Western Red Cedar's Journal

Where are you and where are you going?
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Alphaville
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by Alphaville »

ertyu wrote:
Thu May 13, 2021 1:12 am
It's nice to hike and walk with others and talk,
nnnaaaah... :D

best of both worlds i think is going with another silent hiker. a serious delight. can be hard to find though.

i've been thinking about the long silent sequence in "rififi" lately. it's great not just because the thing is unusual in the movies; but there is a lot of real pleasure in silence and silent work.

Western Red Cedar
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by Western Red Cedar »

@mF - thanks for the suggestions. I'm keen to check out the John Muir Laws channel. The habit I developed over the years on overnight trips is to stop at each creek or stream to sit, relax, and observe. I started this when purifying water, taking a short break, and noticing the animal life that appeared.

I also usually bring a book with me. It probably isn't the best for being present in the moment, but it allows me to sit quietly for a few hours. Animals tend to become very comfortable with my presence at this point. Over the weekend I had a group of deer come graze near me while reading, and watched different birds tending to their young.

@ertyu/alphaville - I definitely tend to walk and travel alone when in the woods. Most of my backpacking trips are solo, but that is simply because I would go out a lot less if I was waiting for others to clear their schedules. I've been a walker since college, and I do some of my best thinking while walking. I think part of it is that I silence my brain after a while, and solutions to work/academic problems tend to work themselves out.

@grundomatic - I'm a pretty regular walker and I have a few different preferred routes I travel. I live near a large river and have some spots that I regularly visit and observe - typically on my lunch break. I'm also guilty of powering through my hikes and walks, but my favorite moments/memories always seem to occur when I stop to take things in for a few minutes.

My parents also have a cabin with some acreage and I'm pretty keyed into the natural environment up there. I keep a close eye on tree species associations, microclimates, animal tracks, new growth in the spring, etc... I read somewhere recently (maybe these forums?) that one of the benefits of heating with wood is that you begin to pay much closer attention to your environment - types of trees, standing snags, ease of access to different parts of the property.

Married2aSwabian
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by Married2aSwabian »

Getting inspired to do more hiking and backpacking reading this thread! We’re going camping here in MI this weekend, so that will be a nice getaway and it’s finally warmed up again. ;)
A solo backpacking trip isn’t something I’d considered previously, but reading your comments WRC / ertyu, I’m inspired. The solitude must be rejuvenating and make it possible to connect more with nature. I’ll start with some shorter local trips for one or two nights nearby.

I’m also inspired to move up my retirement date! Whenever something annoying happens with work, I tell DW that I just moved it up from 21 months to 20 ... now 19, etc. :D

Western Red Cedar
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by Western Red Cedar »

@M2aS - A solo trip is definitely worth trying out, but I would always opt for a trip with a friend or group just about anytime. I make sure to do at least one solo overnighter around my birthday as a gift to myself and for time to reflect and plan. Backpacking with others is great - safer, lighter loads, and someone to share the inspiring vistas with. This assumes you actually enjoy this person's company. After doing this for 15+ years I also realize that life gets complicated and you may not have that many opportunities to spend time with friends in the backcountry, so it is nice to make those memories when you can.

One of the reasons I do so many solo trips is that most of my friends have kids, so they only get a few limited opportunities to spend a night or two away. I also tend to be opportunistic in terms of getting into the backcountry. I'll keep an eye on the weather as the weekend approaches, see if my projects are under control at work, and decided to take off on a Thursday or Friday afternoon with limited notice. It's a tactic that allows me to get out more, but not great for going with friends/family who are working full-time.

Local day hikes and walks are a different story though. I really enjoy doing those solo, and probably go out at least a few times per week - more in the spring through the fall.

Western Red Cedar
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by Western Red Cedar »

Trip Report - Wenaha River

I made it out for my first backpacking trip of the season last weekend. I was originally planning on a trip to the Coeur D'Alene National Forest, but the weather forecast had lows of 32 F at night. I was asking a coworker about his experience on that trail and what elevation the snowpack was at, and he mentioned the Wenaha River as a good early season option. I had glanced at it a few times in one of my hiking guidebooks, but hadn't seriously considered it this year. After looking more closely and calculating drive time, I decided this was the winner. I had only made one trip out to the Blue Mountains in Oregon (previously documented here) in Eagle Cap Wilderness. The Wenaha is part of a separate National Forest - the Umatilla - but in the same vicinity. It is a wild and scenic river, and goes through the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness Area.

