Wednesday, September 24
At Stehekin!
Sye and Alex have arrived at Stehekin - their last re-supply stop before completing this amazing trek. Snowy trails likely rewarded by a trip to the Stehekin bakery. They plan to resume hiking tomorrow or Friday, depending on the weather. Then only 3 and 1/2 more hiking days until their final destination in Manning Park, BC. They look forward to seeing friends & family soon!
Saturday, September 20
from 9/5/2008
Another post from the Spiff...
9/5/08 Crossed OR/WA border TODAY
If today is any indication of WA, I think the last of this trip will be incredible- clear and warm. I expect it won't be that way all the time, but we only have under 500 miles to go!
Alex and I have been reunited just in time for WA. I did indeed find my parents in Breitenbush, but only after a storm fiasco, where I was forced (and encouraged by Nick) to turn around near Mt Jefferson and backtrack (unheard of) several miles to go down a six mile trail to a road. We had hit a very windy and rainy ridge followed by a snowfield and couldn't find our way down. good thing Nick was with me and helped me let go of stubborness and turn back. When I got back on the trail, the snowfield was indeed mild in clear weather, but it was terrifying at the time. All in all, Oregon, we found out is often wet and mosquito-y. And, I still never got a good view of Mt Jefferson, the mountain I didn't know existed until a few weeks ago.
In our separated states, Alex and I made quite opposite plans- me to see Seamus in Portland , her to hike with our friend Kelsy from Timberline to Cascade Locks. So we did both, but i didn't catch the two of them until the morning before Cascade Locks-still in bed at 730 am!! Our daylight hours here dwindled to 630 am - 8 pm. And 8pm is pushing it. But, from what I hear Kelsey was an amazing hiker and only slipped into granpa grunts of sore feet a few dozen times a day! I'm just kicking myselft that I missed most of the whiskey and 3 tasty bite meals. Yesterday, we had five visitors, including my brother and his girlfriend, and it was great to see so many familiar faces. I expect WA will be a bit like that. And a bit rushed by trying to say hi and get our miles in before snow. Just hold it back until October.
from 9/8/2008
The blueberries are incredibly distracting. Glo-worm rolled into lunch with a purple mouth. Found our first chanterelle just after crossing into WA. Delicious charred on my alcohol stove...
9/5/08 Crossed OR/WA border TODAY
If today is any indication of WA, I think the last of this trip will be incredible- clear and warm. I expect it won't be that way all the time, but we only have under 500 miles to go!
Alex and I have been reunited just in time for WA. I did indeed find my parents in Breitenbush, but only after a storm fiasco, where I was forced (and encouraged by Nick) to turn around near Mt Jefferson and backtrack (unheard of) several miles to go down a six mile trail to a road. We had hit a very windy and rainy ridge followed by a snowfield and couldn't find our way down. good thing Nick was with me and helped me let go of stubborness and turn back. When I got back on the trail, the snowfield was indeed mild in clear weather, but it was terrifying at the time. All in all, Oregon, we found out is often wet and mosquito-y. And, I still never got a good view of Mt Jefferson, the mountain I didn't know existed until a few weeks ago.
In our separated states, Alex and I made quite opposite plans- me to see Seamus in Portland , her to hike with our friend Kelsy from Timberline to Cascade Locks. So we did both, but i didn't catch the two of them until the morning before Cascade Locks-still in bed at 730 am!! Our daylight hours here dwindled to 630 am - 8 pm. And 8pm is pushing it. But, from what I hear Kelsey was an amazing hiker and only slipped into granpa grunts of sore feet a few dozen times a day! I'm just kicking myselft that I missed most of the whiskey and 3 tasty bite meals. Yesterday, we had five visitors, including my brother and his girlfriend, and it was great to see so many familiar faces. I expect WA will be a bit like that. And a bit rushed by trying to say hi and get our miles in before snow. Just hold it back until October.
from 9/8/2008
The blueberries are incredibly distracting. Glo-worm rolled into lunch with a purple mouth. Found our first chanterelle just after crossing into WA. Delicious charred on my alcohol stove...
