The alarm clock went off simultaneously with Eric opening the door to my room to wake me. Time to go to the airport! What, on a Sunday morning at 6 am? But it wasn't for me to return to the trail....Eric was leaving for Denver for a full week of business trips away from home. So we let Ashley sleep and I drove him to the airport for his early flight.
As much as I wanted to crawl back in bed when I returned to the ranch, I had a lot on my plate to do today.
I spent a good portion of the day working through all of the gear in my pack. I carefully weighed and re-weighed each item, logging the information into my spreadsheet. After I had an accurate list of all the items and the base weight of the pack while in the High Sierras, I began working through items to cut weight for the next section of trail. Things to consider: less thermal winter layers will be needed...but which ones do I cut? Mosquitoes....what layers to wear while hiking through swarms of mosquitoes on hot days? After sorting and studying the list, I cut the base weight of the pack from 26 pounds (including crampons and ice axe) to 20 pounds. Hmmm....if I spent $300 on a lighter sleeping bag and a new Thermarest I could lose another 1.25 pounds....not worth the expense.
Then I packed up as much as I could in anticipation of heading back to the trail sometime later this week.
I worked through the remaining re-supply locations to Canada, determining how many days of food I will need for each section, and reading the details about which towns have access to fuel and post offices, etc. I found that there will be long sections upcoming with no fuel available to re-supply, so I will need to carry additional fuel when I get farther north.
I packaged up Phantom's freeze dried meals for a pending shipment to Ashland, Oregon where he will purchase and mail ahead several food drops to remote locations in Oregon.
A surprise phone call from Frank Sansone and the scout troop took place around lunch time. The troop was on the bus driving through Virginia on the way home from Appomattox and Monticello....it was great to hear from the guys and especially nice that all the scouts in unison cheered me on with a loud hello from inside the noisy church bus!
Ladyface also called from Atlanta to talk trail talk....sounds like she really misses the trail life and maybe will consider getting back on the trail in August to do some hiking in Washington state?
Doodlebug called as well. Her news was that she made the decision to quit hiking this year on the PCT. I am saddened, and also excited for her, as I know she is really looking forward to returning home to spend time with her boyfriend. Hopefully she and I will get a chance to see each other later this week before she flies home.
Summer has arrived in Portland, it was hot and sunny today. Ashley and I drove to Juan Colorado's, a mexican restaurant, so I could get my Mexican fix before returning to the trail. After dinner, we returned to the ranch, picked up Lucy and Maggie, and drove them to a dog park near Eric and Ashley's house. Those canines had a blast, running all over the place, chasing and being chased by other dogs, and wearing themselves out totally. A cocker spaniel in the group had a thing for the sprinklers that kept coming on to water the ballfield/dog park. He managed to stand in front of the high pressure heads with his mouth wide open with the full force of the water hitting him in the face. He managed to drink while doing this, I was amazed that he could withstand the force of the water and could still manage to drink without drowning!
My darned foot continues to peel and peel away dead skin, revealing more and more new skin which is baby soft but equally baby tender to the touch. The open wound is still trying to close off, but it is really taking a long time. My latest thinking is that I will get back to the trail late this week and begin hiking with slow, low mileage for a few days until the foot completely heals and I get my trail legs back.
I am so anxious to return to the trail, and so torn about where to get back on....if I skip the section north of VVR to a place where I'll be with my fellow hikers....well, it could be snowed in by the time I get to Canada then return to hike the last section. And if I go back to VVR....I'll be 200 miles south of the pack and will have to hike alone through the snow fields and the fords that remain in the Sierras, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, and beyond. This is my quandary for now....figuring out the best approach to continuing the hike. Soon I will have to make a decision and live with it.