DW was able to only work a half day on Friday so I could get out of town by 1:00. The forecast had changed a bit later in the week and they were now predicting 35% chance of rain. I figured that was fine, I have good rain gear, and I might miss the storm anyway.

The drive through SE Washington and NE Oregon was stunning and I hadn't been through these corners before. I was starting to get a bit concerned about the weather as I pulled over at some scenic overlooks along the way.

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Nonetheless, I was feeling good on the open road, enjoying the scenery, and blasting some great music. I arrived at the trailhead around 5:30 and it after getting a few short showers while driving, it looked like the storm had passed. I slathered on the sunscreen and hit the trail in high spirits. It was an amazing place and not quite like anything I experienced before. Fairly arid, but also very green and lush along the canyon walls. The trailhead starts at the confluence of the Grand Ronde and Wenaha Rivers. The elevation starts at around 1,900 feet and slowly increases as you travel deeper in the wilderness.

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After about a half hour of sunshine and great weather, the clouds started rolling in again and I felt a few drops. I figured I should take out my rain shell and backpack cover just in case. I'm glad I did because it started dumping. I made it to the first potential campsite a few miles in around 7:00 and looked around at some different spots. The rain started coming down hard again and I realized I probably wasn't going to hike another couple miles to the next backcountry site. I quickly got my tent out and set it up. Unfortunately it wasn't quick enough. The 45-60 seconds that it took to get the rainfly on pretty much soaked the tent, which meant I had water dripping through for the next 12 hours. In hindsight I realized I should have just waited for the storm to pass. I came to this conclusion after setting up my tent, and waited to unload the rest of the gear. Standing in the rain, very wet but protected with rain gear, while the rain cover did it's job keeping everything else dry in my bag.

Typically I grab a tarp from the back of my vehicle to use as a footprint for the tent. Forgot to do that, and that was a major mistake. The rain eventually stopped and I got my air mattress and sleeping bag set up. Unpacked my gear and had a simple dinner of nuts and a Lara bar. Unfortunately the ground was pretty wet, water was dripping in, and everything was a bit damp. I was also camped on a river bar that had been heavily damaged by forest fires. It was hard enough finding a decent tent site without proximity to hazard trees, but I realized there were no good options to hang a bear bag.

I put on some warm clothes, opted to just keep my food in the tent with me, and read for a while. My night didn't go well and I wasn't in a great headspace. I was cold, wet, and slightly paranoid about bears which is very unusual for me. The next morning the sun was shining and I had to strategize my route. I thought about doing a 20 mile trip, which would require another 6-7 miles on Saturday, and then a 10 mile hike out and long drive on Sunday. My tent and some of my gear was still wet, so i decided I would just leave it there to dry out, camp here another night, and do a long day hike.

This ended up being a wise choice, because the bridge at one of the creek crossings 6 miles in had burned in a wildfire. I talked to another hiker who said the water was up to her hips and not fordable. I did see a couple older guys on horse that seemed to make it across.

Saturday went much better. The sun was out, but I got an early start and hiked in cool weather taking in the scenery. About 15 minutes into the hike I saw three deer fording the Wenaha. A good start to the day! If you look closely you can see them.

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The wildfire had torn though much of the canyon, but it was still active with birds and other wildlife:

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The wildflowers were popping and I was in much better headspace now:

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The fact that I got turned around at the 6-mile mark with the raging creek was a blessing in disguise. I had a long leisurely lunch and time to read and journal near the river. It was still late morning and I had a whole day to myself. While hiking back I saw a small river bar with a trail. It lead to an amazing little spot, right across from a heavily vegetated canyon wall. The river bar had some sand, and a nice spot for a small tent. I thought briefly about going back to my camp, coming back here, and setting up. It didn't make a lot of sense though, and I figured the better choice was to spend 3-4 hours chilling here, reading, making some tea, and enjoying the river.

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I brought Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic with me to help prompt some ideas about creative endeavors to pursue on our international adventures. It was an easy read, and helped reframe a couple cognitive distortions in my professional, rather than my creative life. As I was reading I watched a small bird flying back and forth from the canyon wall, seeming doing a small dance. I realized after a few minutes it had babies in the cracks of the canyon wall, and was working constantly to feed them. After about an hour I looked up and saw a large Canadian Goose perched on a rock staring at me. I looked at the picture posted above, that I had taken when I first arrived, and sure enough she had been there the whole time. A nice reminder how oblivious I can be.

