July 2, 2018 Tales From the Trail

It’s the Little Things

Mission says that thru-hikers often buy gear that will protect them from the big things out there lurking in the wilderness, bears, storms, the sun.  But sometimes that Bear Can you hauled for miles and miles serves only to protect your food from these little guys which are on every trail and in every forest.  Mission has watched them scamper all over his gear at night looking for a stray peanut or a craisin. The little things come out at night and if you are stealthily hiking alone like the last of the Mohicans, you spot animals that you wouldn’t normally see.  In the desert there were kangaroo rats leaping over the trails at night. And in a northern Sierra forest Mission had a rare sighting of a beautiful bushy-tailed Pine Marten. Mission also expected his tent to keep him dry in a storm or protected in strong winds and it does that beautifully, but for him, so far, the real benefit of his tent has been that it keeps the mosquitoes away from him at night.  These monsters are tiny but they travel in gangs, there truly is strength in numbers. Even the smallest things can make life difficult for the thru-hiker and then……it’s often the small things that make the whole trip worthwhile.  And a puffy makes a difference.

Emigrant Wilderness Sunset

To Cross a Raging River

Spring thaw has arrived full force in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and so several of the stream crossings were dangerous, raging rivers. Granny Hat prayed and prayed for the snow drifts to melt so Mission would have safe passage over the JMT mountain passes and then when God sent his sun to answer that prayer, Granny had to add river crossings to her prayer list.  Granny is always “standin in the need of prayer” and that is a good thing.  Mission and his dad crossed the Kings River pictured here several times over the years and it was a hop, skip and a jump over nice sturdy stones.  Not so for Mission this year.  He told us that when he and a fellow hiker approached the turbulent rush of melted snow they decided to drop their packs and first forge the safest path possible without the topsy turvy burden of their gear.  They had to walk up and down stream a bit to find the most shallow and mellow spot.  Once that was accomplished, they went ahead and carefully crossed, sometimes backtracking to find a firmer place for a step.  Finally they were able to go back, get their gear and cross safely.  Granny doesn’t need to channel Scottish author George MacDonald and launch an explanation of this beautiful allegory.  You, her faithful readers, totally get the point.

Donahue Pass at Sunrise

Those Pesky PUDs

P.U.D.

(n) Acronym for “pointless up-down,” used to express frustration at long or steep uphill climbs that are not rewarded with views at the top. The term is primarily used on the AT, where PUDs are plentiful. In contrast, uphill climbs on the PCT are almost always rewarded with views. However, the stretch north of Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp does have some PUDs. (Through Hike the Pacific Crest Trail official glossary)

Mission would agree that most difficult climbs are rewarding with a view like the one of Donahue Pass above.  Thru-hikers uses incentives to push themselves forward, things like beautiful views, a lovely campsite in a meadow, or maybe an evening campfire.  But when the PUD Blues attack, Mission has to get creative by day dreaming of that giant  burrito he has heard about at the next country store, or remembering that he has one more of these in his pack for a hard climb reward. Mission also has enjoyed listening to podcasts and music while on the trail and that helps chase the PUD Blues away.

Puffy (noun): A name for a down jacket.

Mission hiked through Squaw Valley, Olympic Village yesterday and the snow is truly gone which makes the trekking so much easier.

A thank you to friend and follower John Rachuy, who is like an adjunct blog writer helping Granny Hat coin phrases like “mission control” and “tales from the trail” only he accidentally texted “tales from the trial”  and honestly, that works too!

Mission has a clear view of the stars every night, they are so tiny and so far away, yet they declare loudly who God is.  “the heavens declare the Glory of God and the firmament declares His handiwork”  Psalm 19