Destination: Slope of Summit Butte
Starting Location: Olallie Lake Resort
Today’s Miles: 23.00
Trip Miles: 2013.6
Olallie Lake Resort (2053.1, 4950) to Slope of Summit Butte (2076.1, 4291) ascent (2631) descent (3327)
Sore but it feels different. Limping but it feels different. Frustrating but it feels different. I think my shin may be showing some signs of healing.
Hiked with Andy, Token Civilian, & Thunder. Good lively conversation about a viable 3rd political party option as well as artificial intelligence – where it is and where it is going.
Well it is official I am no longer hiking a contiguous hike along the PCT between Mexico and Canada. Two forest fires have made that quest impossible for me and I had to postpone hiking 63.6 miles of trail between McKenzie Pass & Olallie Lake Resort. My option was a 90 mile road walk. I contemplated this option with the silly reasoning that my hike was less pure if I went around & then came back. Fortunately two friends pointed out two very important facts. Gottago: You wrote the rule; rewrite it to fit the circumstance. Crazy Horse: Are you crazy man? Roads are for cars. So dad drove us the 90 miles to get around the absolutely closed & likely dangerous fires. I now plan to continue on to Canada & hike the missed section on my way home. I was very disappointed in this approach until we started hiking today. Then it hit me – just another part of this year’s hike. For convenient logistical purposes, I am going to stay with the data book mileages as the miles we have traveled. If you don’t like that, you can do the math yourself each time by subtracting 63.6 miles from my total miles logged. I mentioned to Numskull that the Canadian Monument will likely be anticlimactic now that I would not be truly done. He also gave me that “are you crazy” look and I realized yes I am. I put these insane demands on myself & then I have to do it perfect or it does not count for anything. Regardless of the fact that the damn forest is closed & just a bit beyond my infinite control. I love being a type A personality. The A really is for anal. How ridiculous can you get – anticlimactic after hiking 2,650 miles less 63.6 of course.
Quote of the day: Andy – what do you do in your other life go-BIG? go-BIG: I am a bum. Andy: Cool, we are in the same line of work. A 43 year old retired consultant and a 33 year old retired software engineer. Write your own rules in life and change them whenever you want. If I go back to work am I still retired? Who cares, for now I am a bum and having the time of my life.
Dad said he did not understand my journal entry that had a bread recipe. There is nothing to understand dad. Some great people shared a family bread recipe with me & I in turn shared it with you. No hidden meaning but the answer to all of life’s questions is still trout.
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Robert Francisco 