Anyway, it was an inspiring afternoon after a somewhat humbling evening the day before. I packed up and headed back to camp to enjoy the last few hours of daylight there. Just before dusk a woman and her young son who was probably about four, came down the trail and asking if I knew of any camping spots. Lucky for them I had scoped out the river bar pretty thoroughly by this point and was able to show them the best spot. Very cool to see a young mother taking her son out into the backcountry.

I packed up early the next day and enjoyed a leisurely hike out. Grateful for a successful trip in a beautiful area that I'd never seen, and a bit humbled by mother nature.

RoamingFrancis
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by RoamingFrancis »

God that's beautiful. I have to get out into the wilderness. Thank you for inspiring me with your backpacking!

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mountainFrugal
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by mountainFrugal »

Great photos, storytelling, and introspection.

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Egg
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by Egg »

Western Red Cedar wrote:
Sat May 15, 2021 11:44 am
Trip Report - Wenaha River
Gosh, that's absolutely glorious. Beautiful

Frugalchicos
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by Frugalchicos »

Thanks for your journal. Not only you have beautiful pictures that take my imagination back to the mountains of The Basque Country, but you are inspiring.

You and The Animal are the guys I feel more jealous about because of the your hikes and contact with nature.

I will get back to my mountains and ocean once I finish my raid in the US.

Western Red Cedar
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by Western Red Cedar »

@RF,mF,Egg, and FC - Thanks for the kind words. I'm really trying to make the most of the PNW while I'm living here. Our early FI plans involve some extended slow travel, so I want to make sure I explore and appreciate as much as possible, within a reasonable distance, right now.

---------

My in-laws came into town over the weekend. We hadn't seen them in about 18 months. We made good use of our patio for dinner and conversations on Friday and Saturday evening. They treated us to some delicious Thai takeout on Friday. I was surprised that Thai dishes now run $15-18 for dinner. I said we could cook at home, but DW and her parents wanted Thai, which I also love. $75+ for dinner seems crazy, but it was a celebration and they wanted to treat us. We made a garden salad and homemade thai peanut dressing as a side. I took them out for a short, 3-mile hike that is a local gem on Saturday and they were blown away. We had a leisurely afternoon (with more takeout and ice cream) in the park. I insisted we would make our homemade sourdough pizza for dinner. We served with roasted garlic and infused olive oil, homemade ranch w/ fresh dill, pickled peppers, along with a salad. They were thoroughly impressed yet again. It was fun to play host and reconnect. I'm fortunate to enjoy the company of my in-laws and have a solid relationship with them.

On Sunday I broke my personal record for cycling with a 50.1 mile trip. I was out in 83-84 degree weather for most of it. My body felt good but I think I was starting to get a bit of heat exhaustion near the end. Lots of sunscreen and water helped. I saw Heron, Bald Eagles, Canadian Geese, different types of ducks and mallards, and loads of colorful songbirds along different creeks and wetlands.

I stopped for a nice break at my sister's house and talked to my brother-in-law for a half hour. He had just returned from my parent's homestead and our neighbor signed the paperwork for the property sale. They'll close on the property later this summer and will allow our neighbor to live there through the fall. My parent's are going to buy 10 acres to help support the deal, so my sister will have 35 acres with a house and large shop. The collective holdings are 74 acres and we now have access to over 1,000 acres of public land.

I've known the neighbor for 30+ years and the deal seems to be a win-win. He's selling it for $25,000 less than asking and doesn't need to pay a realtor or closing costs ($16,000). He gets to stay on the property for one more summer and has time to deal with a lifetime worth of possessions. My BIL will get to learn how the solar system, irrigation system, and other facets of the property work. My parents are excited and my dad is working on the tiny house so my sister has a better base if they need to work on the new property over the summer. Fortunately he picked up a lot of building materials a year or two ago before prices went through the roof.

Western Red Cedar
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by Western Red Cedar »

Frugalchicos wrote:
Mon May 17, 2021 9:13 pm
You and The Animal are the guys I feel more jealous about because of the your hikes and contact with nature.

