July 1, 2012 – South of Donner Pass
The trail stretches for several miles along the top of a windswept ridge. No trees, so the ‘bones’ of the land are bare – gray granite cliffs, pristine snowfields, smoothly curving short green turf. I wish all my friends could see this!
(25 minutes later) Ok, I HATE crossing pristine snowfields at cliff edges! I dare not look down as I take slow step after slow step, fiercely concentrating on jamming the edges of my tennis shoes into the icy snow. Oh, how I wish for my crampons in moments like these! A northbound hiker told me this was the only snowfield I’d have to cross today. Thank goodness!
July 2, 2012 – South of Jackson Meadows Reservoir
The terrain is a mixture of granite underneath with lava shapes overlaying it. At one point I walk past walls of frothy black lava with spyholes peering into other worlds!
(Text conversation between Sarah and Jay as Sarah is hiking southbound on the PCT and Jay is hiking northbound. They haven’t seen each other since Sarah left Jay at Donner Pass, and Sarah is not exactly sure where they will meet on the trail. She notices she has cell phone service for the first time since she began hiking, so decides to text Jay.)
Sarah: I’ve hiked three hours and taken a break. I am continuing now.
Jay: I’m starting up the hill you are climbing. Don’t start down.
Sarah: How in the world do you know which hill I’m on? I don’t even know where I am!
Jay: You’re on one sloping hill. Loooooong hill.
Sarah: In that case, I’ll race you to the top!
(Jay arrived at the top of the hill just before Sarah.)
July 7, 2012 - North of Bucks Lake Rd.
I am hiking along the top of a wooded ridge high above Silver Lake and Gold Lake. The rising sun turns the sky baby blue with silver puffs of clouds floating across. Slanting sunbeams bring nearby vegetation alive with glowing, vibrant greens and warm, reddish browns while beyond me the mountains fold away early morning misty blues and grays. Lilting birdsong welcomes the new day, and a woodpecker hunts for his breakfast.
July 9, 2012 – Hiking up Butt Mountain near Hwy. 36
Poem composed while hiking through the heat of the day.
Forces of Nature
Forces of Nature
The sun beats down,
baking,
burning,
fiercely hot.
Far below,
the trail
threads through thick stands of tall tree trunks.
Above me
branches stretch,
catching
the sun,
capturing
its energy.
Shielding me with deep shade.
A creeklet tumbles over pebbles,
Its musical ripples catch my ear.
I stop.
Strip off my shirt.
Soak it in the cool water.
Then continue up the mountain,
Wet shirt dripping.
Protected from the sun’s intense power
by other, gentler, forces of nature.
July 21, 2012 – North
of Etna Summit
I walk upon the spine of the land. My feet cover each and every vertebrae, up
& down, up & down. On either side, the flanks, rumps, shoulders, and
elbows of other mountains stretch to the horizon. Knee-high bushes interspersed with limestone
and shale boulders cover the ridge. An occasional scraggly tree casts a smidgin
of shade across me. When the sun beats
down, I feel every step as a weight of heat and effort. But when the wind sends cool breezes past me,
I feel as if I am standing still and the mountain is moving me forward, into my
future.
July 22, 2012 –
Buckhorn Spring campsite
Today as I walk I see millions of flowers. Lilies, Indian paintbrush, asters, columbine,
and all kinds whose names I don’t know, trumpets, stars, puffballs, and
more. I believe there are more flowers
here in the Marble Mountain Wilderness than there are stars in our universe.
The trail passes several small snow patches during the day,
and those act like natural air conditioning, sending cool breezes to alleviate
the sun’s heat. Aaaah!
Tonight we camp near Buckhorn Spring. Our tent is hidden beneath sweeping branches
of a giant fir tree. It is actually
three trees joined together at the base, making a massive single trunk with triple
trunks branching out about five feet up.
The tree rises high above our heads, sending down gracefully curved
branches to form an enclosing circle with clear, level ground underneath. As we lie in our tent, through the lacing of
fir needles we watch the sun set in a blazing orb of orange off the end of the
ridge.
July 23, 2012 – Seiad Valley
This day included hiking 21 miles,
from Buckhorn Spring to the town of Seiad
Valley; seeing flowers, trees, mountain views; talking with other hikers as we
camped at an RV park; pigging out on food from a grocery store; and bathing in
a tributary of Grider Creek.
The highlight of the day was
definitely the bath. The creek water was
cold and clear, tumbling in a rush of bubbles over a few boulders, digging out
a knee-deep pool at the base of a small waterfall. Wading in and lowering myself into that
whirlpool of water and air was like being massaged by air jets in a cold hot
tub. I could feel the water lifting the
accumulated dirt and grime off my skin, leaving me clean and glad to be alive!
On such a hot day, it even felt good to be wearing wet clothes afterwards,
especially since the clothes were relatively clean. Soap is still the best cleanser, but a good
massage from a tumbling creek is definitely right up there, and much better
than putting soap poisons into a crystal clean creek.
August 2, 2012 – South
of Crater Lake, near Hwy. 62
Light wanders across a meadow,
greeting each
flower,
turning petals to
stained glass translucence –
blue,
purple,
violet,
indigo.
Sun-warmed air releases scents,
inviting bees to
work.
A breeze wafts along the edge of open space,
enveloping me in
the heady perfume,
the summer bloom,
of a field of wild lupines.
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