A couple updates from Spaceman Spiff
Hi all-
Sye just sent me a few pages to post which are updates from the past month or so.
8/19/08 North of Crater Lake
I was surprised to find that the CA/OR border may not completely be on an arbitrary line. OR has frogs hopping across the trail, afternoon thunderstorms (our first rain since Wrightwood), no poison ivy on the trail to speak of. There are still those pesky mosquitoes, but as the nights are getting considerably colder, I'm hoping they will disappear. Of course, the days are also getting shorter and I'm noticing our hiking time is diminishing too. But the current six-pack have become quite good at hiking 20 miles after noon!
Alex has been apart from the group for awhile and we're missing our cool factor. And Eric, our leader, has also been gone. Somehow we've managed without them although they are sorely missed. We're calling our current faction the "ginger brews' because there's four of us (sometimes 5) and ginger brews come in 4-packs.
I am surprised I'm still hiking with the group b/c I've become much more of a loner on this walk. But, I think it works because the six pack is made of mostly loners. And, I've deduced, mostly drifters in high school. People who drifted from one social group to another. SO I think we let each other drift in and out of the pack, doing our own thing when we need to, bunching up for the road walks.
Especially with Alex gone (now just barely behind), I thought I'd hike alone, being behind after Seamus' visit. But, Seamus hiked so fast I was barely behind at all and caught the town-dwellers (hikers caught in the overstimulating town life). Seamus visited for maybe 5 days and it was so nice to have his company and share what our every day life is like. A lot of walking. And drinking hot chocolate.
today we passed Crater Lake and it was so beautiful to gaze at it as we walked around the rim part of the way. The lodge has a great breakfast and it's cheaper than the cafe at the Mazama Village restaurant. Also, I talked to the info center rangers, who were super nice, and they contacted someone to bring me a little box our friend Jacqui left for us when she worked here this summer. I left most of it for the 6-pack because I had already re-supplied, but I do love care packages. We alsmot got the 4-lb bag of brown sugar ino Jellybean's bag, but she showed up just in time. So, Jacqui, the brown sugar and couscous didn;t make it with use. But the chocolate sure was yummy.
Still "behind schedule', but should be to the Mt Hood area at the beginning of September and to Canada by the end of September. That's not much longer in the woods! Hoping to see my family at Breitenbush and Portland friends at Hood or Cascade Locks. Anyone who wants to find us and bring the 6-pack drinks and treats at a highway...trail angel work is very rewarding. Hikers are incredibly excited to see small yummy & refreshing items! And, we aren't a bad group to hike with, especially when we're doing the 6-mile half of the day instead of the 20-mile half.
Sye just sent me a few pages to post which are updates from the past month or so.
8/19/08 North of Crater Lake
I was surprised to find that the CA/OR border may not completely be on an arbitrary line. OR has frogs hopping across the trail, afternoon thunderstorms (our first rain since Wrightwood), no poison ivy on the trail to speak of. There are still those pesky mosquitoes, but as the nights are getting considerably colder, I'm hoping they will disappear. Of course, the days are also getting shorter and I'm noticing our hiking time is diminishing too. But the current six-pack have become quite good at hiking 20 miles after noon!
Alex has been apart from the group for awhile and we're missing our cool factor. And Eric, our leader, has also been gone. Somehow we've managed without them although they are sorely missed. We're calling our current faction the "ginger brews' because there's four of us (sometimes 5) and ginger brews come in 4-packs.
I am surprised I'm still hiking with the group b/c I've become much more of a loner on this walk. But, I think it works because the six pack is made of mostly loners. And, I've deduced, mostly drifters in high school. People who drifted from one social group to another. SO I think we let each other drift in and out of the pack, doing our own thing when we need to, bunching up for the road walks.
