“A dream, all a dream, that ends in nothing, and leaves the sleeper where he lay down, but I wish you to know that you inspired it.”—Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
Mile 2216.2 to Hwy 23 to Trout Lake – 10.1 miles by 10:00 AM
Stealth
Comes upon 2 bear cubs and a mother unawares.
Hikes silently, beautifully, and fast. She is sleek and strong. If you blink she is gone.
Trail name is Stealth.
Stealth and I started at 6:45 am this morning and I never saw her again until 10:23 am at the road to Trout Lake. She looked at me and said 10 by 10. You see Silly Chili, her brother always has the protocol of 10 miles by 10:00. She now is part of that club.
So it never really occurred to me that I as a parent would not only condone, but also require my daughter to hitch hike. Funny how it slipped my mind. All hikers do it and why not us?
Literally about a minute after I took a hitch hiking photo to document this occasion, a car appears dropping off other hikers and gives us a ride. Magic.
Trout Lake is a little community 13 miles south of the PCT. It is friendly and beautiful. We have enjoyed lunch and dinner at the Station Cafe, resupply pick-up at the Trout Lake Grocery Store, and a very luxurious room with soft beds, laundry, showers, and hot tub at the Trout Lake Valley Inn.
Tomorrow we are at it again hitching a ride up to the fire reroute up and around Mount Adams.
Great trail name for Bryn.
Wow, now who’s keepin’ up with who? Ha, very awesome and the trail name is pretty cool. Hope all you hitchin’ went well.
Love this; what a great trail name for Bryn. My eldest daughter just graduated from college also, and she too hikes steady and fast! I’m always stopping to take photos 🙂
Reading about Bryn’s 10-by-10, I am reminded of Fletcher’s quote from The CW: “But if you judge safety to be the paramount consideration in life you should never, under any circumstances, go on long hikes alone. Don’t take short hikes alone, either – or, for that matter, go anywhere alone. And avoid at all costs such foolhardy activities as driving, falling in love, or inhaling air that is almost certainly riddled with deadly germs. Wear wool next to the skin. Insure every good and chattel you possess against every conceivable contingency the future might bring, even if the premiums half-cripple the present. Never cross an intersection against a red light, even when you can see all roads are clear for miles. And never, of course, explore the guts of an idea that seems as if it might threaten one of your more cherished beliefs. In your wisdom you will probably live to be a ripe old age. But you may discover, just before you die, that you have been dead for a long, long time.” Your daughter seems very much alive!
What an awesome quote and so great that you shared! I love it and I feel much better about the hitchhiking and some other slightly scandalous activities Bryn and I experienced together.
So so true. I would love to use this on my next blog entry.
Cooler evenings ? What a great trail name !!
look forward to more adventure …
LOKI
I followed you when you hiked with your son, who has a great sense of humour , and now with your daughter! I turned 60 a few months back and I’m getting back into hiking, my biggest regret- I didn’t hike with my daughter and son! We car camped, spent days at the beach, went fishing and had a great time but we didn’t hike! It just slipped my mind and seeing you and your children hike makes me see what I missed out on. Well done to you and your family! Safe Hiking! Gary, Perth, Australia.
Gary, It was pretty great. I am a lucky parent indeed. I don’t know about you missing out, you just had other experiences to cherish. I hope they both would like to go again someday. Australia? Wow.
Awesome…love the trail name.
-GoalTech
Awesome trail name for Bryn! And it just developed naturally…kinda snuck up on ya, right? Enjoying your trip reports! Thanks for sharing your adventure.