Journey to Redwood National Park

Laura and Beau, from Seiad Valley, were the first hitch that would bring us closer to the Redwoods. As we meandered westward along the Klamath River, Laura told us that she was going to be visiting a friend in the area and could only take us so far. She offered to drop us off at Happy Camp or a place called Clear Creek where she likes to take Beau swimming.

Bigfoot at Happy Camp.

We arrived at Happy Camp 35 miles later, and decided to go on to Clear Creek, 

whose waters sounded more refreshing and inviting than staying in a motel room.

Ten minutes later, we were being dropped off at Clear Creek, away from any 

"civilization" save a few houses across the road from the small parking lot. 

Right beside the bridge was a payphone, of all things!

We said farewell to Laura and Beau and made our way down a path to the edge 

of the creek, anticipating the cool, clear waters that awaited us...

We set up camp along the shore near the bridge, went for a swim, snacked on fresh 

blackberries all around us, and then took turns using the payphone. I called my brother 

and my mom, then returned to begin cooking dinner.

For a Saturday evening and for this being a popular swimming spot with the locals, it was very quiet and peaceful. Only one couple arrived later for a night swim. All evening and the next day, kingfishers, ravens, mergansers, and the sound of the flowing water serenaded us. We slept well that night in such a beautiful place, much better than a stuffy motel room.

The following morning, we swam again before the huge groups began pouring in around midday. We stayed for hours, meeting the people. We chatted with Eileen, her daughter Cathy, Cathy's husband, their children, and played with Minnie, their beagle. Freebird shared many connections with them. Eileen once lived in Hawaii as well. Her daughter, Cathy went to Yale and graduated three years after Freebird did. Cathy had also read Wild by Cheryl Strayed and was fascinated about the Pacific Crest Trail, asking us all sorts of questions. After we talked to them for a few hours, we walked down the road to find a shadier spot to hitch onward.

After finishing lunch, Peter stopped for us. His wife and two daughters went ahead in a separate car. They had all just gotten out of church and were returning home. As we continued along the Klamath River with Peter, we learned more about him. He's a math teacher at the Hoopa Reservation and a whitewater rafter. He said that he had never seen the Klamath River this low and didn't recommend us riding its waves. I guess it's good that the opportunity to float the river didn't come along! 

Some of the rapids were too big for inexperienced rafters like us.

As Peter dropped us off at a market in Orleans, well out of his way, he gave us 

fresh vegetables from his garden - tomatoes, carrots, a zucchini, and bell peppers. 

Then he turned back to return to his family.

 It was very warm in Orleans that day, about 100'. Freebird stepped into the market to 

get us some ice cold water. After picking more blackberries along the fence, 

we walked up the road a little ways to hitch.

On the way we met Norene, a woman who was closing the gate to a farmer's market, packing up at the end of the day. She had several boxes of vegetables left that didn't sell. She told us to take all we wanted and asked for no money in return. We still gave her a donation and added a couple more tomatoes, a zucchini, and a squash to our fresh vegetable collection.

Then we found some shade and sat beneath it in some crunchy, dry grass. It was very evident that northern California has been in drought for three years. Cars came and went occasionally, but no one offered a ride. The shade didn't provide much relief from the heat, but we persisted and waited for someone to stop. Norene eventually drove by, said Orleans wasn't a good place to stay the night, and offered to give us a ride; she just needed a little gas money. We accepted and climbed in her SUV.

As we drove along, Norene shared so many interesting stories of her life with us. One thing I do recall is that she is half Yurok/half Kurak, and she does security for the Yurok and Hoopa Reservations. It was difficult to hear her soft, gentle voice from the backseat, but I do vaguely remember her talking about jumping out of a helicopter! She was such an interesting person to listen to, what I could hear anyway. Norene drove us through the Yurok Reservation. First we stopped at the gas station and watched her chat with all the locals who know and love her. Then, hearing that we were thirsty, she dropped us off out of her way on the edge of the Hoopa Reservation, at what she called "the best spring around." All the residents of the Reservation go there to replenish their water.

After filling up at the spring, we walked over a bridge to look down at the Klamath.

 Then we went back to the spring to pick some blackberries and to continue hitching.

I don't know what these berries are, but I think they're so lovely.

Not many cars drove by, but everyone stopped. Such is the caring nature of the natives on the Reservation. A few people checked on us, even though they weren't heading in our direction. Soon, a Hoopa woman named Heather picked us up. She was driving the back road back to Brookings, Oregon to return to work and to be with her two children. She used to live on the Hoopa Reservation and hopes to move back soon, to be with her family there.