Especially with Alex gone (now just barely behind), I thought I'd hike alone, being behind after Seamus' visit. But, Seamus hiked so fast I was barely behind at all and caught the town-dwellers (hikers caught in the overstimulating town life). Seamus visited for maybe 5 days and it was so nice to have his company and share what our every day life is like. A lot of walking. And drinking hot chocolate.
today we passed Crater Lake and it was so beautiful to gaze at it as we walked around the rim part of the way. The lodge has a great breakfast and it's cheaper than the cafe at the Mazama Village restaurant. Also, I talked to the info center rangers, who were super nice, and they contacted someone to bring me a little box our friend Jacqui left for us when she worked here this summer. I left most of it for the 6-pack because I had already re-supplied, but I do love care packages. We alsmot got the 4-lb bag of brown sugar ino Jellybean's bag, but she showed up just in time. So, Jacqui, the brown sugar and couscous didn;t make it with use. But the chocolate sure was yummy.
Still "behind schedule', but should be to the Mt Hood area at the beginning of September and to Canada by the end of September. That's not much longer in the woods! Hoping to see my family at Breitenbush and Portland friends at Hood or Cascade Locks. Anyone who wants to find us and bring the 6-pack drinks and treats at a highway...trail angel work is very rewarding. Hikers are incredibly excited to see small yummy & refreshing items! And, we aren't a bad group to hike with, especially when we're doing the 6-mile half of the day instead of the 20-mile half.
Thursday, September 18
just moments away...
we are sooooo close to home, just an hour away. in skykomish right now, and looking forward to visitors tomorrow. we had amazing visitors at hwy 90, but didn't make it to the highway until long after dark, after getting distracted by an amazing trail angel who made WHATEVER we wanted 6 miles before the highway. i finally called marta to see if anyone was coming, because otherwise we would have stayed and eaten and drank until the morning. but marta and the boy and the baby were already on the road, so we ran down the rest of the trail, met them in the dark, and drove back up to hang out more with the trail angel. marta and the boys brought amazing food- sushi especially. and we got more amazing food from alex's grandparents and lucy the next day. so, we are incredibly spoiled in this northern part of WA. before highway 90, we had two visits from eric and maureen and yakima peaches, saw and hiked with jon, saw my parents. and unfortunately saw my dad because of a fall my mom took which broke her knee and perhaps made mine feel better (i'm so sorry mom!). i'm sure i owe them services for many months to make up for the trouble i've caused them.
hoping for the weather to hold for our last week and a half, but that's all we have left. can't really believe it. i think the city will be a bit overwhelming. but we will try our best to be social, eat a lot, sleep, watch movies, and maybe finally turn on our phones. hope to see y'all soon.
hoping for the weather to hold for our last week and a half, but that's all we have left. can't really believe it. i think the city will be a bit overwhelming. but we will try our best to be social, eat a lot, sleep, watch movies, and maybe finally turn on our phones. hope to see y'all soon.
Sunday, September 14
Spiff and Six at Snoqualmie Pass TODAY!
Alex and Sye plan to arrive at Snoqualmie Pass TODAY - Sunday, Sept 14 - between 7-9 pm. They will stay until noon tomorrow (Monday, Sept 15).
They hope to see lots of friends. You can meet them tonight at the Summit Lodge (check the Family Pancake House) at the top of Snoqualmie Pass. Their tentative plan is to spend the night at the Denny Creek Campground, which is at Exit 47 off of I-90 (about 6 miles west of Snoqualmie Pass), before returning to Snoqualmie Pass to start hiking at noon.
I just got off the trail, hiking with them (and Tree Beard and Glow Worm) about 70 miles through the Goat Rocks and William O. Douglas Wilderness areas. Yesterday, Chrystell and I met Marta picking berries by Chinook Pass! It's a small world.
After tomorrow morning, the next chance to meet them is at Stevens Pass (along US Route 2, about 1 3/4 hours from Seattle) on Thursday, probably mid-day.
