Not too much to report here today. Took my first zero in the booming metropolis of Metaline Falls, a nice little town of about 250 people. I had the day to let my feet rest and assess my condition. I have 7 out of 10 toes bandaged, both heels covered in Leukotape, the ball of my right foot wrapped up, and my legs look like a got in a fight with a couple of very angry cats. On the plus side, the gash in my forehead has almost healed, and my weight loss plan is coming along nicely. No scales, but it looks like I'm probably down around 12 pounds since I started.
I'm thinking of patenting my program: What if I told you that you can eat absolutely anything you want and still lose weight like crazy? No expensive machines, no pills, and no funky diet plan. All you have to do is change your lifestyle completely for two to five months! You'll see the country and meet crazy ass people. It's easy!
Day 18 - Metaline Falls to Silver Creek Camp Daily Mileage: 23
Boy that zero day sure made all the difference in the world. I felt light on my feet this morning and practically floated up Abercrombie mountain. A car even stopped at the bottom of the 7.5 mile forest service road and asked if I'd like a ride to the trailhead. I turned 'em down, just because I actually wanted to walk! Amazing what the trail will do to you...
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| Abercrombie summit view |
Anyway, it turned out to be a real boring walk up to the trailhead, but the Abercrombie Mountain trail was a pleasant climb. About halfway up, I found a natural spring just off the trail, which lifted my spirits even more! There's nothing better than ice cold water straight from the ground! The view from the summit of Abercrombie was amazing, and I was tempted to quit early and spend the night up on top. I wouldn't have water, but I'd definitely have a spectacular sunset and sunrise. In the end, I decided to continue on...it was only 2pm, and I was feeling great on my feet. The descent down the other side of the mountain was easy. Almost too easy. From the trail turnoff, it was only 2 miles as the crow flies, but due to excessive switchbacks, the total distance was 6 miles. They must have been trying to make it wheelchair accessible or something, because they were dead flat. I could see exactly where I needed to go, and I really try not to cut switchbacks (causes erosion, and it makes you a jackass), but sweet jesus man! Maybe I was just getting tired, but the ridiculous trail design put me in kind of a bad mood.
The Silver Creek Camp was empty except for one small group of nice old folks. We chatted for a while before turning in to bed, and the old dude made sure to show me all four of the guns he carries with him in case I tried anything funny. He said I was now in "God's Country". I had a comment to make about the obscene number of guns in God's Country, but I kept it to myself.
Day 19 - Silver Creek Camp to Northport, WA Daily Mileage: 19
The ground near Silver Creek must be extra soft, because I just couldn't pull myself out of bed this morning. I slept in until almost 8, and then slowly got myself together. The walk down into the valley went quickly, and I ran into the Fishers, who live about 3 miles down. They've been doing trail maintenance on the PNT for years, and I had a nice conversation with them about the history of the trail. They told me to make a point to tell folks on the trail to stop by and say hello if they'd like. So here it is: Stop by and say hello. They're 3 miles down from Silver Creek Camp on the left side of the road.
Most of my 19 miles today was spent road walking, but my feet felt great and it was quite pleasant. The climb along O'Hare Creek and up to the old Lind Ranch wasn't too bad, even in the heat of the afternoon. Unfortunately, I did run through a patch of something that just caused my legs to itch like crazy. I don't think it was poison ivy or poision oak...maybe just an allergic reaction, but good god it was miserable. I tried my hardest not to scratch, but it was so bad that my whole body was shaking on the 2 mile descent down to Black Canyon Rd. I finally found a small creek that I was able to sit down in and cool off. That helped a bit, but my legs were still a bit irritated. I think maybe the fact that the valleys have been hitting near 100 degrees probably doesn't help. I'm managing the heat quite well, but my body just isn't used to temps like that.
Anyway, pulled into Northport around 4pm, and promptly grabbed a huge iced tea, a liter of chocolate milk, and some fruit from Tony's market. I ended up staying at the Mattison House, owned by Bert and Jerry. Incredibly nice folks, and I've spent the evening chatting with them. A quick lasagna dinner and a few beers later, I'm feeling ready for bed.
No pictures from today, so I'll just add this one of Daphne playing with the largest log she could find that happened to be on my camera. Crazy dog.
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