of those packs!

Not much farther up the trail I see three people heading my way. Could it be? Yes! It’s the Wander Women. They were dropped off at Pamelia Lake yesterday morning. They spent the night at Rockpile Lake (my destination) and they are heading for the campsite I used last night near Big Lake Youth Camp. Tomorrow they will reach McKenzie Pass and head back to Sisters before skipping up to Timothy Lake. I explain my plans to them. It looks like after all the skipping is done, I may be a day ahead of them. I wish them well. I hope we meet again on the trail. Maybe in Washington.

Friend of Jack

I start to catch a glimpse of the featured peak of the day – Three-fingered Jack. It’s an older and highly eroded volcano. No one knows for sure where the name came from.

As I move past the mountain everything seems a little “three-fingered.” I mean, it’s all a little off. The trail is too narrow. There are too many dead trees. It’s too hot. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me. Here is the backside of Jack. Notice the wide red striations in the rock. Cool.

Twisted

I can’t shake this feeling. The trail seems crooked.

I pass some tiny ponds. I always stop to see if there are signs of life. This time there is. Something is swimming in the water. I scramble down to see what it is. A snake is swimming and struggling with something. I see it now. It has a red bellied newt in its mouth. It is trying to kill it. I realize that this kind of stuff happens all the time in nature, but in my mood, it feels rather depressing. The water becomes still agin. I lose sight of the snake. Should I have done something?

The trail turns crappy. It is an old burn area and there are blowdowns everywhere. The trail is so covered in debris sometimes that I can’t even find it. Footprints are everywhere going in all directions. It looks like I am not the only one who has been confused. In a cloudless sky the sun beats down on me through the dead white pickets. Sweat drips down my forehead.

I am angry at the PCTA for allowing this trail to degrade in this way. There is no excuse for it. If you can’t keep the trail clear with volunteers, then hire someone, but this neglect here is several years old. Then I reach what looks like a haystack of dead trees! There is no way through or around them. I check my mapping program and see that the trail goes to the right. I pick up a faint path that leads to something more solid. I am really starting to regret doing this little section.

Bumpy landing

Luckily camp is just around the corner. It is a beautiful little lake surrounded with dry clean campsites. I fall into one and just lay down trying to unwind. I eat some food and crawl into my comfy quilt. The wind is really blowing. Dust and dry pine needles pelt my face and cover my bed. Furthermore, there are two creaking widow-makers right next to my spot. Ugh! I have to move. I find a more sheltered spot down by the water.

I go through my normal routine and get my stuff ready for tomorrow. I cannot move fast enough. I want this day over with! I write this post.

Tomorrow is about 16 miles to the trailhead at Pamelia Lake. I will spend the night there and get a ride back to Bend to spend the night at the Days Inn and meet Stan for a ride around the damaged trail on Saturday. Lord, please give me a better attitude tomorrow. I am walking around the magnificent Mount Jefferson, so that should help.

• July 14
• Starting mile: 1997
• Ending mile: 2015
• Daily PCT miles: 18
• Total PCT miles: 643
• Animals: water snake, red newt, hummingbird