They hope to see lots of friends. You can meet them tonight at the Summit Lodge (check the Family Pancake House) at the top of Snoqualmie Pass. Their tentative plan is to spend the night at the Denny Creek Campground, which is at Exit 47 off of I-90 (about 6 miles west of Snoqualmie Pass), before returning to Snoqualmie Pass to start hiking at noon.
I just got off the trail, hiking with them (and Tree Beard and Glow Worm) about 70 miles through the Goat Rocks and William O. Douglas Wilderness areas. Yesterday, Chrystell and I met Marta picking berries by Chinook Pass! It's a small world.
After tomorrow morning, the next chance to meet them is at Stevens Pass (along US Route 2, about 1 3/4 hours from Seattle) on Thursday, probably mid-day.
Thursday, September 11
Two Oregon visits with the Syester
I had the pleasure of meeting up with Sye twice in the past week.
The first was in Portland on 9/1, where Edith and I stopped off for lunch and visited with Sye and Shoe and ate tacos on the front lawn of their friend's house.
The second was in Cascade Locks on 9/4. I found Sye, Alex, Jellybean, and Kelsey walking along the cycle path with NO PACKS and the pleasure of an iPod boombox. Luxury hiking for sure. Here the crew shuffled around various items between their packs, bump boxes, and care packages. They really liked the my little pony stickers!!!
Also, our dear wonderful mother had sent down FIVE DIFFERENT PAIRS of hiking poles, replete with individually bagged identifying notes and a ONE PAGE typed letter describing the various benefits of each pair of poles. Sye's task was to chose the most suitable set of poles. From Sye's expression in this picture, you may wonder if this was the most challenging task faced thus far in their adventures.
We also ate amazing burgers and malted shakes at the little dive burger shop in town (the menu is in the background). Sye and Alex proudly ordered gardenburgers with bacon, to the fascination of the employees.
The first was in Portland on 9/1, where Edith and I stopped off for lunch and visited with Sye and Shoe and ate tacos on the front lawn of their friend's house.
The second was in Cascade Locks on 9/4. I found Sye, Alex, Jellybean, and Kelsey walking along the cycle path with NO PACKS and the pleasure of an iPod boombox. Luxury hiking for sure. Here the crew shuffled around various items between their packs, bump boxes, and care packages. They really liked the my little pony stickers!!!
Also, our dear wonderful mother had sent down FIVE DIFFERENT PAIRS of hiking poles, replete with individually bagged identifying notes and a ONE PAGE typed letter describing the various benefits of each pair of poles. Sye's task was to chose the most suitable set of poles. From Sye's expression in this picture, you may wonder if this was the most challenging task faced thus far in their adventures.
We also ate amazing burgers and malted shakes at the little dive burger shop in town (the menu is in the background). Sye and Alex proudly ordered gardenburgers with bacon, to the fascination of the employees.
Monday, September 1
snow on the hood!
howdy from ptown! i'm here just briefly, getting out of a snow storm on mt hood and getting rescued and swooped away with six-toed and jellybean from the scary out of doors by our favorite seamus. recently got out of a different storm near breitenbush and met my parents for an amazing few days of hot springs and good food. short end of the story is that oregon is rainy and buggy and i can't wait for a good run of sunny days. also...my knee is sore and needs a rest because i was doing too many miles and tripped a few times. but on the incredibly good side of things, pterodactyl caught me! and although she is now back on the trail hiking to cascade locks, with luck i shall catch her and our friend kelsey tomorrow or the next day.
we have only one month of hiking, and i just hope the weather holds out, and our sleeping bags don't get soaked, and my knee feels dandy, and we will be in Canada so soon! and please come find us. we've been dillydallying, so we can't take long breaks, but some breaks and picnics are good. and if you call our voicemails and say you want to meet up, we can give you our friends phone numbers and mooch off of them and try to call you from the trail.
see you soon!!
spaceman of the spiff
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