PCT and Gypsy Cafe

Yikes... I can't believe I get internet here. So I thought I would take advantage of the opportunity, and share about my new temporary home.

Since I left work about a month and a half ago, it has been a whirlwind of yumminess, but also my damn sea legs kept yelling at me to get on the road, and go far far in to the unknown.
Two days after my last day of work, I graduated from college, it took me nine years, and no, I'm not a doctor. My Momma threw me and my brother's girlfriend, Serenity, a party, and the tufurkey snausages where sooo good.... I got to spend time with family that I haven't seen in a while, and it put a warm feeling in my tummy.
A few days after that, we started our PCT hike.
Tatyana, Rose, Matt, Sara J, and I... Oh and my dog, Maggie Poop Deck Pappy Mae.... That is her official name. We just call her Poo Bear, or Pappy. Well ol' Pappy burnt the snot our of her paws on the first day. Eight miles on highway 84 in ninety degree weather will do that I guess. I felt really bad, and I thank God there are no child protective services for canines. My Mom drove out to Eagle Creek that night where we were going to camp, and picked the pooch up. And we continued in and set up camp. We only did about 12 miles that day.

I wish we had video of the five of us trying to tie up our food bags in the trees, it was one of those situations you had to witness first hand to truly appreciate the comedy.
I bathed in the creek the next morning. It felt so good to strip down naked and take a bird bath in freezing cold mountain water.... And I thought we were far enough up the trail that no one would see me... I was mistaken, and the morning's first runner got a full frontal... Poor guy, he missed out, because my backside is so much better :)

The next three nights were amazing as well, I highly recommend walking over the bridge of the gods, you get such a better view of the vast river and gorge, and you can take advantage of the steel grated bridge, it's like your floating across...
We covered another 12 miles that day, and stopped early to camp at Colgate Lake, I made some lentil curry and chili over the fire, I think I could have just ate that the whole time and been fine.

We got up at the butt crack of dawn and started again. This time we would cover over 3500 feet and 22 miles total. The pictures don't do justice to how truly breathtaking our views were. We started hitting patches of snow, (we worried about the amount of snow left from reports, but we had to try anyway, it was 90 degrees everyday, so we were praying that things had melted enough to get through the summits)... As we came around the lee side of the mountain, we were crossing 8ft deep patches of snow that were covering and hiding the trail. We went in about half a a mile, and the patches started getting deeper, and larger, and we realized we couldn't keep going without equipment, even then, the trail wouldn't be visible for some segments. So we took a vote, and decided it wasn't worth someone getting hurt.

All in all it was a total of four nights, five days for me. When in the long run, it was scheduled as a 2 weeker. Long story long, I'll be going back soon to finish her off.

SO...I'm staying at the Gypsy Cafe in Sunny Valley Oregon right now, I'll write more later, about in between the hike, and now.
and I'll write more about now.... Later...