Definition of toughness--PCT Re-Route--White Pass, WA

There was one dynamic of this hitch that couldn’t be matched by any other; that dynamic was mosquitoes. We were told coming in that they were going to be bad but we would be covered in, on average, 50 mosquitoes for every 5 seconds you would stop moving. Let me tell you something folks, it didn’t affect us one bit. Of course we would have the occasional stress outburst on the damn insect, but overall, we just had the same positive and efficient work ethic.

PCTA placed our camp at the top of the ski lift at White Pass Ski Lodge, just miles south of Mt. Rainier. We were at 6,300 ft which is the perfect snow-melt elevation for mosquitoes. Complaining aside, we were placed in White Pass because there are new ski runs being put in where the current PCT runs through. Our job for this hitch was to re-route this trail, avoiding the soon-to-be ski runs, and replace the current broken down and unappealing part of the trail. We worked with two great volunteers named Le Ann and Gabriel. Le Ann lives near Portland and recently retired from working in a hospital and wanted to come out and lend a hand. Gabriel just graduated from Evergreen University and he actually stayed the entire 9 days straight with us!!! Crazy dedication, any sane or “normal” volunteer would have left early, but Gabriel was crazy, and that’s why we love him.

We had to create precise and nearly perfect trail to meet PCTA guidelines. The attention to detail on this re-route was very specific, so the walk back each day on the newly-constructed trail provided great moments of fulfillment and satisfaction for the quality of our completed trail.

We worked with around 5-7 Forest Service peeps on the weekdays and they welcomed us into their region. We beat them in a pull-up competition by quite a bit. They bit off a little more than they could handle with that challenge…what what?!?!

Each day, I grew more exhausted from the mosquitoes and the heat, which was about 90 degrees every day. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. We had some frustrating times out on this hitch, but when the day is all said and done, we always came back the next day with a confident and accomplished attitude. We got to see a really nice sunset each night, and it would set just beside Washington’s tallest mountain, Mt. Rainer (14,000ft +). We got to enjoy a couple beers after work one day and it made me feel like the prisoners on Shawshank Redemption when Tim Robbins does the taxes of the jackass prison guard in return for beers. We drank them on the ski lift platform and forgot about our worries.

For how bad the dynamics were, it really wasn’t all that bad. We ate delicious food every night, I mean out of this world delicious, and watched the sunset every night before we went to bed. At least they weren’t horse flies, right?

Here’s another poem I wrote on this hitch:

Never ending Majesty

The citrus-shaded horizon beams evenly along the jagged-outlined peaks. The sun lulls out of view, but she crescendos, each minute, into newly created shades of brilliance. Daytime surrounds her with the sky blue and limited color diversity exists. The sunset paints the horizon the secret colors of the star. As she fades into the night, we dream of her beauty that is shaped through fiery shadows. The climax is not determined by any single view, for each minute the sun contributes a new pastel to our surroundings. She will disappear into the night and remind us of her pure majesty come sunrise.

Simplicity is beauty---Buck Peak, OR---Mt. Hood Natl. Park

How is everyone? It feels like a great summer so far for everyone I have talked to back home and other family members not back in WI. Shout out to Mom and Dad, I hope the car show went great yesterday and Friday. We'll talk soon :)

So, Buck Peak is the one of the great outlooks of Mt. Hood and it's just west of Oregon's highest peak (Hood). Our campsite was actually located a good 20 minutes south of Buck Peak and we were inconveniently put on a ridge where the brutal July weather hit us with no remorse. The first 3 days were nothing but rain and temperatures ranging from low 40's to mid 50's. It was the type of weather where we really had to look out for the signs of hypothermia.

The great aspect of our team is that none of us complain. Everyone understands the situation and how miserable the weather is but that didn't let us get down. We already have been dealing with adversity during this hitch because I forgot to pack the stuff sack that contained our gravity water filters so we had to dedicate time each day to get water from our spring and then each person would personally sanitize their drinking water with iodine drops, which with prevent giardia.

The rain, combined with cold temps, gets inside your body and chills every muscle to the point of shivering. The toes and the fingers of course are the worst, and even being from WI, I couldn't even stand the cold at some points. Once your clothes get wet you have to consciously watch your body temp to prevent sweating because once your body cools after sweat, you die. Just messin', but it's no fun. Les Stroud (Survivorman) always says in regards to cold temps, "You sweat...you die."

Mt. Hood is such a spectacular view from Buck Peak and the pointy tip makes it one of the most technical summits in the nation. Many people die each year attempting to summit the peak because of the constant avalanches and lack of experience. One day I will summit.

