Did you know that there are more mushrooms in Washington than there are in the rest of the states combined? Neither did I until I made that piece of trivia up. What? You need your trivia to be factual? How utterly pedestrian. But just for you, the Puget Sound Mycological Society has over 1200 members, one of the largest such societies in the country.
All this is to say that there are a lot of big, odd and/or fascinating mushrooms to look at while hiking. I mention this only to tell you that that implies there is a lot of rain in Washington. In fact, it rained the very first day I entered the state, welcoming be back as well as reminding me why I left.
After spending a nice time in Seattle visiting some old friends (and a sister who just happened to be passing through as well), I set off on this short three day section by hiking for a day and a half in the rain. The rain, the soreness from the ultra, the heavy mind, the obsessive focus on the destination and not the journey; (I don't think I've ever used a semicolon before. I can't imagine that I'm using it correctly ;-) all managed to make this section my least favorite yet. And to top it off, the only restaurant in town was only serving prime rib. I have never tried it before. And if my hiker hunger wasn't enough to overcome my aversion to that mooing cut of meat, I can't imagine that I ever will.
Instead of focusing on the negative, I will instead focus on this tiny keyboard on my phone while I try to keep you entertained.
Washington is like a five hundred mile victory lap. On one hand, we know that five hundred miles is an insanely far distance to walk. On the other hand, we have already done it four times in a row, and are in such good shape that it seems like we are walking on cake. Ever since I crossed the border I have been getting congratulated by anyone who knows anything about the trail.
One notable exception was the Safeway checkout lady who asked if I was hiking back to Mexico once I reached the border. Wasn't she impressed enough by one direction, I wondered? Apparently she asked "just to find out how crazy [I] really [am]".
After telling the following story a couple of times, I have since learned that I should not start with "I had a nice time with a ten-year old girl". So, about a week ago, I had a nice time with two sisters (seriously? It was a nice 'conversation'. Get your minds out of the gutters folks.) One was about eight, the other ten. The eight year old played the part of almost all adults that I've talked with about the trail. She would ask question after question about the logistics of the hike. Where do you sleep? What do you eat? How many Sasquatch have you seen? No matter what was asked, no matter what was answered (wherever I want; whatever I can; as many as the number of bears I've seen), the older one's response was always the same. She would look at me with wide eyes and say "That is SOOO cool!" (By the way, did you notice the proper use of semicolons a sentence back? sorry; it shan't; happen again.) It got me to thinking about why we hike the trail. Yes, for some people it surely is the allure of maple syrup. But for most of us, it is simply because every time we heard about the trail, our eyes lit up and "That is SOOO cool!" flashed in our head.
It is now three in the morning (yup, there is apparently a three in the AM as well), and I can't seem to go back to sleep. Maybe it is the trains that keep coming within 50 years of me at the Dinsmore's house where I'm staying. Or maybe it's all the Coke I drank instead of dinner (ok, I exaggerate. I did have pie and ice cream). But either way, I sit here counting down the five hours until the restaurant opens. After which I will get on the trail and count down the 104 miles until I get to see Caroline again.
; Fun Guy
No comments:
Post a Comment