The Art of Hiking and Cosmological Maintenance 5

Yes, I know the way is clear, but please bear with me a moment. Take out your compass and your pencil then make a mark here and there on the map, turn that dial, flip that lid, don’t break it, let us set our needle to magnetic north and align our purpose with our destination. A two and half hour hike in that direction. Along the river shore, around the lake, and into the singing creek.

Now comes the first heavy footstep as you begin your trek down the trail and into the wild, backpack bouncing- ahoy! and hello mighty trees and hello little berries and hello wild flowers and ancient ferns, hello tectonic dreams

"Hello hello hello!"

Peering into the forest, where nature flourishes and where she decays, recycled by forces so vast that they span entire human lifetimes.

"Should we hang our bear bells from our packs now?"

Look around look around. There is nothing to fear but-

“Hello mr. bear! Would you like some berries? You must be hungry after such a long slumber."

o gurgling stream! flowing like dreams during REM sleep, unstoppable, uncontrollable, just swirling and merging and flowing on and on-

every pressure point is activated as we trek down the path, parting aside the long prickly brambles and leafs, something poking on the side, it’s time to stop, strap, unstrap, adjust, have a snack, a drink water

“Hello heat stroke!”

the river was not visible yet as we turned this way and that with the mountains looking down at us and probably wondering what in the world we were doing here.

then we could hear the rush of water and down the ravine the icy rushing waters through the trees, unstoppable, mighty- no meandering stream that one but a mind-boggling torrent of glacial water ripping through the earth.

"A way a lone a last a loved a long the riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs."

Don't you just love a girl that can shout quotes from James Joyce while hauling 35 pounds of gear on her back and she acts like she don't a give damn for her soul rejoices like a pagan in the altar of Earth-

But we could not ignore the magnificent torrent of water rushing beside us.

"You ain't in Kansas no more, hiking boy!" shouted mother nature like a crazed hag, "you're in my domain now! WOOOOOSHHHHHHHH! Ahahahaha!"

We're so small, so small-

“Hello existential angst!”

Yet so bold that we watch a few videos, buy some gear and provisions, carefully inventory them, weigh them, yes, even the trail bars, draft a plan, act on plans- review, rinse, repeat until no second has been left unaccounted for- An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure- especially when you’re about to throw yourself at the mercy of the elements for fives in the mountains and forests of the Pacific Northwest. Back-country wilderness camping to boot. Think food preparation, shelter, bedding, health, safety- bears, cougars, and Sasquatches. No vehicles, no stores, no carefully manicured campsites, no nearby hospitals, no sassy nurses! Just you and whatever you have on your back pinned against the rumbling tumbling forces of nature.

“Hello pioneer!”

Or so you tell yourself for the foolishness you have set in motion as you prod along the snaking muddy trail and plunge headlong into the wild; no stopping you now, you have conquered your primal fear, cast your fate upon your wits- huffing, puffing, there's no turning back, you might as well look up with determination and wave hello hello hello at the great unknown!

Read more:

Part 1, 2, 3