PCT Chapter 9: Koondance 2
Mile 880-943
I have officially completed more than ⅓ of the trail, Kackie has officially finished her portion of the trail, and now my Mom and Dad have come to Mammoth to visit and watch me eat a lot of food.
Kackie’s section ended up being around 240 miles, almost 50,000 ft of elevation gain and at least 7 passes over 10,000ft. Yeah….pretty badass for Kackie (Goggles)
Day 47 [881-883] We ended up going about 5 miles back towards the trail, keeping things light to save Kackie’s knee and help her ease back into it. Beautiful cowboy spot by the lake. It looks like her knee was getting steadily better.
Day 48 [880-892.4] We slowly took the day to do Silver pass and were moving pretty well. I saw a beautiful rainbow cloud thing. Then we eventually made it to the beautiful Lake Virginia. This is my second time camping at this lake and it is undeniable. After taking a swim and jumping off some rocks we decided to move to the other side of the lake to wake up in the sun… we both fell in walking over and in our night clothes. (Aghhhhh)
As I was watching this rainbow which I knew could not last, I could not decide to write about the things (I thought) it inspired in me, to take a long video of its change, or to simply watch it. As I have no poem for you and only a poor picture, you can guess that I tried and failed at each…
Day 49 [892-909] Woke up very wet next to Lake Virginia and we take our time gliding down the 16 miles to Red’s Meadow where hot food, new snacks, and showers awaited us.
As I walked ahead of my sister remarking at how fast and good of a hiker I was, I saw a tree and turned my head to look at it. —-—Some gnome or demon (tree root) tripped me and I totally ate it. I had a face full of dirt, a skinned elbow, a bloody palm and a bleeding knee. I felt like a 5 year old and it sucked. Kackie (who I had thought myself so superior to) was only about 15 seconds behind me and saw me getting up. Then I was the slow and injured one…
At Red’s I had 3 great phone calls, 3 good beers, and a 5 minute shower. Life was good
Day 50 [909-931] We realized that with only 35 miles left we could be back to society and showers and hygiene (at least for Kackie) by the next night and so we made a big push to sleep on top of Donoahue pass. This was a hard day, but in it we got to pass the fantastic thousand Isdland lake and Garnett lake. They were absolutely stunning. More importantly, there was a duck and some ducklings to watch in the lake as we snacked.
By the end of the day that knee was seriously hurting, as was Kackie’s and it was a slog. A couple hours later, however, and we were rewarded with the best campsite ever. Perfect sunset, perfect stars, perfect sunrise, and an all downhill day to civilization—pretty awesome. With some seriously premier cuisine (beef flavored ramen) we enjoyed our last sunset—Kackie’s last on the trail, and mine with a friend. It was awesome
I mean look at the stars, the celestial spheres.
I can only wonder how much easier our world has been secularized by the smog which obscures the true night sky?
Day 51 [931-943]
Kackie and I woke up and watched the sunrise from our sleeping bags atop Donahue pass and it was beautiful.
-then we ate pop tarts, sat around for a bit and by 7:30 began our final stroll down the mountain, through the family and lovely Tuolomune meadows and then back to society.
-we got a cheeseburger at the bottom, hopped on the bus, and then met our parents in Mammoth to celebrate Kackie’s journey.
—I ate several dinners, took the longest(active) shower of my life to scrub myself clean, and slept in my first bed in at least a month. That was pretty special
Day 52 [zero day]
I took today to sleep in, rest, enjoy family (and a bed) and eat. It was really awesome to be around people who knew me again.
Day 53 [zero day 2]
A lazy day felt so good and so needed, and knowing it may be another 1700 miles before I see family or friends again I rested for another day!! More food!!!
—I didn’t realize how badly I had missed talking to dudes like me with even vaguely similar mannerisms, worldview or sense of humor. So having a couple beers and joking around with my Dad was really special.
Day 54 [944-964]
My family and I woke up and went to the only church service we could find—the english service of a very Charismatic Latino Catholic Church. Even my dad, who was very surprised and unused to such a service, appreciated the crowd and the devotion of the priest.
Then my mom drove me to the trail, gave me a hug and I was off on my own again….
Just a Koon alone in the woods (with a new shirt!!)
—and then I met my friend Troy (who Kackie calls Big Red), who is a Railman(builds railroads), a jokester, and who lost 150 lbs last year when he did the Appalachian Trail (he started over 400lbs)
Having Kackie broke me out of my rhythms and got me into new ones. She got most of my thoughts while she was with me and I don’t regret it.
In the coming weeks expect deep and strange thoughts from myself, alone once more.
Love
-Treebeard