August 7, 2018 The Hood, The Horse With No Name & Heroes Unsung

The Hood

Mt Hood dominates the northern Oregon Cascades and PCT thru-hikers trek with purpose toward its slopes because the peak is home to Timberline Lodge and Ski Resort where there is comfortable lodging, re-supply stores and a buffet to call home about.  Mission did just that, called home to tell Granny Hat all about the variety of salads, fresh baked “crunchy on the outside” bread, entrees and desserts, he had no recollection how many plates of food he ate.  He started hiking at 4:30 am to be sure to get there in time for that lunch buffet and he said it was worth it.  Many hikers NERO or ZERO  at Timberline but Mission kept moving, trekking around the south-western flanks of the Hood to head north toward the Columbia River which he expects to cross at Cascade Locks into Washington early Wednesday. August 8.  This will mark his 3 month anniversary on the PCT and will leave him with approximately 500 miles to travel before he heads back to the bustling city, classrooms and books.  Something to look forward to, a different sort of hood.  Like any other “hood”, the mountain has its “graffiti” or as Granny Hat likes to call it, Pole Painting.

Mount Hood is called Wy’east by the Multnomah Tribe and is a strato-volcano and the most likely Oregon volcano to erupt.  It is Oregon’s highest mountain at 11, 249 feet and is located about 50 miles east-southeast of Portland. The mountain was given its present name on October 29, 1792, by Lt. William Broughton, a member of Captain George Vancouver’s exploration expedition.  Lt. Broughton observed the peak on his travels up the Columbia river and wrote,”a very high snowy mountain now appeared rising beautifully conspicuous in the midst of an extensive tract of low land and seemed to announce a termination to the river.”  He named the mountain after Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, a British Admiral at the Battle of the Chesapeake.

Here are some close-ups of Hood’s brothers, Mt. Jefferson and Three Fingered Jack:

The Horse With No Name

Mission made it all the way through the deserts of California without meeting that horse, much less getting to ride him.  But finally a horse with no name was spotted along the PCT in the Cascades, unfortunately head down in a river gorge with hind-end and back legs sticking out of the water in grotesque fashion.  It was obvious that the poor creature had been dead for some time and had escaped from a trail repair or rescue crew to fall down the cliff into the river head first.  Several hikers immediately began horsing around, adding their two cents, yelling “Hay” to get the horse’s attention, making comments about beating a dead horse and leading a horse to water and trying to make him drink.  But it was all in poor taste and they knew it, so the group hoofed it out of there in silence with long faces.  Mission said a ranger told them that in California National Forest Lands when something like this occurs, they dynamite the dead animal to move the remains down river.  Granny Hat did not research this but maybe some of her readers would like to do so.

Heroes Unsung

Granny Hat has highlighted merry meetings with Mission and Trail Angels and there will be a few more.  But she wants to mention some unsung, backstage heroes that deserve thanks.  You have probably noticed that bright orange fluffy that Mission wears on the trail, it has been to the top of Mt. Baden Powell, Mt. Whitney and was spotted in Rick’s Shorts video as well.  That was a gift from Mission’s cousins Jacob and Ninette Young, recently married in June.  It has turned out to be the best gift, any item that has stood the Gram Weanie test and is still on the trek is a winner!  Emily and Kelly Whiteley, Mission’s childhood friends, also sent a care package with letters from home that Mission loved and they tucked Jo-Jos (Trader Joes cookies- Mission’s favorites!) and Lara Bars in there.  They are angels indeed!  Granny Hat’s neighbors, Rick and Kelly May have known Mission all of his life and they sent letters and comfy socks (you can’t have enough clean socks on a trek like this). All of you who have faithfully prayed for Mission and followed his progress are Granny Hat’s heroes and Mission asked me to thank you all again.  He knows that God is answering prayer and helping him overcome tests on the trail.  Granny is asking for 500 more miles of PCT prayers, please.

Mission and Nocello celebrate their 2000 miles on the PCT!

No progress without some pain, Tiger Balm to the rescue.  Granny Hat sent one small tub along with food, new socks, supplies and treats to Trout Lake Store up near Mt. Adams east of Mt. St. Helen’s for Mission to pick up in a few days.  Only several re-supplies left on this epic journey.  Granny’s friends at the Post Office are getting used to her visits and look forward to tracking Mission’s progress with zip codes!  Granny Hat has fun making collage cards to slip into Mission’s re-supply boxes. This one is inspired by one of her favorite songs by Justin Timberlake, kind of makes you want to sing or dance or hike even faster! You’ve got this Mission, got that “good soul in your feet”.