Fire and Snow. And Oregon.

Well….

I made it back to Etna. My heart is very heavy, but I will push on.

What have we read on that blaze the other day. PCT = Persistence Creates Toughness. And I need to be more tough. Yes I do.

So I go on without Felix, though it does indeed break my heart.

The Canadians are super nice to me, and so are Roadrunner and Swiss Miss. I am again so lucky that I meet amazing people at the right time.

I wonder why this happens?

Roadrunner and Swiss Miss invite me for dinner in the park. They make pasta with real veggies (!), served in awesome hiker trash style.

So we eat and have a few beer together and talk about lots of things. I can forget a bit how sad I am.

We meet Hot Thumbs, she will head to the trail head together with us tomorrow.

At night I share a hotel room with the wonderful Canadians.

We all have one last town breakfast before we hit the trail again.

We get a ride in the back of a pickup to the trail head, exactly like Felix and I had come down almost 5 days ago.
That already makes me melancholic again, as I remember our fun and spectacular ride down to Etna so well.

We hit the trail and soon see the smoke…

I had seen the fire in Etna already, and the PCT leads us exactly towards it.

It is rather threatening, we get closer to it and smell the smoke. We can even see flames!

Oh my.

We had walked through so many burnt woods on the PCT and now the fire threat has become so real and close.

This all does not feel right to me: Andy is not here. Felix is not here. We walk towards a forest fire which already pollutes the air, and “The Bowl” as everybody seems to call it, is lurking with its old snow up there on some bloody north face of a bloody mountain.

Damn.

I am a bit worried that we have to sleep where the fire is, but the PCT leads us around the mountain, the fire is out of sight.

I can still smell the smoke though and at night I can’t see the stars through the smoke.

Oh well.

I am still sad. I just can’t get my head around and adapt to the new situation.

I miss my trail family so much!!

But I had decided to be strong (dare I say tough?) and hike on, so I am going to do this. And I have the Swiss and the Canadian couple with me, who are so nice.

We leave camp and soon reach the “Bowl” thing.

Oh my.

Yes, there is lots of snow here. And yes, it is steep. And no, there is no path anymore, we have to find our own way up.

Alright then, time to put on the microspikes once again.

It is slippery, steep, and exhausting.
Up up up through the snow. Carefully and focused.

“The Bowl” turns out to be not as bad however as what we did back at the Moosehead, but it is a long and steep and slippery, and exhausting climb up.

The snow is surely melting fast now, so there is hope that this mess will soon vaporize!

Done! We made it!

We all high-five each other and are relieved that the thing is now behind us.

Looking down the other side of the saddle we see this spectacular lake with ice in it. The path does not go there, so we can just get a glimpse from above.

OK, onward we must go. Destination Paradise Lake tonight. Oh this day is so exhausting. We hike and hike and it is so hard.

We check our map apps and see it is now only about 3 miles to Paradise Lake. I am so glad to be there soon, as I need to go horizontal asap!

We hike around a mountain to a north facing side… And you know it already… there is more snow on the path….! After such a hard day, there is more snow to conquer just before hiker midnight!

“Oh PCT!”

“Why are you so hard today?”

Microspikes on again.

We stumble over the snow, Swiss Miss and I swear a lot, as we are both really really tired. Roadrunner is doing well and way ahead.

We FINALLY reach Paradise Lake and set up our tents, have a quick wash, eat, hang the bear bag, and go to sleep.

One minute later (at least that’s how it feels like) it is 6 am again. Time to get up and hike.

The morning light by the lake is so very beautiful. But I can not really enjoy it. I still miss my trail family and wish they were here to see this.

Oh I am such a softy and need to become tougher!

Note to myself: “Don’t get so attached anymore!”

We hike on, 1’200 meter down towards Seiad Valley.

The PCT is still the PCT of course, it is still amazing to be out here, but it is just not the same anymore without my guys.

To me, it is as if I am having a candle light dinner, and somebody switched on the neon light. It is still a candle light dinner, but just not quite the same anymore, even though it is so beautiful out here.

Swiss Miss and Roadrunner are super nice people though. And they understand that I am a bit down and just let me have my sad moments. And they cheer me up.

“Look over there! A bear!”, Swiss Miss whispers.

He has a long tail and walks elegant like a cat! Holy shit!! This is not a bear, this is a mountain lion!!

So we all get to see a real true mountain lion! Just before we head into Seiad Valley. What a truly spectacular privilege!

We go into the one and only coffee shop and have a big breakfast party.

We all charge our phones and play with them. And at the same time we eat. All at once! It is just always such a feast to have a power outlet, Wifi, AND REAL FOOD after a few days in the wild.

Inside the coffee shop we have air-conditioning, outside we have 100 Fahrenheit (38°C!) There is no way we are going to hike up the mountain in this heat, specially as we have to get 1’000 meter up again to camp upstairs there on the saddle.

We hang out in the shade and start hiking in the evening.

It is the first time since almost three months that I plug in my earplugs. I need loud and fast music to make it all the way up this mountain tonight.

Holy holy shit! The music hits me like ecstasy! I burst into an unbelievable energy and almost run up the whole bloody mountain. I have never ever before experienced such an energy within me.

I listen to the same album about 4 times, until we make it to the saddle. I see a waterfall up there, throw my pack to the floor and jump right in. With clothes and boots still on.

Woooaaah! I am soaked.

It’s dark, we set up camp, and go to sleep.

Today, me and my legs are super tired. Somehow the trail has become harder. I don’t know whether this is because I am hiking for almost three months now and am just tired, or whether this is because we do 20 miles (plus) days, or whether the terrain is specially hard, or whether I just find everything harder without my daily dose of Felix’s smile? I don’t know. Maybe a little of all.

After lunch break we tend to treat ourselves to some 30 mins-ish power naps.

But you know what? We are now 6 miles short of the Oregon border! That is another huge milestone, just like Kennedy Meadows has been!

We camp in California one last time.

I hike super fast, as I really really want to make it to this damn border asap. I can’t wait. I arrive there super sweaty.

I made it!

I made it all the way up to Oregon!

There is a trail register right at the border and I write down a little thank you message, next to my name:

“Thank you to everyone who stood by my side and made it possible that I am now standing here at the border to Oregon!”

Onwards we go, now on Oregon soil. I am so tired and my legs hurt big time. It is very hard today again. 25 miles. But it is rather beautiful here in Oregon!

I have cell reception and am in contact with Felix. There is a chance that he comes back to the trail soon and meet us somewhere!

That would be simply awesome! Perhaps Andy comes back too when we all reach Washington together and we can push on together to Canada! :)

That would be double awesome.

Let’s see, we will now first get some rest in Ashland. I am looking forward to check out the bakeries and restaurants! And eat lots of real food!

And drink lots of Coke and beer!

And just hang out with Swiss Miss and Roadrunner!