I was a little groggy and tired when I woke up, but excited too. This was going to be the day that I was on my home turf. I looked forward to sharing it with the other people on the PCT. I got to say, "this is the place that I get to recreate whenever I want to." I had a long day ahead of me as there were still 20+ miles to go, but I knew I could make it without a problem.
The start was not that good as I moved pretty slowly. The miles start to add up and I was beginning to develop an issue with my Achilles tendon. It was tight in the mornings. It was probably a combination of my shoes and the number of miles I was hiking with a heavy pack on my back. Sleep was never long and restful enough to recover. Still, the area was so beautiful. It is funny that I hiked all these miles and still the area right near home is the most fantastic scenery to me. I loved the meadows and the fire damage was not too bad. The people were cheerful and when I filled my water from a stream, it ran clear and cool.
I talked with one guy that went by Gritty. He was older than me, but moving quicker as usual. We chatted for maybe 15 minutes as we hiked on the trail. He was hiking the whole thing, but had skipped the Sierras like others. He hiked them a few years earlier, though, so he was okay with missing them this year. He was one of the few people on the trail that we talked about our real lives. It was a good conversation, but like most others, he was off ahead of me in no time. I am not sure why I was one of the slower hikers, but it did not bother me much. When I was younger, I took a lot of pride in my speed, but really it was about getting the miles in each day.
I was still taking a bunch of pictures because the scenery was so amazing. Even though this was so close to home, I was still impressed. I chatted with some other people I knew along the way and even ran into some people who flew by me many days previously. They seemed all impressed too. Getting to the Obsidian area was a highlight as it is one of the few waterfalls along the PCT in Oregon. Then the scenery really opens up until you get to the big overlook near where the Sunshine Shelter used to be located. Here I felt like home and was able to give some other hikers some direction about where to find Arrow Lake just up the hill.
Then it was down from the beautiful lakes and sharp obsidian scatter to the volcanic flows of Opie Dilldock Pass. Here is where I really knew I was getting in good shape. I had hiked this pass many times before, but this time it felt really easy even with the heavy pack. The lava rock was not too fun on the feet, but the elevation change seemed like nothing. After miles of hiking up and down the steep hills of Oregon, this was not much. When I got to the junction of the Scott Trail, here I was only 5 or so miles from a road that would bring me back home. Still I continued on past Yapaoh Crater and the Matthieu Lakes.
Most people must go the other direction to Lava Camp Lake because it is much shorter, but I had never hiked that section of the PCT so I decided to do it. First, I had to be high on the ridge of the fire scarred forest. This was not particularly enjoyable, but then after dropping down, it was all lava rock for nearly a mile. I could see why it was cut out, but also you had to appreciate the engineering that went into this.
Eventually it popped me out at the PCT trailhead, just before 4:30 when I said I would be there to meet Jacqueline. Tired, I dropped the pack and waited. I saw her drive right by at 4:30 and not stop. I waited for her to come back, but she never did. Finally, I ran up the road and there she was parked by the side of the road. I was a little too hard on her for missing that turn, but I was really spent by this point and a few extra yards of walking was a lot for me. Still I was really happy to see my wife and go home for a day.
The day at home was spent packing for the last leg. There were dishes to clean and clothes to get washed. I also was able to go through my gear and eliminate a few things. Raincoat, no thanks. Big pot, not when I could just boil water. I decided to only eat freeze dried meals for dinner the last leg. This was going to save me some space in my pack. I did take the big water filter because water was just that important out there. I got to spend the day watching baseball, playing wiffle ball with my son, and visiting with my wife, mother, and daughter in the evening. They were surviving without me, though my wife was constantly worried for my safety. Never did I feel unsafe on the trip, though, just hoping my body could hold up the whole way.
No comments:
Post a Comment