bodhylove

Day 12 was spent in Sisters, did laundry, recharged ipad, and ate non-dehyradted food! Found place to camp a mile outside of town. Day13 started out on HWY 242, stopped at Coldwater Spring CG, could not find trailhead. Kept walking until saw sign for Scott Pass TH. Took that road and basically hiked 9 miles uphill until I could no more. Am way out in wilderness, maybe more isolated geographically than ever. Hoping road leads me to instersect trail real soon. Day 14 Left camp and continued on fire trail road. Unfortunately the road led me back to HWY 242 to Sisters, so ended up looping back. Beautiful views of the three sisters mountain range. Day 15 a friend in town gave me a lift up to Santiam Pass, where I picked up the trail and ... read more

Day 8 this morning's reading's theme was 'abandon hope'. The belief behind such an idea is that only by giving up expectations, i.e., hope that we're, it, they're, will be better eventually can we not only become comfortable with the idea of groundlessness, but begin the begin of seeing and accepting where we're at at this moment.A mile into today's hike I heard a huge crashing, tumbling through the branches type of sound and saw a black blur cross the trail and scamper up the hill to my right. That's right, a black bear. About 40 yards in front of me. I thght, "cool, a bear", look how fearless I am!" a few moments later I realized that if said bear was stopped, growling and acting threateningly, I can be sure that "cool a bear!" would ... read more

Pacific Crest Trail Day 1The hike began from Cascade Locks, Or, on the Columbia river. Got a later than anticipated start after 1pm and entered the wild. The creeping horror of the weight of my backpack became evident wthin the first two miles. The trail, in the forest, began with a gradual incline with the occasional descent, followed by a greater ascent. Called it a day at about five miles when I came upon a camping spot. Watched the wun set over the Columbia. Just the wind in the tree and me.Day 2 Began @7:30. The forest was filled with Western Hemlock, fir, and the occasional Western Red Cedar. Much of the first couple of miles the trail was bordered on both sides by fern and underscrub. Weather was perfect, sunny high 60's at 3,500 ft. ... read more

Well, I spoke to the mountain, I listened to the sea, they both told me the mountain was the best that you can be~ Perry Farrell I feel like if this blog is going to be anything more than updates on the hike and (forthcoming pics), it should indubitably reflect the inner journey that has commenced. As such, I must admit to some (healthy) nervousness. This anxiety is more about the mundane aspects of the upcoming journey than perhaps more obvious ones, such as the proximity of bear and cougar, or drowning while crossing a snow-melted river. Rather, it's more about manifesting the intangibles such as perseverance, patience, grit and stamina. I feel like it's a realistic fear, as I don't have pollyanna-like thughts about this trip the scenery and groundedness of such proximity to the ... read more

Hello everyone, I've been wanting to add a new entry to this pre-trip blog, but have been patiently (as o menos) waiting for that muse to make her random and oh so unpredictable appearance. As I am wont to feel and believe, the only thing permanent is change; as such, there are a couple salient details to update you on. My experience with hiking is limited to a number of dayhikes, and the tallest 'mountain' I've summited is Mt Eleanor at approx 6,000ft. As such, both with requisite humility born of multiple errors and a realistic perspective, I've been adjusting my trip to fit what I'm hoping is a doable itinerary. With my previous global travels, I've taken much joy in pre-trip planning. Having always loved maps, it's fun to look, plot, imagine and wonder what ... read more