August 18
Rest and relaxation in Etna: a town that has been weathered in time and turned stagnant by the passing of timber prosperity and mineral prosperity now, just sun baked streets and old timers chatting over coffee the god damn spotted owl shut these woods down for good.
Gulig and I are sleeping on the lawn of Father Serges a trailer filled with roman catholic iconography and cassettes and bongs and books and music instruments and clocks and other assorted junk an accumulation of freaks have gathered there. Wierd local hang out types, a nervous wanderer, a guy whose car broke down two weeks ago and still hasnt left, as well as all of us dirty hikers. Bodies strewn across the lawn. I get the feeling that I am traveling with a tribe of marginal types, fringe people living far from the center, temporarily populating these mountain towns.
One hundred miles through the Klamath mountains stark pinnacles dressed in deep swell of forest. From the Crags to the Russians, the Marbles to follow. Watching hawks stalk the skies, scouring the meadows intent on prey.
Rest and relaxation in Etna: a town that has been weathered in time and turned stagnant by the passing of timber prosperity and mineral prosperity now, just sun baked streets and old timers chatting over coffee the god damn spotted owl shut these woods down for good.
Gulig and I are sleeping on the lawn of Father Serges a trailer filled with roman catholic iconography and cassettes and bongs and books and music instruments and clocks and other assorted junk an accumulation of freaks have gathered there. Wierd local hang out types, a nervous wanderer, a guy whose car broke down two weeks ago and still hasnt left, as well as all of us dirty hikers. Bodies strewn across the lawn. I get the feeling that I am traveling with a tribe of marginal types, fringe people living far from the center, temporarily populating these mountain towns.
One hundred miles through the Klamath mountains stark pinnacles dressed in deep swell of forest. From the Crags to the Russians, the Marbles to follow. Watching hawks stalk the skies, scouring the meadows intent on prey.
August 18
Dear friends,
Thanks so much for all of your messages. My apologies for not being able to answer them individually, my computer time is always limited at these small public libraries. I keep you all in my thoughts. I am about a four day walk from the Oregon border. August has set in, full tilt, here in northern California. The days are hot. It sometimes seems that every square inch of me is glazed in sweat. Having already experienced the desert heat in May and June, the heat has become a matter of routine and endurance. I have been joined by my friend, Nick Gulig, and we like to dip our bandanas in the cool springs and wrap them around our necks. Its a matter of finding ways to adapt. It has been good to have a companion the last 150 miles, but Nick leaves tomorrow, back to Montana. The landscape has been alternating from volcanic mountains and strange lava formations to granite walls and pinnacles, a whole range of geologies at every mile.
I still feel strong and healthy, for which I am fortunate. However, after a glance at my finances, it has become apparent that I cannotafford to complete the whole Pacific Crest Trail. I have enough money left for about 500 miles. So, I have chosen to get a ride from southern Oregon to the Washington border and hike the 450 miles oftrail remaining in Washington. In the end, I will have hiked over 2,100 miles. Journal entries are included below.
Best regards, Bill
Dear friends,
Thanks so much for all of your messages. My apologies for not being able to answer them individually, my computer time is always limited at these small public libraries. I keep you all in my thoughts. I am about a four day walk from the Oregon border. August has set in, full tilt, here in northern California. The days are hot. It sometimes seems that every square inch of me is glazed in sweat. Having already experienced the desert heat in May and June, the heat has become a matter of routine and endurance. I have been joined by my friend, Nick Gulig, and we like to dip our bandanas in the cool springs and wrap them around our necks. Its a matter of finding ways to adapt. It has been good to have a companion the last 150 miles, but Nick leaves tomorrow, back to Montana. The landscape has been alternating from volcanic mountains and strange lava formations to granite walls and pinnacles, a whole range of geologies at every mile.
I still feel strong and healthy, for which I am fortunate. However, after a glance at my finances, it has become apparent that I cannotafford to complete the whole Pacific Crest Trail. I have enough money left for about 500 miles. So, I have chosen to get a ride from southern Oregon to the Washington border and hike the 450 miles oftrail remaining in Washington. In the end, I will have hiked over 2,100 miles. Journal entries are included below.
Best regards, Bill
No comments:
Post a Comment