I will get back to my mountains and ocean once I finish my raid in the US.
Spending time in nature is one of my passions, but I also really love cities. Well designed cities often have great trails, parks, access to the water, and other natural features. I think Chicago would fall into this category with its exposure and access to Lake Michigan (though I've never been there). Make sure to make the most of the natural environment in the states while you are here. There are lots of great options for hiking and camping outside of the City as well. Other forum members based in the midwest probably have some good tips and recommendations.

I'd actually love to spend a year or two living in Chicago at some point.

mooretrees
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by mooretrees »

Wow, great updates! Love to see and read about your adventures and how you're still learning each time you head out the trail. Really neat to hear that the family property is getting bigger and more hands on deck. I hope you keep us informed as things develop there. It's cool that your family and the neighbor were able to make a good deal for both parties.

Frugalchicos
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by Frugalchicos »

I think Chicago would fall into this category
Agree, Chicago has a lot to offer, specially living by the lake. I live in Lakeview which is right by the park, zoo and beach. I actually feel I need to live close to a body of water if I don't want to loose my mind.

I used to go camping in Wisconsin, Michigan and other places in Illinois. Starve Rock, Kettle Moraine and Indian Dunes are some of our favourite sites. Definitely, Chica and I have the goal of visiting Yosemite, Yellowstone and Zion before leaving the US.

Western Red Cedar
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by Western Red Cedar »

@MT - always a pleasure to share with you fine folks. I definitely felt like a bit of a novice on my backpacking trip. I went out with my brother-in-law a couple years ago and he had a laminated list for backpacking supplies. I don't know how I hadn't thought of that. I finally decided to make one before I went out. I forgot to add bug spray, but fortunately they weren't bad when I was out. I also thought I broke the zipper on my tent, and had an open flap for 24+ hours with a little added protection from the rain fly. DW ended up fixing it for me when I got back to town and I was pretty stoked as that would have affected my plans for an overnight bike trip.

Still planning on moving forward with the documentary later this year. Will post some of the goals I developed related to that and other things soon. I've been working on the "storyline" for the documentary mentally for a while now. It seems like storytelling is one of the most important facets of film...and I do love to spin a good yarn :D . It will likely focus on my parent's story as much as the cabin. They were hippies who met in Greece and have a pretty unique courtship, so I think it will make a good backdrop for how they migrated out west and lived off the land. I've still got to make sure they are comfortable with me filming this. I've mentioned it and they seemed interested, but if I'm going to put some effort into it I'd like to submit it to a local film festival or two.

@FC - Good to hear you are making the most of the local scene in Chicago. I remember sitting in the Himalayas in my mid-20's and thinking how crazy it was that I hadn't been to one of the most iconic mountains in my home state. That realization drove me to get out and experience as much of the wilderness in the Western US that I can while I'm here.

I also relate to the desire to live by water. I feel the same. I've had the book "The Blue Mind" on my shelf for a long time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ANB5nDW9q8

mooretrees
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by mooretrees »

Thought of you and your advocation for structural changes to address climate change listening to this podcast. https://gimletmedia.com/shows/howtosaveaplanet/xjh53gn

Their take away was that yes, individual actions aren't really useful unless you can influence others to make changes as well. Be curious what you think of it if you listen.

Western Red Cedar
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by Western Red Cedar »

Great podcast. Thanks for sharing! I wasn't anticipating the pivot at the end that focused on identifying your strengths and interests, and using those to take bigger steps in the climate change battle professionally. This represents my approach, and where I've placed my professional focus for the last 10+ years. This is one of the reasons I have mixed feelings about walking away from my career.

This eloquently sums up the conundrum IMO:
Jin+Guice wrote:
Sat May 08, 2021 6:36 pm
I think that it's lazy not to try and save humanity from itself and arrogant to think you'll actually succeed.
Lately I've applied a Buddhist lens on my climate change thoughts. As I was sitting in the Wenaha, surrounded by a landscaped scarred by wildfires, I realized that the natural world is going to bounce back. Things will go on in a different way hundreds or thousands of years from now. The larger loss of biodiversity is tragic, but change is a fundamental part of reality.

---

But....I've also always loved the Margaret Mead quote: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, It's the only thing that ever has."

