After 560 miles of anticipation, the time finally came for our trail guests to join us in Oregon. I had been ecstatic ever since I found out that plans were set for Nathan's sisters, Brooke and Kristin, and Nathan's girlfriend, Rebekah, to come hike with us. It worked out perfectly, especially since Kristin actually just moved to Portland a few weeks ago. When we came off the trail at Cascade Locks, we hitched into Portland where we stayed with Kristin's interim host family, the Martins. Jeff and Liz Martin are some of the coolest people I've ever met.
Jeff, the witty, health conscious filmmaker, has a great taste in music and a straightforward genuineness that I really appreciate. Liz, the beautiful, laid back actress, had us draw stones out of a bag every morning. Random right? Well the stones, made and sold by nuns, are shaped into hearts and inscribed with words. Your word for the day is meant to inform your thoughts and actions throughout the day. Abundance. Blessing. Funny that I drew these words . . . as I look back now I realize that these words describe my time with Jeff and Liz perfectly. They blessed me abundantly.
After two days hanging out in Portland, the six of us (Nate, Adam, Brooke, Rebekah, Kristin, and myself) rented an Xterra and drove three hours to White Pass, where we met the PCT trailhead and then hiked about 40 miles through the Goat Rocks Wilderness. Now this trip was super cool for a mountain of reasons. Brooke and I are good friends for a while now, Rebekah and I were already friends, having met few times since she and Nate started dating, but Kristin and I had never met. I had heard loads of stories from Nate and Brooke, so it was so good to finally get to spend time with her. As soon as I met her, she was Ate Kris.
In Tagalog, a language spoken in the Philippines where the Quinleys grew up, "ate" means "big sister". An "ate" is a caretaker, a nurturer, and a hug giver. She's on my official list of "Incredible People I'm Lucky to Know". We had a blast, the two of us. Se taught me fun Tagalog phrases and, thanks to her years in Bolivia, spoke loads of Spanish with me.
The hiking part of our trip was one of campfires, Powerade snow cones, photos, snowga (my name for yoga... in the snow), and trail names. Now Rebekah already had a trail name, Penny, from her section hiking on the AT, but Brooke and Kristin got their trail names on the PCT. Brooke got the name "Little Foot" because she has...well, little feet. Kristin, anxious on the last morning in the Goat Rocks because a name had not yet befallen her, finally got one in true trail fashion -- Ate Maté. I've already explained Ate, and Maté because of the South American maté cup she carried in her pack and was constantly filling with Yerba. It's a good name, Ate Maté.
We spent most of our nights camped in the alpine meadow beneath Knifes Edge, day hiking from there, eating supper with a sunset-silhouetted Mt. Rainier, and falling asleep beneath a sky of stars and Perseid meteors. The hiking was a little more comfortable than our usual PCT thru-hiking, with lower daily mileage, chocolate chip pancakes, and hours spent sitting atop Knifes Edge visiting with fully visible Mounts Rainier, Adams, and St. Helens. It was nice to be free of the subtle, yet ever present, awareness of the need to make miles. Our last morning in the meadow we had the pleasure of having two northbounders, Tribhu and Muir Bird, in our camp for family breakfast. We got to treat them to some trail magic --chocolate chip pancakes, coffee, and the warmth of a fire, and they shared with us stories, haikus, and insight. We sat around the fire and visited from sunset until hours later, when we remembered that we had to pack up and do that whole walking thing. Beautiful souls.
We were out in the Goat Rocks until Wednesday, when we decided to hike out and drive 4 hours north to Chelan where we would take the ferry up Lake Chelan to the idyllic village of Stehekin, whose self proclaimed slogan is: Stehekin is what America used to be. It was so late driving to Chelan that we stopped in East Wenatchee to stay with good ole Uncle Clyde. I'm so thankful that it was on the way and that we got to see him again, along with Log, Christa, and baby Auria. (Is that how you spell her name, Log?) Anyway, the next morning we caught the 8:30am Lady of the Lake which carried us about 45 miles up Lake Chelan to Stehekin. Some may remember that Stehekin is where we took a zero day for my birthday about 100 miles into our hike, over a month ago. The town is super cool. No cell service, no wifi, super friendly people, and a bakery that is out of this world. Apple Sour Cream Pie . . . yeah.
Filling up for the six hour drive back to Portland
Our drive back to Portland was a long one and about 3.5 hours in I was starting to drift, so Nate took over and got us the rest of the way home -- to the Martin's. We got there around 3:00am, and we had to leave at 4:15 in order to get Little Foot to the airport in time for her flight back to Tennessee. After dropping her off, and saying a sad goodbye, I had to get to the Greyhound station for my bus to Coos Bay, where I would stay with my Aunt Kelly and cousin Ty. The Quinley Takeover is one of my fondest memories and adventures, not just on the PCT but in life completely. I feel so blessed to have shared that time with them, and I can't wait to see them again. The Tribe expands.
I will leave you with the same poem and haiku that Muir Bird left us with after our family breakfast beneath Knifes Edge. Now the ears of my ears awake and now the eyes of my eyes are opened.
i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any–lifted from the no
of all nothing–human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)
-e.e. cummings
Don’t worry, spiders,
I keep house
casually.
- Kobayashi Issa
It was great getting to meet everybody. Agnes gorge was awesome. I shot a video from the bottom by the falls. Oh and since your mom is my union sister that makes you my nephew...lol. Take Care and good luck on all future adventures.
ReplyDeleteYou are living the dream man!
ReplyDelete