Above Six Horses Springs
Miles: 25
Trip: 1028
I stayed up tonight, socializing with Hotshot, Snausage and Shaggy so this entry will be short. I want to get hiking by 7am tomorrow, hopefully regain the strong rhythm I had pumping today. For a full 22 miles, I felt like the trail was a competition on my home track, and the race was mine. From 8am on, my pace was around three miles an hour - very speedy for me. I hate to give technology so much credit (since a well-rested, well-fed body did all the physical work), but my mental state was all music-enhanced. Listening to my iPod transformed a stop-and-go, inconsistent pace into a steady steam engine stride. Music may just be my spinach.
We also got the treat of Thielsen Peak and Creek, both reminiscent of bygone Sierra days. The terrain after that was more vanilla, but still pretty and very smooth hiking. Even a little snow on the trail for variety!
We hit the Oregon/Washington PCT highpoint (not nearly Forrester caliber, but still a respectable 7,560 feet) and tried calling Andrew's friends d=rt and Tree. Andrew hiked with these crazy cats in 2007, and shared an apartment with d=rt for a year in Helena (yes, d=rt is his trail name. It is the physics equation for distance = rate x time). We'll be staying with them when we get to Bend and wanted to give them our ETA. Strangely, both their phones were out of service range...
We found out why in a few hours, with one of the deepest disappointments of our trip so far. In the middle of a trail intersection, a note under a rock from Tree said we'd just missed them - and a BBQ!? APparently they were on the PCT only two hours before we passed, although the BBQ part is still a mystery. BBQ chicken? Pulled pork? The speculation tortured us for the last five miles, along with the agonizing questions of why we hadn't known they'd be here!
Well, all will be revealed when we get to Bend. Hopefully, taking this alternate route tomorrow will mean Bend happens sooner than we'd planned. Then d=rt and Tree have some 'splainin to do!
"It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves - in finding themselves"
Shaggy says:
The day was great. We hiked 25 miles and Lauren said it was the first time she felt good doing that many miles. She flew today too. I honestly had trouble keeping up with her.
We hiked the first 8 miles by ourselves. It felt good to hike at my own pace and in such an amazing place. Tielson Creek was beautiful. Crystal clear freezing cold runoff coming right off of Mt. Tielson. Its amazing how a little thing like good tasting water can really make a hikers day great.
The day seemed to fly by. We spent a lot of time dreaming of the food, beer, and company we will have in Bend in a few days. Then, around 3 pm we found a note on the trail, it read... 8/13 12:45 PM, Shaggy and Grolar Bear- sorry you missed the bbq, we will see you in Bend in a few days... Tree, d=rt, and Sage. We missed them by 2 hours! Our minds raced as we tried to figure out when the bbq was, where it was, and how far we were from a road. We were also, of course, sad to miss Tree and d=rt. Would have loved to play with Tree's dog Sage too. We were both frustrated and excited to see them soon.
Now its 9 pm, time to sleep. I am really enjoying our new friends company, Snausage and Hot Shot. Glad we have gotten to know them and hope we will see them more in the future.
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| Thielsen Peak. Some hikers take a sidetrip to climb this big daddy but we didn't have that part of the guide...next time! |
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