I mentioned in my last blog how I succeeded in not worrying during my holy shit days of hiking through miles with thousands of blowdowns. I felt a twinge of panic that evening when my phone refused to charge but I have learned when I start feeling that way to step back and give it time. I woke in the morning with the idea to pull debris from my phone charging port. When this got it working again, I told myself to make a conscious memory of that to help ward off worry in the future.

Later that day I met Kelly hiking towards me from Harts Pass. She offered to carry my pack as she turned around and kept me company while we hiked the last eight or so miles to the pass. I actually had to keep myself from falling when I first started walking without my pack. But even though I felt I was flying, I could tell my body was exhausted from the previous few days of blowdowns.

Once at the pass, Maryann, who staffed the ranger cabin there, gave me a cold drink and made sure I was settled for resupplying. I marvaled at how different an experience this was from when I had thru hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 1986. That year there were only about four thru hikers and resupply information was extremely difficult to get. Back then, all we had for navigation was map and compass, much of the trail was difficult to find, and for resupply info we had a road map we had drawn the approximate route of the PCT on and figured out how to get to towns based on the road map. Today there are apps which have all the information one needs in one place, including trail hostels which did not exisit in the 1980’s. I was surprised when Maryann told me 4000 people now attempt to thru hiker the PCT each year!

Kelly drove me to the Lions Den Hostel in Mazama, a popular oasis for PCT hikers. Mary, who runs the place, has done an amazing job in the four years she’s been at it. She has almost anything a hiker might need including an array of Hawaiian shirts to wear while clothes are in the wash. She also has food, medical and some camping gear as well as art supplies and bottles of nail polish for those so inclined. I showered and washed the layers of ground in soot off my body while her 40-year-old son did my filthy laundry.

I spent a huge part of the next day posting a few blogs and working on getting the permits I needed for Northern Cascade Park. I had been trying to get this permit for a few weeks, sending at least eight emails and leaving many phone messages. I spent hours trying to access the website and couldn’t make it work. I felt overwhelmed by it, but then I told myself to not worry. I reminded myself to do the best I could and let the rest go. And lo and behold, just as I was getting ready to leave the Lion’s Den I got a phone call from Sarah, a lovely woman at the ranger station in Marblemount who walked me through the alternate I’m doing because of a multi-year closure of the official PNT route. Some hikers choose to skip this hundred plus mile stretchof trail while others walk for numerous days along a very narrow, windy paved road with no shoulder and many fast moving cars and logging trucks. I had found a mapped out alternate which kept me on the PCT for a few more days before cutting west through gorgeous Cascade Pass and into the town of Concrete, Washington, where I could go north to reconnect with the PNT.

Despite her busy schedule, Sarah spent quite a while on the phone with me, finding campsites within my hiking range. Then she figured out how to have me pay over the phone.This was not easy because the system is set up to pay online. Luckily Sarah found a way to make it work, re-enforcing for me how important it is to have real people working in these government jobs and not to have everything automated through AI. Even if I had been able to access the site online, I learned much more by talking with Sarah in the ranger station, and having that connection with a real person who was kind, patient and helpful made a difference in my life.

In Mazama, another MaryAnn, got in touch with me and offered to drive me back to the trail. I briefly met her daughter Willow when I first started the PNT last year and MaryAnn offered to help me when I reached western Washington. Although we never met because I got off the trail with a broken foot, we stayed in touch. Now we were glad to finally connect in person. We enjoyed connecting as she drove me for an hour up the one lane, steep, winding mountain road back to Harts Pass. I was glad save Kelley the wear and tear on her car, which seems to be having some issues at the moment.

While in Mazama, I made arrangements with my friend Deb in Vermont to mail me the La Sportiva boots I used on the Florida Trail because the Topo boots I am using have some serious issues with the inner and outer layers seperating after just one hundred miles. And my friend and trail angel from Colorado on the CDT, in honor of Doris June, who I’ve written about before, will find me a new bite valve and mail that to me.

When I reached Mazama I was filthy and exhausted. In just a day I am rested and clean. I managed to post some blogs and take care of gear and permit issues. I now feel confident I can make it to the next section and beyond.

I’m sure there are more challenges awaiting me but by remembering to just keep putting one foot in front of the other, focusing on my competence as I get past one set of blowdowns, not worrying about the next ones just ahead, and trusting the support of people who offer to help, my life is so much better off. Because I’m not consumed in worry and focused on all the things going wrong, I am able to see how much is going right. Time and time again life confirms for me that if I do the best I can, it’s good enough. I may not have everything I want but I do have enough.

To see more photos from my trip go to my Instagram @themarybadass

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