It would be hard to exaggerate the significance of a father and daughter relationship. I'm blessed to have two outstanding daughters who shine like twin moons over my world.
The past eight days with Fidget, braving freezing temps, rain, snow, thousands of feet of ups and downs, as well as walking in the shadow of Mt. Jefferson, the Three Sisters, Three Fingered Jack, and Mt. Hood guided us into a new range of interactions.
When the newspaper reporter asked her what led her to take on a 2650 mile challenge she said, "When I was little my dad would take me hiking and challenge me to push a little harder and go a bit higher than I had before." That is a good description of one role I've played in her life till now. Being ahead of the kids and leading them to be and do more. Also walking beside them and congratulating them and encouraging them.
In the very early hours of August 28th a seismic shift in our roles began. The first was when the taxi from Redmond/Bend Airport dropped me off in front of room 31 at the Cascade Lodge in Bend. The door was opened by a tall athletically built lady in a dress that showed sculpted, muscular legs and a lean, powerful torso. 
After overcoming the surprise of how different she looked from the last time I saw her, we made plans for the AM and crashed. I'd been up working and traveling for the past 21 hours and Fidget on the other hand had upped her pace to 30 - 38 mile days over the past week to meet me in Bend.
The next morning, after breakfast and dividing the food I'd brought and giving Fidget her passport and border crossing papers for Canada we were picked up by a trail Angel, Loyd Gust. He dropped us off at Elk Lake, 172 miles from my terminus, of Cascade Locks on the Oregon/Washington Border (which is also the Columbia River). As we were saying good-bye to Loyd we realized we had forgotten to buy fuel for our stoves. Fidget still had a bit in her bottle and Loyd offered to meet us in a couple of days at a road crossing with more.
We set out needing to hike 25 miles a day to make it. It was chilly and drizzling . We occasionally glimpsed mountains in the Three Sisters Range through fog and mist. We were going over old lava fields interspersed with high mountain meadows on narrow paths which were worn by decades of horses and hikers into troughs about 6 inches deep and 12 inches wide. After being passed by a cavalcade I was distracted by watching them and fell. I heard a crackeling noise, felt a sharp pain and saw my left ankle at an unnatural angle. Fidget helped me up and after determining that nothing was broken, encourage me to keep on. This had happened to her many times especially at the start. She offered me a trekking pole which I gladly accepted. Only a little later did she ask, "Dad, do you remember what you used to call trekking poles?" Sheepishly I replied, "Wussy sticks."
The trail eventually led us into an obsidian field and down to 30 foot high Obsidian Falls. We camped near the falls with only 20 miles covered. It was good to have the soothing sound of the falls to sleep by. Although it was sometimes hard to hear over the hail and rain.
The morning of the 29th we awoke to frozen tent flaps and more mist and snow. We had to pack our tents and flys and ground cloths still heavy with moisture. As we climbed through more lava flows I realized my body wasn't used to carrying a 45 pound pack for that kind of distance up and down that kind of terrain. Fidget hiked near me, letting me lead or follow as I desired. She made sure my ankle was fine and kept the conversations on topics other than the difficulty at hand. At McKenzie pass the sun finally came out for a while and we stopped to dry our wet gear. As I was about to climb up a stone look out tower to get phone reception and call Loyd to discuss plans to get fuel, Fidget said, "Dad, look behind you." I turned and there was our guardian trail angel looking over us. Loyd was just returning from refilling a water cache in this otherwise dry area. We made plans to meet the next day and were encouraged by news he brought us of the trail ahead. Shortly after he left, trail magic happened again. A section hiker named Ben came striding down the road on his way back to his car that was parked at the nearby trail head. We were able to Yogi ("talk someone out of" as was oft done by Yogi the Bear) a bottle of fuel from him. We also were able to call Loyd and save him another trip.
After this second day of I became more accustomed to the routine and was able to speed up a bit and hike some 25 mile days as needed. I did manage to bruise and blister the balls of my feet by running downhills on rocks. This meant that for the next five days Fidget helped me deal with blisters and pain. She encouraged me. She knew what I was going through since she had faced the same thing for her first month on the trail. When I hit tough climbs or low points in a day she would keep me going by talking about family, other through hikers she'd met, stories from the past and future plans. She also seemed to effortlessly guide us through many trail intersections, reading topo maps as quickly and accurately as I would read road signs. Thus I realized that our relationship had moved onto a new plane where she was now encouraging and guiding me to go beyond what I had done before.
Each day she would weave our conversations into one with the Creator of the Douglas Firs, Cedars, Maples, huckelberries, blackberries, dozens of types of wildflowers, snakes, Jays, glaciers, peaks and waterfalls. She would talk to Him as easily as she'd talk with me. Thanking Him for family members past and present. Asking Him to care for for them and other friends. She'd also tell Him how much she was enjoying His artistry and creativity.
While there are many joyous memories I'll take from these past eight days together. There is one overarching message and meaning that gives this dad his highest joy and deepest pride. Out of her accomplishments on the trail my oldest daughter has earned a self-confidence and esteem that allows her to sing and rejoice in solitude. From this arises a spontaneous and generous hospitality toward others. And an attitude of admiration, gratitude and prayerfulness toward her creator. In the tradition of Henri Nouwen, she has developed a spirituality as solid as the mountains she climbs.
Fidget, thank you for helping me complete my small section of the PCT. Keep enjoying your journey to Canada and beyond. Someday may your children and grandchildren "go together" on the Creator's paths that reveal even more of His nature.
