Picking up where I left off on my last post, What Happened – Part 1, I had decided to take a break from my PCT hike and flew back from Reno with Cristina. I didn’t tell anyone that I was coming home and got some interesting reactions when I surprised people. My Mom was a mix of confusion and concern that something had gone wrong, my Dad was relived, my brother was amused that I went to visit my parents unannounced. Overall everyone was generally understanding and happy that I was back. They were also happy to hear that I wasn’t done with the PCT yet. Shortly after getting home I brought Cristina with me for a a day hike on the PCT near Snoqualmie Pass.
A few days later Cristina left on a work trip to Hawaii and I was set to get back on the trail while she was away. My Mom and her partner Lori gave me a ride down to Ashland, Oregon so that I could hike north through Oregon and Washington. During the few days I was home and on the ride down it was really eye opening to see how how much Lori’s Alzheimer’s had progressed and what my mom had to manage everyday. After a long day of driving we arrived in Ashland and checked into a random hotel. We ended up sharing a room where I saw even more of what my mom had to manage. Lori kept unpacking and re-packing clothes, asking where things went, tried to take the paintings off the wall and kept telling my mom that they needed to leave when she was trying to sleep. At one point he even left the room and when my mom went to look for him found him on the other side of the building trying to get into a completely different room.
In the morning at breakfast I started to have second thoughts about getting back on trail. There was a sizable fire just south of Ashland that was making things pretty smoky and while I was excited to get back to hiking it kind of felt like a chore, I was still a bit physically and mentally exhausted from my previous stint on the trail and getting back on trail by myself felt odd. Not to mention my new level of concern for my mom and Lori. When I weighed everything in my mind I came to the decision to go back home. I had already broken my continuous steps and I felt it would be better to get back on trail when it felt right and would be more enjoyable, not just because I felt I had to. On our way back we stopped at Crater lake that was really beautiful despite the haze from all the smoke.
Once I got home I helped my mom with a few things such as yard work, staying with Lori to give her a “break” and helping her clear some things out of Lori’s house, as she was getting ready to sell it. After Cristina got back from Hawaii we got the keys to our new place and got moved in and settled. It was really nice catching up with friends and family that I hadn’t seen in months, it seemed like much longer. However, with a nice place to live and the comforts of home I found myself spending more and more time at home.
The more time I spent at home the more I became a lump. I pretty much adopted the life I would live when I would spend a day or two in town along the PCT. I ate a bunch of garbage food, drank lots of beer and watch random trashy reality shows like Catfish or Naked and Afraid. Now this is fine when its just for a day or two before returning to where a typical day would consist of hiking 15 – 20 miles. However, I found that I didn’t have much interest in hiking, let alone that many miles. It didn’t take too long before I sunk into a depression. Every now and then I would force myself to get out for a hike but it wasn’t enjoyable. I felt sad and guilty for not finishing in one continuous push and worse when I started to realize I wouldn’t finish in that year.
Then the smoke came. Due to a large number of wild fires in Canada and across the Pacific Northwest the whole area was blanketed in a heavy haze of smoke. The ash would collect on cars and people were encouraged to avoid outdoor activities, such as hiking. This lead to even more couch time and a deeper depression.
Luckily, I realized that I had gotten depressed, which can be hard to do. I started meditating again, eating better and living life beyond my couch. The winds changed and the smokey haze was blown away and I was able to start going on some hikes! The exercise and time outside really helped get me out of my funk. I found myself enjoying hiking again.
Eventually, I felt ready to get back on trail and Cristina agreed to drive me back down to Ashland so I could hike north. I was excited. I even gave my backpack a through cleaning.
Then, the Friday before we were set to make the drive down south I got excited in an entirely different way for for entirely different reason, Cristina found out that she was pregnant!!
While this was something we wanted and had planned on getting to after my hike, we were both blissfully in shock. I guess all my time hiking helped things along. As we had planned, a baby on the way meant we were also going to get married! We made the drive down to Ashland, which was a nice way to processes the news and discuss everything that was ahead of us. However, I once again started to think that it might not be the best idea for me to get back on trail. I had this fear in the back of my head that something could go wrong with the pregnancy and I’d be somewhere in the middle of Oregon without a way to get home. There were a few factors, such as our age, that made the pregnancy high risk. Then I saw that it was going to be around 112° F / 44.4° C in Ashland for several days and once again decided to return back home.
As the summer continued I kept hiking and we even took a trip to Canada to visit our good friends Liz, Gord & Sadie.
Once we got past the period of highest risk in pregnancy, I decided once again that I was ready to get back on trail. However, this time I would stay a bit closer to home and hop back on at the bridge of the gods at the Oregon / Washington border. If something did go wrong it would be much easier to get back home. Cristina made it clear that if she gave me a ride down there she wouldn’t give me a ride back if I changed my mind at the last minute. The thought didn’t even cross my mind, I was excited and everything felt right.