Our team finished our last day by completing 32 aprons for separate rockbars, cleared 5 drains for diverting water flow, and brushed up a good amount of trail. Our treat at the end of the day was the view from Buck Peak which is shown in most of these pictures. It is such a remote location and since we cleaned up all the brush leading up to it, people can now enjoy the hike to the summit to see a fantastic view of Mt. Hood.

This hitch was the most rewarding for me so far. With all the drama that was caused by my forgetting the water filters and everyone sitting down that evening and discussing the importance of communication and also everyone took it upon themselves to express anything else that was on their mind. Our communication is becoming much more open and each member of our team is growing with comfort towards each other's actions and tendencies.

Many of our members quoted this hitch as being our worst one yet but now that it is over I think it was our best one yet. I love cliche quotes that you hear as a child and then they finally make sense later on. Such as, "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

I am in the middle of reading Walden by Thoreau right now and I really enjoy reading about the simplicity of his life on Walden Pond and relating the simplicity of my hitches when we are in the back country. It really helps me decipher my needs from my wants. The crucial aspect of my experience from Thoreau's would have to be that I have six other great people surrounding me each day to grow with. Simple life helps me appreciate all the luxuries that are present in everyday life. Food, shelter, companionship, water, and my family are the necessities I need to live.

Chuck Smoker, reporting for duty.

On the majority of our hitches we are lucky enough to be joined by volunteers, in the surrounding areas we work, that are generous enough to donate their time to help us maintain that section of the Pacific Crest Trail. The aspect of leading volunteers was one of the main reasons I was drawn to this particular trail team. Going into the term I had a preconceived understanding that a lot of our volunteers would be local high schoolers or peers of ours. Every now and then you are touched by an individual that gives you new inspiration and a true sense of the fortunate life we have been placed in.



Chuck Smoker. He is a 68 year-old Native American from the Yurok tribe and his wife Susie and himself have been avid hikers previously throughout the years. He showed up on the scene and immeadiately his sense of humor shined through, almost to the extent where people in our team and the Forest Service employees didn't truly understand the humor he brought to the table.

Cowboy Bill was truly on a different page than Chuck. When Cowboy Bill's mules arrived at our campsite with Chuck's new folding chair he thought he would thank, the old-fashioned and traditional, Bill with a kiss. As Chuck, aka Smokey, leaned in for a peck Bill snapped backwards and said, "What the f*** are you doing."
Chuck obliviously responded, "Our people give kisses when we are thankful to another."
"Well I am a white man," Bill responded, still confused by the whole situation.
It's the whole-hearted beauty of Chuck that brings a smile to my face when I see these pictures.



Chuck, back in his hayday, competed in a lot of triathalons and hiked nearly all of the beautiful sites in the Northwest region. He would clue me in on a lot of local flowers and trees and when I asked to hear more about Native American traditions he was generous to give me deep details that helped me understand more about the Americanization of surrounding tribes. I love to joke around and make each situation fun so I took to Chuck and I think he took to me just as well. We could make fun of each other with no hard feelings and at the end of the day still carry on a true respect for one another.

Even though Chuck arrived at camp at 267lbs (finished 258), I mention this because Chuck is honest enough to tell you his weight, he worked the hardest out of everyone on the trail that hitch. Chuck is not the type to just sit around and watch; he would be by my side waiting for the invitation to sweep out and level the tread I cut into. He would inch slowly down the slope to McCleod the excess dirt out and all he asked for in return was a helping hand to pull him back up the slope.

Chuck never asked for much. He was perfectly content with a full plate for dinner and enough water to keep him going. Chuck and I walked back to our site after a long day's work one day and we would take a break every now and then to catch our breath and to enjoy the shade. Chuck always said to me, "If you are going to walk in this beautiful nature you should slow down and enjoy all the scenery. Some people walk too fast and miss the point of surrounding yourself in nature."



The day after we got all packed out of our campsite we promised to drop off Chuck's chair at his house because he walked out early in the morning. We arrived at his home and meet his wife Susie in Medford and sat down for a cup of joe. When I mentioned to Susie how hard Chuck worked she responded without surprise, "I know he did. Chuck only knows how to work hard."

After Chuck awoke, and what took very little convincing, we got him to bring his guitar out for a little singalong, for he always spoke of guitar being his true passion. He played about a half dozen songs and his stage presence and joy shined in each one. His eyes were always filled with a certain pride and story that seemed to burst out with each chord he strummed. We all enjoyed listening to Chuck's stories about the prisons, churches, homeless shelters, and children's camps that he has played in the past. He currently helps out with youth camps and works to get homeless or abandoned children into nature. He does a lot of gospel singing at local churches and stays constantly active.

