August 2nd Mile 1762

It's supposed to be a hot day today. I'm currently at about mile 1753, having walked only four miles since 9:30 when I left the resort. I'm hunkered down in some shade resting up for the upcoming climb and in the last few minutes, three deer have run by about ten feet from my tree. Pretty dang cool.

I'm camped this evening just past 1762, also known as Big Spring. It actually is a small pond with an outlet. Needless to say I'm treating it, just in case. I got here sometime after 6pm having walked a total of 14 miles, two of which were road miles getting back to the trail this morning. So I am shy of my goal of 16 miles but I really had no more gas in the tank. I guess this means I will be one day later getting to Crater Lake. This really doesn't matter except this means I'll be later getting to my planned exit for Eugene and visiting friends there. Since they are picking me up it does matter to them. Oh well.

This evening as I was filling my bottles from the spring I looked up and who did I see on the trail but Train, Mr. Wedding Dress. He came on down and we had a really nice chat and catch-up. He even donned his dress and posed for me. He's such a hoot. He's moving fast so it isn't likely I'll see him again but I've invited him to visit in Santa Cruz anytime. I hope he takes me up on the offer.

Two images, one in dress, one without. Poor guy, he's lost so much weight he can't keep his gown up very well.

August 1st

I thought for sure I would wake up at first light but no, it was 6:30 when I opened my eyes. Slacker. Because of this it took me almost till 7:30 to get back on the trail. Before starting off I went back down to the spring and pond where I filled up on water. This must have been where the coyotes were cavorting last night at dusk, and again at 2:30am. That early morning event was spooky. Yikes.

The walking today has been as beautiful as yesterday. Unfortunately my IT bands are acting up and the downhills are slow going and kinda painful. This tells me another short day is in order. I'm currently having a rest/food break at highway 66. If I hike to Hyatt Lake Resort I'll arrive there in a couple of hours... around 2pm. Clearly I have time to hike more but I think I'd better stop and give my legs time to adjust. I hope this isn't an indicator of a long term trend. If so, I'll never get to Washington much less Canada.

First thing this morning I met a woman named Karen and her wonder dog Lola. Lola is a shelter dog and is quite a mishmash of whippet and some other stuff. This time of the year they come up to the mountains after work, stay the night then go hiking before going back to work the next morning. Seems like a nice life. Sorry to say their photograph is out of focus...

So I managed another chunk of trail today but find myself at Hyatt Lake Resort, first for lunch then I got attached to watching the Olympics so I got a cabin (with TV) for the night. I did get ten miles in but no more. Tomorrow all bets are off and no matter what I have to do 15+ miles daily. No more slacking. I hope my legs can tolerate the miles. Am I tough enough?

July 31st Mile 1738

Mother Goose was right. I have indeed lost most, if not all of the conditioning I had when I got off the trail six weeks ago. I also did myself no favors by hauling six days of food in my pack rather than break it up and send some part way to Crater Lake. Instead of carrying 3-4 pounds of food I'm carrying 10-12 pounds of food. My bad. So, since I'm one day ahead of my scheduled entry date I guess I'll only go 10 miles today instead of the planned 15. This'll give me time to eat more food before I head out again tomorrow.

Oregon is stunning. Lush green with wildflowers galore. I didn't stop to photograph much as really, how many images of shooting stars does one need to have? But it is all eye candy and restful for the heart. I really do calm down inside when I am in this kind of environment.

I want to give a shout out to Daniel who drove me all the way from his place outside of Talent to the trailhead near I-5 this morning. In addition he is generously letting me park my truck at his place where he has his home and business, Plant Oregon. What a sweetie he is. Thanks Daniel! BTY, he's the one with the Grizzly Adams beard taking a photo of me.

Tonight is the first time I've hung my food and other smelly stuff in order to keep it out of the way of bears and other curious critters. I don't think wild bears are as clever as park bears, at least I hope not. Yosemite bears would get to my food in a New York minute the way I've got it hung. Let's hope the local bears haven't been doing some distance learning.

Tonight's images are of Pilot Rock, Mt Shasta, Daniel and my bear hang. Way too much food ;-(

July 30th Renie's House

I'm at my cousins house in the hills above Talent, Oregon just hanging out with Renie and her wild cat Jesse Cat. A domestic cat but prone to fits of attacking.

We spent yesterday afternoon and evening yacking up a storm, only slowing down enough to eat dinner when it got dark. It was so nice out on her porch that I didn't mind the mosquitoes too much, until I tried to sleep and the itching began. Oh well.

Today I went town to wash my cotton clothes and pick up some last minute foods for the coming six day stint. Wow, that's a lot of food to schlep on my back. I'll have to eat the heaviest stuff first. Renie is leaving here tonight to begin her three flight trip to Africa where she will spend the next 22
days. If you want to check out her website you can find her at natureworkspress.com. She is extraordinary artist!

