Marble Mountains, Etna Summit, Russian Wilderness

madrone bark

the Marbles...

At Etna Summit...John Muir quote paraphrased from trailhead: "If you try to change to change any one thing in nature, you will find that it is connected to everything else in the universe." 8/25: In Russian Wilderness. Muir quote was uncannily related to a talk I had with older couple that gave me a ride back to trailhead about how the 'protected seals' now eat all of the 'protected salmon' - & the reason there are fewer salmon is because there are now too many seals.

full moon rising by Mt. Shasta

Crossing into Cali: the Siskiyous & the State of Jefferson

North of Ashland

8/16: Walked south from Ashland today. This evening - thought I heard a trippy hippie bells & xylophone concert or wood windchimes through the forest, and I thought I even heard Buddhist gutteral chanting. Now I have concluded that it is livestock with bells around their necks that I am hearing especially since it seems it is random & changing/moving...(turns out the sounds were from mooing cattle and the bells they wore)...Hitchhiking is humbling.

At the California border

near Happy Camp (off of the trail)...8/19: Easy hitch into Happy Camp from Seiad Valley. Hot here. The Cali section so far is way more dramatic & spectacular than the 250 miles in Oregon. Think I've walked over 300 miles this trip. The sunset by Lookout Springs atop Middle Devil's Peak past Copper Butte last eve was stunning! Too bad my camera battery had died. At Cook and Green Pass, I had a cosmic moment with a black mama bear and her brown and cinnamon cubs. We made eye contact for awhile. They didn't run away. The cubs scrambled up a tree - easy like koala bears and stared at me. I stared back. Woman of the Karuk tribe who gave me a ride told me that male black bears attack & kill more humans than grizzlies do - but don't wanna believe it.

Grider Creek

Near Mt. McLoughlin

8/9: Went over Devil's Peak/Pass this eve. Some 18 miles today from Stuart Falls. Not tired - could walk more. My hammock is hung up on a ridge and I can see Klamath Lake & Mt. McLoughlin. Have walked 200 miles on this trip now. Just do that 4 more times and it will be 1,000 miles.

Enjoyed hiking with and hanging out with Machine for the day, but her pace was faster than mine so she didn't stick around for too long.

Crater Lake

This morning I saw a crazy weasel/giant ferret creature (maybe a fisher) that was bounding around me and not afraid a bit. Met Machine, a SoBo who I will probably see again soon.

Stuart Falls, a detour suggested by Weather Carrot...

With some folks I befriended at the falls

Starry Sky at Umpqua Hot Springs

8/6?: @ Umpqua. Ahhhh! Paradise here. Fresh springs gushing out rocks as waterfalls, old growth cedars, No Mosquitoes, hot travertine waters. No one has even descended/set foot into my campsite during the days I've been here...At first I was a bit antsy about doing 'nothing' but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it...Hitchhiked here from Diamond Lake on Tues...At the springs I've befriended some of the locals and even though they are poor and homeless they are immediately eager to share what they have.

Williamette Natl. Forest to Mt. Thielsen

7-27: At Dumbell Lake - hiked over 16 miles today...MOSQUITOES! There are mosquito carcasses spread all over my body and my gear. I wore the mosquito net for most of the day. I stopped hiking around 5 pm cuz my knee hurt, my back hurt, my shoulders hurt. Had to keep moving on account of the skeeters. You stop to slap and 3 more bite you. My legs are covered with mosquito bites and the campfire smoke doesn't seem to deter them. And my "10 hr" DEET seems to last for only a half hour. But they can't bite me through me rain jacket and my rain pants and so that's what I'm currently wearing. As it is dusk, skeeters are swarming all over me. I couldn't survive without this mosquito net. Took a lovely swim in the lake...Entrenched in mosquito clouds I was def. questioning my logic behind this trip.

7-30: At Rosary Lakes just a few miles from Williamette Pass/Shelter Cove, my 1st resupply...In the cool eve, I took a most lovely, divine swim in the N. lake. Felt amazing. Oregon lakes are all the perfect temperature.

Diamond Peak Wilderness...

Mount Thielsen, known as the Lightning Rod of the Cascades

PCT 2010, Sisters Wilderness

These photos are from my first full day back on the Pacific Crest Trail this summer. I started hiking south at Santiam Pass where I left off the trail in 2008. Above image from July 25th is a view looking south at the Three Sisters volcanoes from the lava in Mt. Washington Wilderness in Oregon.

from journal: 7/25: Looking back North one can see Mt. Washington, then 3-Fingered Jack, then Mt. Jefferson & finally hazy Mt. Hood all lined up into the distance to the horizon.

Pack feels heavy, today my legs are tired. Figured out how to battle heel blisters.

7/26: Lots of snow - with patches taking 25 minutes to cross...Beautiful - reminded me of snow-skiing but a few times I got panicky as I couldn't find where to go across the snow or where to find the trail.