This road Heather was taking leads into the back door of Redwood National Park.

We drove up, up, up through a winding tunnel of forests that all of a sudden opened into this vast panorama of golden prairies and black oak trees. We've arrived in Redwood National Park, after a two-day series of hitches!

We've sure come a long way from the Pacific Crest Trail! From here, no more forest fires were to be seen. We feel such gratitude for all the people who cared for us along the way, opened up to us, and made it possible for us to reach the boundary of the national park. Once again, God has provided us so much. We said goodbye to Heather and camped here for the night, where we could see the sun setting in the Pacific Ocean in the distance. It felt so unbelievable that we were here already.

Well for now, a "see you later" to the Pacific Crest Trail. Here we come, Pacific Ocean.....

Seiad Valley

 On a hot, summer day, after road-walking with little to no shade for 6 miles, I was not a pleasant person to be around as I entered Seiad Valley. I trailed behind while Freebird walked quickly ahead to catch the only restaurant in town before they closed.

 By the time I arrived, Seiad Cafe was just a minute or two away from closing its doors. Freebird had already gotten a table. Despite my attitude, he was still kind enough to pay for my meal. Their burgers were delicious, though we had to keep swatting the flies away.

Several thru-hikers were eating in a nearby room. As a couple from the group came up to pay, Freebird and I had the feeling that the hat I brought along from the road belonged to the woman. I asked, "Hey, has anyone here lost a hat?" 'Almost Awesome,' with a huge shriek of excitement, exclaimed, "Yes, that's my hat! Thank you!" She had since acquired another hat from the hiker box in town, and was willing to give me the one that we had found. But I know how much she loved that one, so I insisted that she keep it. So in exchange, Almost Awesome gave me her "new" one.

Interestingly enough it displays the name, "Robby Naish," a famous windsurfer and friend of Freebird. They used to compete with each other years ago.

Seeing a thru-hiker happy with having a hat returned, something that is so vital to have on the trail for sun protection, really elevated my thoughts. I felt much better after that. 

But then something else very touching occurred. While our food was still being cooked, 

a Japanese thru-hiker named "Two Liters" arrived into town long after the restaurant closed. 

Rick, the previous owner of the Seiad Cafe and current owner of the neighboring Seiad Store, 

walked over with Two Liters to make sure she would still get some dinner. 

One of a few horses across the street from Seiad Cafe and Store that
belong to Bill Roberts, a man who maintains the PCT around the area.

 After dinner we walked down the street to the RV park and met Bob, who allowed us to take showers and do our laundry. He kindly extended our time allotment, since we arrived so late. He also allowed me to charge my camera batteries. Meanwhile, we met several amazing thru-hikers while going through the hiker box (which was a score, with almost everything we needed from Heet to Band-Aids to breakfasts and dinners).

After I got out of the shower, I met "Polar Bear" from Anchorage. My sister and her husband currently live there, and I visited a couple years ago. So we shared lots of stories, and I learned from a first-hand account of a local of some awesome places to visit around there.

I also got to hear more interesting trail stories from the other thru-hikers, something always enjoyable. Once every while, locals would stop by to meet us and ask if there was anything we needed. Some hikers were staying the night here, but Freebird and I preferred to camp back on the trail. Before leaving, "Yosemite Bear" gave us a huge bag of raisins that he found in another hiker box. He was grateful to be free of the extra weight, and we were glad to be given this treasure!

We had one last stop before we left Seiad Valley, back to the store to purchase whatever food we didn't find in the hiker box. While collecting food into the shopping basket, we got more of a chance to talk to Rick. We learned more about the State of Jefferson and the "No Monument" signs around town and listened to stories about his encounters with other thru-hikers and about his daughter. Then he showed us an old log book that Freebird signed during his last hike of the PCT.

 The residents were protesting the government taking some of their lands and turning it into a national monument. While this would protect the lands, Seiad Valley locals would lose their way of life.

Freebird and Rick in front of the store.

 We walked down the Klamath River that night to look for a place to swim. Freebird remembered a spot from years ago but couldn't find it. The next morning we realized that the river had changed its course, and the place where he swam was dried up. Oh well. It was a beautiful moon walk anyway!

Up the PCT we went, for one more night. We would 

camp there, and then hitch out the next day to the Redwoods.

Views the next morning of the Klamath River from the horse trail, that joins with the PCT. 

With smoke looming in the distance, it was the perfect time to head for

 the Pacific Coast, where there were no forest fires.

Now we had been talking for a few days about floating the Klamath. If the opportunity 

presented itself, we would do it. The Klamath empties in the Pacific Ocean, near the Redwoods. 

