Twig Adventures

August 23rd, 2018 Mm 1660.5 to Grider Creek campground mm 1649.5, via Seiad Valley. Distance: 11 miles 0600-1830 Today was one of the best, easiest days. I packed very early and was in town by 0730 am. On the way, I walked with Dahn on a short road section and we reminisced about all the road walking on the TA. Good memories, all. Dahn is the first person to say that the TA has been his favorite, even over the AT and PCT. I concur, but the PCT has been pretty special, too. The town of Seiad consisted of the post office, general store, and a greasy-spoon cafe. The ‘trail’ passes right through it all. The ‘State of Jefferson’ was[…]

August 22nd, 2018 Donomore cabin mm 1691 to mm 1660.5 Distance: 30.5 miles 0700-1930 I was so comfortable on the cot that I slept soundly the whole night. I also slept on my inflated sleeping pad, because as I found out in the yurt on the Colorado Trail, it gets cold underneath. Unfortunately this made my normal movements in the night a bit noisy, which apparently kept poor Plants up all night. He said I was also talking in my sleep, which I don’t doubt. He made sure to remind me of his lack of sleep all day. Well, what can I say? Might I suggest some earplugs? I’ve got lots of experience sleeping in communal spaces, so I always[…]

August 21st, 2018 Mm 1718.5 to Donomore Cabin mm 1691 Distance: 28 miles 1000-2030 I got up early to finish all the little details that I didn’t get to the day before. Then I said goodby to Ana and Chanty dropped me off at the Starbucks downtown. It was a couple blocks to the post office from there and I arrived just in time for the opening. Then I went to Ruby’s for a breakfast burrito. I met Plants there, as previously arranged. He had been in town for the past 2 days but staying with his girlfriend. I hadn’t seen him since White Pass but we had kept in touch. He had offered to give me a ride back[…]

August 19th, 2018 Zero in Ashland Distance: about 5 miles walking around town Ashland turned out to be SOBO central. I have not seen such a large collection since Harts Pass. Overnight, I camped with a Japanese thru-hiker named Watermelon. Then early in the morning, a circle formed around my tent. First, the Kid and Bunky (formerly Brian) rolled in…the latter I hadn’t seen since Harts Pass. It was fitting that he was with the Kid, since he is only 20 himself. Another guy named Roadrunner was there too. We told stories while I made breakfast and coffee. They were waiting until the bottomless pancake breakfast opened at the restaurant. Potter, Salty, Blue Bear and Columbus also came by and[…]

August 19th, 2018 Mm 1748.5 to mm 1718.5 (Ashland) Distance: 30 miles 0620-1730 I heard great horned owls in the morning, otherwise it was dead silent all night. I can’t believe how quiet these woods are…not even a cricket. The GH owls have such a refined and haunting call. I much prefer their hoots over the raucous barred owls that I hear most commonly. I’m an owlist, I admit it. The trail made quite a transition today. From the dense coniferous forests of OR and WA, I started to see a lot of scrub oak and deciduous trees mixed in. There were also many meadows of high grass interspersed. Despite the trail going up and down all the rolling hills,[…]

August 18th, 2018 Twin Ponds Tr. mm 1781.5 to mm 1748.5 Distance: 33 miles 0630-1930 It was another long day that I got a lot of walking done. The trail didn’t have a whole lot going on other than forest and some lava. I saw a brief view of Mt McLaughlin just as I started out and then more distant views from some lava fields. It is another classic-looking volcano. Unfortunately it was too hazy to get pictures of it. The lava section was interesting. The trail had been formed by laying down crushed gravel over the rocks and was very smooth and pleasant to walk on. There was forest interspersed in the lava, providing diversity. This went on for[…]

August 17th, 2018 Jack Springs Trail Junction, mm 1809 to Twin Ponds Tr. mm 1781.5 Distance: 27.5 miles 0630-1850 For the first time in awhile, I had something hurting me more than my feet. It felt like the beginnings of a chin splint on my right leg. It’s not a pain that is excruciating but rather just an annoyance. I had them bad at the end of the Colorado Trail but never on the TA. I’ve actually dealt with them since I was in high school, so I wasn’t too worried. The trail wasn’t all that remarkable today, save for a climb and some cool ridge traverses around Devils Peak and Lucifer…yes, those were the real names on the map.[…]

August 16th, 2018 Crater Lake Rim trail to Jack Springs Trail Junction, mm 1809 Distance: 14 PCT miles, 8 miles on Crater Lake Rim trail, 3 miles to and from Mazama Village; total 25 miles 0600-1830 I was on the trail plenty early for the sunrise over Crater Lake. I had such great expectations, after seeing so many pictures of it online and on TV. I was not disappointed. It was quite extraordinary, despite the smoke. The reflections off the lake were really interesting. I meandered along the rim for about 6 miles, in walking bliss. I stopped often to take pictures so it was slow going. That early, I had the trail basically to myself. It was great being[…]

August 15th, 2018 Maidu Lake mm 1866 to Crater Lake Rim trail Distance: 26 PCT miles, 4 miles on Crater Lake Rim trail, 1 mile from lake; total 31 miles 0620-1830 I wanted to get all the way to the Crater Lake Rim Trail on this day so I got a pretty early start. It was a bit dark on the lake trail but light enough by the time I got back on the PCT. The trail climbed gradually and shortly I was at the high point of OR and WA at 7560′. There was nothing too special about this point and it certainly didn’t feel very high, being in the trees and pretty flat. It’s hard to believe that[…]

August 14th, 2018 Diamond View Lake, Oregon Skyline Trail Alt. to Maidu Lake mm 1866 Distance: 12 PCT miles, 15.5 miles on Alt trail, 1 mile to lake; total 28.5 miles 0620-1700 I learned a couple Finnish words last night. Suvi noticed my Fjallraven trekking tights and remarked that I have kettu housut (fox pants). A fox is the symbol of the company (I think raven is the Swedish term for fox) and the brand is naturally very popular throughout Scandinavia. Apparently they are a bit of a status symbol because the line is generally pretty pricey. My tights were received for gear testing via Trailspace.com and I got to keep them. We were also discussing cat hole strategies (a[…]