For myself I will stay here tonight (hoping to see some Olympic action on TV) and drive down to Dan'l's house tomorrow morning to park my truck for the next two months (if all goes according to plan). He has kindly offered to take me the 20 or so miles to the trailhead tomorrow morning. And so it begins.

I've included here images of Renie's house that she built herself. It's octagonal primarily with an add on for her working studio. Wow. What a great home she has made for herself.

July 29th Talent, Oregon

Yesterday I penned a long tale regaling the adventures I had getting from Lassen to my home for the evening, Beaver Creek. When I finished my job I pushed save, knowing I had no reception and I'd have to publish it today. Somehow, probably operator error, my post disappeared into cyberspace and it is no where to be found. Frustrating! And it was a good one too. Grrrr. Needless to say I won't try to reconstruct it again.

Having said that I will commence with today's activities and say I slept like a baby last night and woke up around 6:30, quickly packed and drove off into the sunrise. My choices were to return to the highway from whence I came or to continue on the forest service road and see if the map was right and it would indeed take me back to highway 5 by the adventurous route. Eighteen miles via dirt/gravel road seemed fine to me but when I got to where I thought the road should be coming near the end, a sign said the road ended and it forked at that point with private property signs on both forks. What the heck? No matter how many times I looked at the map, even upside down, it still seemed like it should work but finally I gave in and started back. Not too many minutes later I saw a guy coming the other way in a cloud of dust and I asked him about the road. Yes he agreed it looked confusing but my way was correct and I could follow him out! Yea! So I spent the next ten minutes following a billowing cloud of dust till we passed into farm land and I could see the highway in the distance. I gave him a hardy thanks and away I went. Relieved for sure.

Pretty soon I got to the Mt Ashland exit and I pulled off to see about getting some food. Callahan's, famous with hikers, was right there and I went in to eat. After I sat down a tall hiker bounced over and what do you know but there was Stride. I hadn't seen her since Big Bear and here she is, ready to "crush some miles". She only has five weeks to get to Canada before she has to get back to work so it'll require 25 mile days from here on out. She's big and strong, not to mention young, so she can make it I'm sure.

Stride has been hiking with a section hiker named Blue Yonder who is finishing up at the end of today so I gave her a ride back to the trailhead before I got back on the road to Ashland. A couple of garage sales and outfitter stores later I now find myself at a burger place in Talent killing time till I go to my cousins house at 2pm.

I'll include the photos of Blue Yonder here as well as yesterday's images from Lassen.

July 27th Lassen National Forest

I love road trips! Especially the kind where I don't have to be anywhere on a schedule. Just looking at the map and going however far I want to go without a care in the world.

In this spirit I got a late start this morning and then took the wrong hwy. Wrong in that it wasn't the most direct route but it did get me here so who cares? I stopped at the first NF campground I came to and found a spot to hang my hammock. It IS kinda close to the hwy but I really don't care. I'm here, my hammock is hung and I expect to sleep like a baby tonight. Hopefully not a colicky baby.

I stopped in Red Bluff this afternoon looking for a small, but not too small, ice chest for this adventure. Somehow I found a Walmart and not knowing where else to go, I walked in. The ice chest was found easily but the fun part was watching a knife demonstrator hawk his wares. I went for the promise of a free paring knife and got a pretty good show of top of the knife. It's a "forever sharp" - never heard of it.

I am so stoked to be sleeping outside tonight. And so, the next phase of my adventure begins.

July 23rd Almost time!

It's been a long time now since I had much in the way of hiking related news to yack about. This is changing now as I've got to get stuff packed and my truck new oil. BYW, Toyota trucks, aka Tacos, rock. All I ever do for it is change the oil... knock on wood.

Anyhow I have been dealing with what I thought was a chronic achilles tendon problem for months now and nothing I've done has helped. I finally went to my friend Dr Pat and she did her magic on my calf, the culprit in this mystery. Then off to see Amber, super massage queen and my leg feels better than it has for months. Looks like I've been treating the wrong thing all this time. Hopefully this will help me be able to treat it on my own once I hit the dusty road, in about a week. Yikes!

I can feel the anxiety building again as I prepare for this next section of my hike. How bad will the mosquitoes be? Will there be enough trees to hang my hammock? How cold will it be and when will it happen? Will I be warm enough? Is my rain gear up to the task of Pacific Northwest downpours? As I am a weather wimp, these kinds of things concern me.

It's funny how my worries of the past don't concern me now. I've done the desert thing, I'm familiar with the Sierras but the PNW is a new creature, one I know nothing of. Will it be friendly or snarl a bit? I hope for no bites but one never knows. To help me with these unknowns, Angela just finished casting me a silver token I will be wearing around my neck. Angela made a casting of it from a plastic charm I picked up somewhere years ago. Somehow wearing Lucky around my neck gives me confidence.