After saying goodbye to Cristina I walked across the bridge of the gods, which felt a little awkward as there wasn’t a designated area for pedestrians. A few cars had to swerve around me which was a little unsettling on such a narrow bridge. As I started to hike things felt really good, the further I went the happier I felt. At one point I passed a group of hikers, one of which looked familiar but not familiar enough to stop and say hi, I was on a mission. I’d later figure out that the hiker that looked familiar was someone that started the PCT the same day as I did, his new facial hair must have thrown me off. Since I started a bit later in the day I didn’t make it too far before it started to get dark. I found a place to set up camp, ate dinner and fell asleep.
After falling asleep I was awoken 2 hours later by a deflated sleeping pad. I re-inflated it, fell back asleep and then repeated that every two hours for the rest of the night. I figured that I could patch it the following day when it was light out. When I finally had enough of the leaking sleeping pad I continued on my way, still feeling great despite the not so great sleep. The trail wound through some hills along with some heavily logged areas. Later on I would pass by a tree that was inhabited by fairies and a very happy snail.
Next, there was a pretty significant climb and descent. At lunch I took some time to try to find the leak in my sleeping pad but didn’t have any luck. I was focused and kept pushing on despite being a bit tired and hiked until it started to get a bit dusky. I found a nice spot next to a river to set up for the night. A woman who lived nearby came over to hand out some chocolate chip cookies to those of us camping by the river and say hello. The ground at this spot must have been a bit softer, or I was just that tired, as I didn’t wake up as often to re-inflate my sleeping pad.
The next day the trail dropped down a bit further and eventually came to a road next to a river with a bridge! After the bridge-less river crossings in the Sierra, which left my feet wet no matter how hard I tried, I was very excited to see a bridge. So excited that I took a picture of it.
A little while later I reached another bridge that crossed a larger river which seemed somewhat familiar. After checking my map I realized I was right next to a campground I had stayed at before climbing Mt. St. Helens a few years ago! Eventhough I had just been back on trail for less than two days, a pit toilet was a very welcome surprise. I was also able to fill up my water bottles before hiking up a very steep section of trail. While I still had my hiker legs they weren’t what they were before. After some pushing I reached the top and followed the trail along the ridge.
The trail dipped back down… and then back up.. all with beautiful views along the way. There was a nice mix of hikers going both north and south. I found a nice spot to eat lunch with a view of a partially cloud covered Mt. Adams. It may sound odd but I really enjoyed once again eating tuna wrapped in a tortilla.
After lunch I looked ahead to figure out just how far I was going and where I could camp for the night. I found a nice spot that wasn’t too incredibly far ahead but was right next to a water source, which was the deciding factor. I could have continued on but the next water source was a little too far ahead and I always like being able to fill up my water before heading out in the mornings.
I set up camp, ate some just add water backpacking meal of some sort, filled my water and went to bed. However, I couldn’t fall asleep at all. I continued with the routine from the night before of re-inflating my sleeping pad every two hours but no matter what I tried I could not fall asleep. I tried listening to podcasts, reading, breathing exercises, meditation, nothing worked. I ended up not sleeping at all that night. As I was trying to sleep I weighed my options. I could somehow make my way back to a town big enough that would have a store where I could buy a new sleeping pad. I could continue on to Trout lake and stay in a motel for a night and try to find the leak in my sleeping pad or… I could go home, which is what I decided to do. I was ready to focus on what was back home. As much as I enjoyed being back on trail I felt like my leaking sleeping pad and now not being able to sleep was a sign.
The next day I tiredly followed the trail to a forest road and after a bit of road walking was able to catch a ride from a nice older couple and their grandson. It was kind of weird sitting in the back seat, fresh off the trail, next to a seven year old who just stared at me. However, he made things a bit awkward himself by asking me “Do you ever pee your pants?”. I asked him if he thought that because I smelled but he clarified that I didn’t stink and he was just curious because sometimes he peed his pants.
On the way back to civilization they stopped to get some donuts and very kindly offered to buy me some as well. They dropped me off back at bridge of the gods where I hopped on a bus which took me into Portland. I hopped on the light rail to the train station and caught the train back home.
This time when I headed home I knew I was done for the year as it was pretty late in the season. My time on the PCT in 2018 was amazing time and I was grateful for every minute of it, even the hard parts, but spending a significant amount of time on the trail made me feel unbalanced when there was so much important and exciting stuff to focus back home. Which is exactly what I did.
I officially proposed to Cristina. Yes, I surprised her with a ring on a dinosaur.
I hiked up to Kendall Katwalk, the hike where I first fell in love with the PCT. Along with some other hiking.
There was a lot of wedding planning and eventually an amazing wedding.
Cristina grew our tiny baby.
Then the (not so) tiny baby entered the world. Her name is Pepper.
And on her 2 month birthday Cristina and I took Pepper on her first hike. We went to Mt. Si, which was where we went on our second date and first hike together. Mt. Si was also one of my first “big hikes” when I really got into hiking years ago.
So while I didn’t get to all of the PCT in one continuous push I will continue to hike it in sections until I have hiked every inch of it. I often find myself daydreaming of finishing the last section with Pepper. I want to thank everyone that supported me along the way, especially those who donated to the Alzheimer’s Association. I assure you that I’m not done, I’m already making plans for this summer.
I’ll continue to update this blog as I knock out sections of the the PCT and go on other adventures, with the next big adventure being announced tomorrow!