So as we walked, well above the highway, we saw something sitting in a parking lot beside the road. It looked like a boat! Excited and wanting to take a closer look, 

we bush-whacked and skidded down the steep hill...

...only to find a portable toilet! We laughed long about that one!

 Well now that we were by the river, we may as well go swimming! Actually, only Freebird swam the first time. I was a little frightened of the current. I had never swum in a river before. 

A couple of ospreys fished around us.

We left to hitch, but after awhile of baking in the heat and no offer of a ride yet, we returned to the Klamath to cool down again. This time I watched an eddy carry Freebird in a circle back to the shore, and I could no longer resist. I did three cycles of this, giggling the whole time and overcoming fear!

The next time we returned to the road, a Seiad woman named Laura and her dog, Beau, picked us up, and we began our journey to the coast. It has been a memorable, life-changing experience thus far during the last month on the Pacific Crest Trail. How did one month pass by so quickly? And yet, it felt like years had gone by. So rich were our experiences every single day, so many were the kind people that we met, and so powerful were the lessons that we learned.

And this was still the beginning of it all. We would only be on the Pacific coast for so long, until we would return to the Pacific Crest Trail in Oregon and continue hiking northward.

As we rode along in the car with Laura and Beau, anticipating the
adventures to come, we knew not just how grand they would be.

Marble Mountains

Mr. Green, Freebird, and Celery at Etna Summit.

Mr. Green gave us some soda and we took in the views... what we could see through the smoke anyway. He refused our money and told us that he hasn't accepted payment from anyone. There were a few that tried to hide some cash in Mr. Green's car but failed, like Monkey Wrench, the thru-hiker who gave us lots of food in Sierra City. Mr. Green found the money and returned it to him.

Mr. Green went off ahead of us on a short hike, as far as he could go. Now was the perfect time, and he would just have to accept some cash for once! Freebird slipped some money in the cooler once Mr. Green left, then we began the trail, trying to walk some distance away from the car. We passed Mr. Green as he was returning, thanked him, and grinned as he made his way back to the road.

8/3-4/2014 Started in Etna, finished at Fisher Lake in the Marble Mountains. Title: "Freebird."

We witnessed a glorious sunset that evening, just before finding a campsite near a spring. Afterwards, Freebird set up his tent and I "cowboy camped" on a ridge with an incredible view to the west. We ate dinner and were about to go to bed.... and then we heard thunder in the distance. 

Soon the gentle north-easterly breezes rapidly shifted westward and increased in strength. I panicked. Every weather source had told us prior to setting out in the Marble Mountains that the winds weren't forecast to blow in this direction. Now the Log Fire, which we were told wasn't going to be a threat, was due east of us, and I imagined the flames spreading toward us. It's understandable that there can be error in human predictions, but I was really doubting our divine intuitions that led us here as well.

I broke camp and wrapped all my belongings in my poncho tarp, then climbed in the tent with Freebird. He had no fear through all of this, speaking words of comfort to me based on what 

we've been reading in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. I was still too afraid to comprehend any of this at the moment. Then he added, "Just pray about it." I could barely do
that even. Though still dwelling in fear, I somehow managed to drift off to sleep...

Within a few hours, I woke up to hear the sound of gently-falling rain against the tent. 

Relieved that the wind calmed and blew to the northeast again, and that we 

were not burned to a crisp, I fell back asleep.

In the morning, I was haunted by the previous night and had doubts about continuing. Returning to Etna was still an option at this point. But after praying about it, intuitively we felt that we would make it to Seiad Valley safely and that we were meant to be here at this moment.

So after breakfast, we kept hiking northward.

A sign that a black bear is nearby.

Freebird went for a swim in beautiful Fisher Lake, while I sat on the grassy 

shore in the sunshine, making a design out of dogwood leaf prints.

We made a few friends at the water's edge!

Being at Fisher Lake all afternoon was paradise. We were considering camping there, but when some thru-hikers arrived, we hadn't set up anything yet. They kindly asked first before they claimed some spots. So with nowhere left around the lake, we moved on, looking for another sufficient campsite.

A baby bird along the trail. We waited at a distance to make sure the parents returned, and they did.

As we walked higher up in elevation, the wind picked up, the temperature cooled, and we began to see "cloud falls," clouds rising up and plunging over ridges. The only campsite we saw for miles was completely exposed and windy. There were a few more-sheltered exceptions, but they came with some presents from horses that we didn't really want. It was a bit discouraging, wondering how long it would take to find another suitable location. We thought Fisher Lake would've been perfect. 

But again... we didn't camp there for a reason, which we would realize soon.

