C. Dow LaFevers

C. Dow LaFevers

First Year Mathematics PhD Student at Rice University

Day 18

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Today was quite fun. I’ve entered a new bubble so I have met lots and lots of people the past two days. The trail today was very easy, almost all downhill, which is reflected in my high mileage (28 miles according to the map, I’ve setup camp right next to the trail at mile 313.4) despite the fact that I spent 2 hours at an incredible hot springs.

fliwr

The weather today was super nice—sunny but around 60 degrees with a strong breeze up the canyon. This made the never-ending traverse along Deep Creek painless.

rocks viewing

Walking along the creek, I had to carry very little water and thus my pack was light. I think I used the hipbelt for no more than an hour of walking. The creek had many pools ripe for a wade, but because I wasn’t too hot I decided to wait for the famous Deep Creek Hot Springs.

creek

The hot springs were incredible, with one large social pool, a few more secluded pools, and the cool creek right there. Exactly who you expect to meet at such a place were there: two Burning Man official fire breathers, a local guy with a perfectly manicured white beard teaching his navel, a leathery guy who had been there a week and was lecturing nonstop about anything and everything (microdosing poison oak so that he could run naked without fear, goat milk, cults he was part of and cults he narrowly avoided, society in general and c.), alongside several PCT hikers. Every stereotype of SoCal weirdo was present. While our lecturer described how this spring is actually an ancient vortex, I realized that I was absolutely baking in the sun. After scrambling out, drying off, and taping my feet, I realized I had been there for over two hours. A vortex indeed.

spring

I hiked five more miles and found a nice spot by the creek just as the light died out. The trees are quite creaky and, though not dead, make me think it’s timberrrr everyone the wind gusts. If you’re reading this, then I’m probably alive.

sunset

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Day 117

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I don’t think I could have asked for a better birthday than today. I hiked through some of the most choice scenery on the Pacific Crest Trail (for the second time!), we were able to not only ride into nearby Mazama with the first car that passed but actually secure a ride all the way into Seattle for the following day, and I was able to enjoy a great dinner at the Mazama pub with Roadrunner and Free Bird! He slept in today, so he stuck around for the afternoon in Mazama at the Lion’s Den hostel. After an excellent shower at the hostel, I ran into Carmen, a woman traveling with her dog from Mount Hood to Banff on foot via the Pacific Crest and Pacific Northwest Trails, then hopping in their canoe and paddling the whole Columbia River! A truly incredible last day on the PCT.

Day 116

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It’s difficult to write about today because it was a very emotional one. I’ll try to just describe what happened. We navigated the several passes between us and the border with ease and excitement, leaving an eight mile downhill to the border. Since this would also be an eight mile uphill, we decided to drop most of our stuff at Hopkins Lake and travel with just water and some snacks to make the hike back a bit easier. While we were off trail setting our shelters up, we missed Free Bird, a realization I would have a bit later which made me sad, as I thought I wouldn’t get to say goodbye. The hike down was so fast, so when I turned the corner and saw the border monument, I almost didn’t believe it was over. After taking some photos, we climbed back up to the lake with no problems and went to bed.

Day 115

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The heat, though not as oppressive as yesterday, made today much harder than it otherwise would have been. We hiked with Free Bird for awhile, ran into a guy very casually running a fifty mile out and back from Rainy Pass, encountered my first mountain goats as I walked a ridge towards Hart’s Pass, and passed a crew filming a dramatic scene of a priest walking through a talus field. Getting to Hart’s Pass, where all northbound hikers must return after touching the border, felt pretty weird, as it was a physical signal that we were sixty miles from the end. Brushing this off, we walked three more miles and made camp. Tomorrow, I finish the PCT.

Day 114

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After the hottest night I have had on trail—I slept naked on top of a picnic table for maximum airflow—we boarded the bus to leave wonderful Stehekin. On the way, Steve regaled us with more stories, anecdotes, and apocrypha; some highlights: “the national park service didn’t plant those irises, Mary did,” “that’s the only gumball machine within seventy miles!”, “I always like to tell people about this creek.* It’s called Boulder Creek. So now when you’re down valley and someone starts a story with ‘so I was up at Boulder Creek…’ you can say ‘’go on I know where that is.’ A good thing to keep in your back pocket,” “now I already told you about Ed Courtney, that’s the older Courtney…,” “I always say ‘people who want to grow a garden want to grow one like Carl’s,’” “I challenge you to find a single tree in that stand without a dapple of sunlight on its trunk.” I love Steve, he really tickled me. He’s a man who truly loves his town’s history and people as well as its natural beauty. Anyways, we stopped on the way at the legendary Stehekin Bakery, where I bought three massive cinnamon rolls (my breakfast for the next three days), a slice of lemon cheesecake (also breakfast), a peanut butter cookie (also breakfast), and a carrot cake muffin (supposed to be breakfast, but somehow made it to lunch).