C. Dow LaFevers

C. Dow LaFevers

First Year Mathematics PhD Student at Rice University

Day 24

Published:

Today we experienced all four seasons, apparently very characteristic of the Mojave. We planned to do a short day in order to hit a quick midday resupply in Agua Dulce on Friday. Despite spending a long time in camp eating breakfast in bed and doing yoga, we crushed the first ten miles so effortlessly that we decided to push a bit further to Acton to resupply and enjoy the delights of the 49ers Saloon.

up across v

This first climb was pleasantly cool, and the same persisted as we headed to a water cache at the North Fork ranger station. Even better than the water (which we didn’t need) was the Rice Krispy Treat and cold Coke we were greeted with on arrival. This of course prompted another break, this time with quite a large and fun group.

pinecone

When we left to continue our massive descent (6k today, with 3k up), we were hit with some massive and very unexpected heat. I felt some beginning heat stroke signs, slowed down and chugged electrolytes + water, plugged in my headphones to blast Sun Kil Moon, and felt better almost immediately. Soon thereafter I fell comically hard, ripping my pants and covering myself in dirt. I fantasized all day about ditching my pants for the first time, and I’m taking this as a sign to look for some shorts. The rest of the descent was much better and I was able to enjoy the fabulous views as I descended precipitously towards Acton.

view 2

Once at the road, we walked through a very bizarre RV park to find a safe place to hitchhike into town. The location was the only safe thing about our hitch into town in the back of a truck bed, which was ultimately quite fun.

The 49ers saloon was a delight: humongous burger and root beer float, free (ie donation based) camping, shower, laundry, and toilet. Unfortunately it rained pretty hard, forcing me to pitch my tarp and solidly my desire to stay at 49ers rather than getting back on trail tonight. Town chores (mainly resupplying and figuring out my next resupply location and timeframe) were a bore and made more difficult by a power outage from the storm which prevented me from eating a grocery store salad. Perhaps for breakfast. All in all an excellent day, ending off trail from Mile 444.3.

hands float burger

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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

Published:

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).