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Last edited by Western Red Cedar on Sun May 30, 2021 5:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Western Red Cedar
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by Western Red Cedar »

Financial Update:

NW - 399, 340 (+6,222)

Another step forward financially. It was honestly nice to see the markets take a bit of a breather considering the rapid increases we've seen over the last year. The last few months I've been less focused on money, and it seems like a minor backdrop now. I can more than cover my share of the household expenses. When I look at a 5% SWR, I feel really good about the kind of life that could support. I'm sure it will all feel different when I don't have a steady income coming in though.

Work Stuff:

I'm looking forward to taking some time off work over the next six weeks. The last couple of months have been pretty brutal. I told my boss during my annual evaluation that i've been pretty burned out for the last 6+ months and didn't know if I would last much longer than a year. Probably not the smartest thing to say, but I'm secure in my job and wanted to let him know. I felt a little bad because he clearly doesn't want to see me leave, and tried to brainstorm about bringing a consultant on board to relieve me. The problem with that it would take at least a couple months to bring someone on, and I would be the one managing them, which is sometimes even more work than just doing things myself.

I'm pretty sure I could negotiate an unpaid sabbatical, but I'm not even certain I want to work in an "office" environment again. My current plan is to just keep plugging away and enjoy time with friends and family over a beautiful PNW summer. I'll see how I feel about work in the fall and decide then whether a sabbatical is the best fit, or if I'm just going to pull the plug completely.

Hobbies and other musings:

I think I'm going to try for a multi-night tour through Idaho the third week of June. I may do a trial run for a quick overnighter to try out my gear, or I may just jump straight into the trip. I'll need to start early in the morning (maybe 6:00ish) to avoid the heat. I'm planning on starting from my doorstep.

We've been doing a lot of trip planning for an international adventure at some point later this year or next year. Even started buying some supplies. Right now I'm thinking of starting in Playa del Carmen and working our way south, eventually ending in Buenos Aires. We may spend multiple months in Mexico, or move on to Guatemala and Colombia after a month in Playa. I'm planning on doing mostly 1 month stays to keep costs down and have plenty of opportunities to explore locally. After Buenos Aires we would either head over to SE Asia or to Europe.

Much of the itinerary depends on when we wrap things up at work and if I end up taking a sabbatical. If I know I'm coming back to work, we probably don't need to be quite so budget conscious and could spend a few months in Europe. If I don't have a clear timeline to be back at work, we may opt to travel longer and spend more time in budget-friendly locales like SE Asia.

Married2aSwabian
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by Married2aSwabian »

Wow, I hadn’t checked out your pics from hiking around CdL. Awesome!

What part of ID will you be hiking in three weeks? I still feel like I have unfinished business in the Sawtooths and will be back out to backpack that loop in the near future.

Feel like I’m on the same page as you and others here as far as the (much lower) amount of BS I’m willing to put up with at work, when the endgame is in sight!

Western Red Cedar
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by Western Red Cedar »

@M2aS - I ended up bailing on the CdL trip and went to the Blue Mountains in NE Oregon instead on the recommendation of a friend from work. The trip in a few weeks will be my first overnight bicycle trip. I'm looking at a 250 mile bike trip, probably over 4 nights/5 days. The camping is all at established campgrounds as there aren't any opportunities for stealth camping on the route I'm looking at.

I may try to head out for a quick backpacking trip the weekend before the bike trip though as I'll have the time off work. Not sure where yet.

The Sawtooths look amazing. They are a pretty long drive for me, so I haven't made it out that direction yet.

Western Red Cedar
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Re: Western Red Cedar's Journal

Post by Western Red Cedar »

Trip Report - Kettle Crest Trail

I made it out to the Colville National Forest for a backpacking adventure last weekend. I'm anticipating some pretty severe wildfires this year due to the drought, so I've tried to get out earlier in the season. It was a nice opportunity to get my mind off of work. I opted for a 20 mile loop called the Jungle Hill Loop with a side trip to the summit of Columbia Mountain (6,780 ft). I had been to this area a few years ago and hiked south along the ridge. The Kettle Crest Trail is a part of the Pacific Northwest Trail.

I parked near Sherman Pass, and opted to hike the most challenging part of the loop first. This included an elevation drop of roughly 1,000 feet over 4 miles, followed by a 3.5 mile hike with 2,000 ft. of elevation gain. I initially planned to go out for two nights and three days, but decided to make it into two long days as the weather was dropping into the 20's on Saturday night and there was a good chance of rain.

