From the Journal: August 19, 2013
This morning we watched the sunrise before descending to
Seiad Valley. We got an early start, but
the day got hotter and hotter. The final
mile on the road into town was boiling.
I was chugging all of the very hot water I carried. Luckily the town has
an awesome diner with AC and burgers and Dr. Pepper and root beer floats for
dessert. This made everything pretty
immediately better. It was 102 in the
shade so we got our packages and went to the store and rested in the shade for
a few hours before it was bearable to move again. We got back on the road about 6 pm and walked
6.4 miles back to the trail before setting up camp for the evening.
August 20, 2013
Ben and I went our separate ways this morning. He left camp before me and the world became
very sad and quiet. I hiked up this
beautiful valley that Grider Creek runs through. It is a stark contrast from yesterday’s dry
heat to be in this cool shade. It was a
very gradual climb and I have too much food coming out of town, per usual. I notice it is much less fun to take breaks
so I am making good time. This afternoon
I came around a corner and saw my friend Ben writing me a note about a Mama
bear and cub he had just seen. We were
glad to see each other; it was quite strange to be alone after spending nearly
all of the last months together. We ended up walking the last ten miles to camp
together. Marble Mountain Wilderness
and the peaks around us are stunning. This
has also been the worse day as far as smoke in the air. The moon is full and bright orange.
August 21, 2013
Ben and I walked out of camp together. The walking was beautiful, up high on
ridgelines. I passed this gorgeous teal
lake below sheer cliff sides called Maneater Lake. It was an inviting swim but pretty far off
trail. I made the mistake of mentioning
that a little rain would be refreshing, and the next thing you know we are in a
hail and thunder storm. It was
thankfully short lived. Ben helped me
set up camp a few miles North of Etna Summit before continuing on.
August 22, 2013
I slept alone in the woods for the first time ever last
night and I did not die. I woke up sad
but also a bit proud of myself. I
started walking and am meeting Mom and Mike this evening. It is warm today, and the sky to the south is
full of foreboding, gunmetal grey clouds.
It looked like weather again and it wasn’t long before hail and
lightening and pouring rain fell from the sky.
In between storm intervals, I was loving walking on this traverse up a
very vast and quiet valley. It made me
feel very small and alone, in a way that might feel good when I get used to
it. The storm raged on and water was
pouring down the trail in rivers.
Walking on seemed to be the only thing to do, I would freeze if I
stopped. I was getting progressively
more miserable when I turned a corner to see Ben setting up his tent. He had been worried and wanted to wait for
me. It was so nice to have a dry place
to take shelter, to put more layers on and actually eat lunch. The storm blew itself out pretty quickly and
we walked the last six miles down to Carter Summit.
It was so awesome to see Great Blue Heron and Road Warrior
(Mom and Mike). I hadn’t seen my mama in
a month, which I think may be the longest ever.
We all set up camp and had cold beer, pulled pork sandwiches and fresh
fruit. It is amazing to have family
around. I feel so lucky!
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