He touched each of us with his humble and selfless lifestyle and inspired each of us to treat people kindly and fairly. Most of all, to never judge a book by its cover.

Connecting Breeze

I thought I would share my words on the wind that I wrote on some cardboard while we were driving in Oregon.

"I close my eyes and embrace the fresh and pure scent of the Southern Oregon air and think to myself all the subtle joys this job brings to me. Each day I cherish the steep and scenic hills that we encounter during our travel time. The wind passes along an appreciation for our surroundings and our standing in life at that very point in time. It opens your soul and creates clarity in the vision of your life. The wisdom it grants us is presented, always, in a positive and supportive manner. The wind opens our minds and eyes to all the beauty that it touches each moment of our existence, and connects ours emotions to their surroundings in a very poetic embrace. Each turn up the hillside creates a brisker touch that provides an inverse effect of cooler temperatures with warmer views of prestine nature beneath us."

Luke

Happy Camp, CA...Marble Mountains

Buckhorn Springs Campsite

Full team camping at the summit...waiting for the sunrise.

Close to the edge...nice Scarpas.

Lunch time on the freshly cut tread.

Bear Grass meadow.

Drew and I finishing up our check steps. We rolled that 2x3x2 boulder about 30 yards down the hill. Maybe 150 lbs?

Hey!

So, Tom's Mom says to him before he leaves, "You're Thoreauing your degree away!" Americorps is far from throwing away a degree but to some outsiders that aren't too sure of the type of work and life experience we are getting out here it may be an initial notion of what I am doing with this job. I also thought I would share that quote because it made me laugh for a good three minutes.

Anyways, this is our first back country hitch of the season. When I say back country I mean limited resources and away from civilization. We were packed in by mules that are owned half by the government and half by the great man known as Cowboy Bill. Cowboy Bill has been around these parts for most of his life and has a heart of gold. He is known for his cowboy poetry and his love for his mules. The beauty of a mule is that, first off it's a mix between a horse and an ass, it has the smarts of an ass and incredible balance compared to a horse.

Cowboy Bill. A true gentleman and a true cowboy.

We set up camp and spent a good 7 days based out of this location and busted our ass each day. We built check steps, runaway drains, aprons for rock walls, and the best part was I finally got some cross-cut saw experience. I was dying to get my hands on that saw and when the day came it was fantastic. No pictures to show it but Drew, Tom, and I were able to go at a couple of trees which was great. I took the part of a tree that we divided and put it in one of our check steps.

Two nights out of our trip we climbed up to the top of these giant rocks to watch the sunset. The 1st time it was just LT and myself and once we got up it was a spectacular 360 degree view of the mountains surrounding us. The great thing was that it seemed we were the only people in the entire valley. Our 2nd to last night all seven of us climbed to the summit and brought our sleeping gear with us. We found a spot to set up our pads and all of us watched the sunset and sunrise together. The mountain lions were close but they didn't get all the way up to the summit :)

The area that we were working in was hit with wildfires just last year so we were doing a lot of rehabilitation work on the PCT tread that ran through this four mile stretch we were working on. We had three forest members working along side us for a couple of days then two left and Gaelan stayed to guide us the rest of the hitch.

Our team is getting closer and improving our communication each and everyday. Each day three of us has to cook breakfast, set out lunch, and cook dinner with the others cleaning up. So, within our work we are also putting forth a lot of effort off the trail to meet each person's dietary needs and to do everything neatly and healthy. The work done in the back country kitchen has been so rewarding because each person is improving their cooking skills and after a long day on the trail it is a great test to go into the kitchen to continue the hard work.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful 4th of July and not reading this post, you should be outside and that's where I'm going right now. Who's cheering for Federer and who's cheering for Roddick? I can't choose. I love Federer but Roddick needs a Wimbledon for his sanity...I'm rambling.

God bless,

Luker duker

Crater Lake...used to be a Mountain...

This will be the cover of our 1st album cover...we need to make music first...


Hola senors and senoritas!

How is everyone? Feels good to be summer doesn't it? (excluding you southern hemispherers) Well, the team, PCT 1, got a nice little break from the trail to do some sight seeing. So we chose the RV capitol of the world in Crater Lake.

To say the least, the sight did not disappoint. For some it was their first glance at this spectacle that erupted 7,700 years ago and was at one point one of the highest mountains in the Cascade range. This volcano erupted and left behind one of the deepest lakes in the world; it's the 7th deepest I believe.

Either way, the water is incredibly blue and even though it was summer, it was still 8,000 ft up so we were blessed to see some snow and building a fire was essential...we just had to shovel the snow out of the pit.




Much love,
Luker


Drew just can't control his excitement.