The first 7.5 miles of the hike were brutal. Some of the worst hiking and backpacking I've ever experienced. There was literally between 300-500 blowdowns across the trail. It wouldn't have been too bad if I had a small pack on a day hike, but with a full 30 lb. pack it was quite dangerous trying to climb over, under, and around trees. We had a pretty severe windstorm here a few months ago, but looking around that stretch of woods I realized that the blowdowns would continue year after year. There were thousands of standing snags just waiting to come down in future years. It looks like it was the result of mountain pine beetles, and to a lesser extent spruce budworms. While I was on the trail I didn't think it was the pine beetle because it seemed like most of the affected trees were Douglas Firs. Unfortunately it looks like the bark beetles affect more than just pine trees.

I crossed a beautiful creek at the 4 mile mark. This was close to a national forest campground and was the best source of water on the trail. There were a few mountain springs up on the ridge, but they were also used for cattle and not quite the same as filling up from a beautiful mountain stream. I was struggling at this point, and decided to take a long break here to rehydrate and make a big pot of oatmeal with trail mix (partially to cut on my weight).

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After 30-45 minutes of watching the river flow and airing out my feet I was in a better mood and felt ready to tackle the hike up to the crest. I naively thought that the next section might be clear of trees, but realized after about 100 feet that I wasn't going to be that lucky. The blowdowns weren't quite as bad, but still significant and not fun to navigate. The nice feature of this section was some old growth trees, some of which were massive. It was really cool to see a couple of old growth Tamaracks, because I've only seen those in one other place (in NE Washington). This section also had more cliffs and meadows with viewpoints, which was great for taking breaks.

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I made it to the backcountry camp around 6:30 and was relieved to be done with the hike for the day. The camp was designed for people with horses, and ranchers regularly bring cattle up through the national forest to graze in the summers. The camp had a huge fire pit and was in a little forested cove, but a lot of the trees were standing snags. I had passed through a beautiful meadow right before the camp, so I decided to head back and see if I could find something that resembled a flat spot for my small tent. Typically I wouldn't camp in an alpine meadow because they are sensitive habitats, but I didn't feel very guilty considering cattle regularly grazed here. I found something that looked pretty good (and felt differently multiple times in the night as I was still on an awkward slope. The views though - quite sublime:

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I spent a couple hours hanging in the meadow watching the sun slowly set. The views just got better and better. Typically I head into my tent to read or journal with a headlamp after hanging my bear bag. I just sat and watched the horizon because it was so stunning. Occasionally walking down the trail to snap some new photos (I saved the best photos for myself :) )

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My legs were aching pretty bad the next day. The back of my left knee felt off, and I think the ligaments were inflamed. I experienced something similar on previous trips with long miles or big elevation changes. I decided to have a leisurely morning with some tea, venison, and dried figs. Then I popped a tylenol from my first aid kit that was more than 10 years expired (note to self: restock the first aid kit asap!).

The rest of the trail was completely cleared, and it was relatively flat - hiking along a crest around 6,000 feet. Lots of great views on the way back, with a little hail and precipitation to keep things interesting. I decided to head up to the summit of Columbia Mountain to check out the views and the small cabin that some volunteers built.

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I was pretty knackered after the trip, and starting to think I may be a little too eager to tackle 10 mile days with a full pack at my age. With a little reflection, I realized that I've felt the same on a number of hikes when I was in my 20's. I need to remember that my main goal is to spend time in the wilderness. I can accomplish that with some short hikes into the backcountry, setting up a base camp, and exploring there with a lighter pack.

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On the drive back I found out that DW had a pretty severe emotional breakdown while I was gone. She's still recovering from some serious trauma and dealing with anxiety and depression. I went to her psychiatrist with her a few days ago. She's taking a few weeks off work to try to find some balance and focus on self-care. I'm trying to support her as much as possible.

Our experiences over the past few months have been a stark reminder of what is actually important. Money and freedom is meaningless without health and relationships. I've been maintaining a gratitude journal and it's helped me appreciate my job.

The thing I kept thinking while I was watching the sun paint the horizon in the backcountry was that the brutal hike made the experience that much better. The bitter is necessary to balance the sweet. I'm trying to apply that perspective to what DW and I are dealing with right now.

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