We switch-backed up a ridge to become completely immersed in the cloud falls. It was cold and very windy, but I was so in awe of the whole spectacle that it didn't bother me. Now it mattered not to me when we would even get to a campsite. Any traces of fatigue vanished as I approached the situation with joy. It's amazing what happens when our perspective shifts to one of gratitude.

Once we reached the top of that ridge, this view was on the other side. A beautiful blue lake 

visible just below the cloud cover. I was already jumping up and down for joy because of 

cloud falls, but upon seeing this I was ecstatic! The views would continue to be like fireworks 

as we walked the whole evening.

To the west as the sun went down, a blanket of clouds covered the whole valley.

That blanket rose over the mountains and descended down through the conifer forests.

What a spectacular evening! We found a campsite on a section of old Pacific Crest Trail and decided that we would wake up early to watch sunrise. Something told us it would be very worth it...

We just didn't realize how memorable and unique it would be!

We woke up before the sun rose and climbed up the ridge to find the perfect seat to watch 

the show unfold. Looking to the east, the Log Fire smoke filled all the valleys. 

Smoke and sun would mix to create a show that most people never witness.

Continuing our walk for the day after a perfect morning...

Freebird playing with a butterfly.

This mother grouse jumped out on the path in front of us and tried to distract us 

from her babies. They weren't very good at hiding themselves though!

One of her children.

The baby tried to follow her and exposed itself completely! The mother wasn't too thrilled about this.

Marble Mountain in the background, made out of granite and marble.

We walked downhill for awhile and met a camp of teenage boys in a meadow. They had been exploring Marble Mountain Wilderness for a few weeks and spelunking in caves. The counselors, Bird and Benton, told us that we just passed one along the trail and offered to show us where it was.

We returned to the meadow and thanked everyone for showing us the cave. Who would've thought we'd go spelunking on the trail? What a fun experience! The boys then said farewell and began parading down the PCT to another campsite, Bird playing a ukulele at the end of the train.

Marble Valley Cabin.

More caves!

Another incredible sunset! We kept walking into the night, the trail softly 

illuminated by the moon, until we reached a lake and found a campsite.

The beauty of this lake would be a pleasant surprise in the morning...

Doing laundry near the shore.

A lush spring.

Ants carrying off a piece of tortilla we dropped during lunch. One of them decided to go for a ride!

Doing more laundry, throwing clothes in the "dryer."

There was so much diversity in Marble Mountains that I was amazed. We walked through an old forest fire burn alive with new growth and vibrant fireweed, and then we reached a lush forest of conifers, deciduous trees, ferns, and waterfalls.

At some point I was walking by myself, immersed in the silence other than hearing a few bird songs. I was looking around the forest in deep gratitude to not only be experiencing this surrounding beauty, but also that of the entire Marble Mountains Wilderness... and really the entire journey so far. I remembered when I was bed-ridden two years before and could barely even stand up. Now I was backpacking hundreds of miles through the west, something I never believed I would do. I skipped and ran down the trail, singing, laughing, and praising God for everything. I felt such child-like innocence, like I was looking at everything for the first time. I can't recall the last time I felt like this. 

As I continued to run downhill, winding back and forth through lush ferns and waterfalls, I cried tears of gratitude. What a blessing to be here, to be experiencing such peace and love in my heart! 

I experienced a surrender to God that I can't explain in words. Nothing mattered to me anymore other than doing His will and loving others. Right then I truly wished that everyone could experience happiness like this, wherever they may be.

I sat in reflection at this waterfall while waiting on Freebird.

Grider Creek. We took a swimming break here.

A Stellar Jay feather on the bridge. We found another one at our campsite just along Grider Creek.

The following morning, we began our last day of walking this section. 

We would make it to Seiad Valley that evening.

Big Leaf Maple.

One of Freebird's favorite trees from this section.

Upon reaching the edge of the wilderness, we went swimming under a bridge one more time. There was a comb resting there, the third and final one I've seen since I bought that comb back in Quincy. Thanks for to God for another reminder that He provides, and a good laugh!

After cooling down, we got back on the PCT, which became a road walk.

Blackberries and green apples everywhere!

Along the road was a hat, with a cute surprise waiting inside! I exchanged hats and wore this one into Seiad Valley. I would only wear it for a few hours until we found its owner in town.

A bald eagle flying above the Klamath River!

The eagle, while searching for a meal in the river, sent the geese into a panic!

As we walked along, houses began to appear. They soon became closer and closer to each other. Signs of "civilization." This donkey was grazing in a nearby pasture.

Crossing the Klamath River.

In a few miles we would be walking into the town of Seiad Valley.