The past eight days with Fidget, braving freezing temps, rain, snow, thousands of feet of ups and downs, as well as walking in the shadow of Mt. Jefferson, the Three Sisters, Three Fingered Jack, and Mt. Hood guided us into a new range of interactions.
When the newspaper reporter asked her what led her to take on a 2650 mile challenge she said, "When I was little my dad would take me hiking and challenge me to push a little harder and go a bit higher than I had before." That is a good description of one role I've played in her life till now. Being ahead of the kids and leading them to be and do more. Also walking beside them and congratulating them and encouraging them.
In the very early hours of August 28th a seismic shift in our roles began. The first was when the taxi from Redmond/Bend Airport dropped me off in front of room 31 at the Cascade Lodge in Bend. The door was opened by a tall athletically built lady in a dress that showed sculpted, muscular legs and a lean, powerful torso. After overcoming the surprise of how different she looked from the last time I saw her, we made plans for the AM and crashed. I'd been up working and traveling for the past 21 hours and Fidget on the other hand had upped her pace to 30 - 38 mile days over the past week to meet me in Bend.
The next morning, after breakfast and dividing the food I'd brought and giving Fidget her passport and border crossing papers for Canada we were picked up by a trail Angel, Loyd Gust. He dropped us off at Elk Lake, 172 miles from my terminus, of Cascade Locks on the Oregon/Washington Border (which is also the Columbia River). As we were saying good-bye to Loyd we realized we had forgotten to buy fuel for our stoves. Fidget still had a bit in her bottle and Loyd offered to meet us in a couple of days at a road crossing with more.
We set out needing to hike 25 miles a day to make it. It was chilly and drizzling . We occasionally glimpsed mountains in the Three Sisters Range through fog and mist. We were going over old lava fields interspersed with high mountain meadows on narrow paths which were worn by decades of horses and hikers into troughs about 6 inches deep and 12 inches wide. After being passed by a cavalcade I was distracted by watching them and fell. I heard a crackeling noise, felt a sharp pain and saw my left ankle at an unnatural angle. Fidget helped me up and after determining that nothing was broken, encourage me to keep on. This had happened to her many times especially at the start. She offered me a trekking pole which I gladly accepted. Only a little later did she ask, "Dad, do you remember what you used to call trekking poles?" Sheepishly I replied, "Wussy sticks."
The trail eventually led us into an obsidian field and down to 30 foot high Obsidian Falls. We camped near the falls with only 20 miles covered. It was good to have the soothing sound of the falls to sleep by. Although it was sometimes hard to hear over the hail and rain.
The morning of the 29th we awoke to frozen tent flaps and more mist and snow. We had to pack our tents and flys and ground cloths still heavy with moisture. As we climbed through more lava flows I realized my body wasn't used to carrying a 45 pound pack for that kind of distance up and down that kind of terrain. Fidget hiked near me, letting me lead or follow as I desired. She made sure my ankle was fine and kept the conversations on topics other than the difficulty at hand. At McKenzie pass the sun finally came out for a while and we stopped to dry our wet gear. As I was about to climb up a stone look out tower to get phone reception and call Loyd to discuss plans to get fuel, Fidget said, "Dad, look behind you." I turned and there was our guardian trail angel looking over us. Loyd was just returning from refilling a water cache in this otherwise dry area. We made plans to meet the next day and were encouraged by news he brought us of the trail ahead. Shortly after he left, trail magic happened again. A section hiker named Ben came striding down the road on his way back to his car that was parked at the nearby trail head. We were able to Yogi ("talk someone out of" as was oft done by Yogi the Bear) a bottle of fuel from him. We also were able to call Loyd and save him another trip.
After this second day of I became more accustomed to the routine and was able to speed up a bit and hike some 25 mile days as needed. I did manage to bruise and blister the balls of my feet by running downhills on rocks. This meant that for the next five days Fidget helped me deal with blisters and pain. She encouraged me. She knew what I was going through since she had faced the same thing for her first month on the trail. When I hit tough climbs or low points in a day she would keep me going by talking about family, other through hikers she'd met, stories from the past and future plans. She also seemed to effortlessly guide us through many trail intersections, reading topo maps as quickly and accurately as I would read road signs. Thus I realized that our relationship had moved onto a new plane where she was now encouraging and guiding me to go beyond what I had done before.
Each day she would weave our conversations into one with the Creator of the Douglas Firs, Cedars, Maples, huckelberries, blackberries, dozens of types of wildflowers, snakes, Jays, glaciers, peaks and waterfalls. She would talk to Him as easily as she'd talk with me. Thanking Him for family members past and present. Asking Him to care for for them and other friends. She'd also tell Him how much she was enjoying His artistry and creativity.
While there are many joyous memories I'll take from these past eight days together. There is one overarching message and meaning that gives this dad his highest joy and deepest pride. Out of her accomplishments on the trail my oldest daughter has earned a self-confidence and esteem that allows her to sing and rejoice in solitude. From this arises a spontaneous and generous hospitality toward others. And an attitude of admiration, gratitude and prayerfulness toward her creator. In the tradition of Henri Nouwen, she has developed a spirituality as solid as the mountains she climbs.
Fidget, thank you for helping me complete my small section of the PCT. Keep enjoying your journey to Canada and beyond. Someday may your children and grandchildren "go together" on the Creator's paths that reveal even more of His nature.
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