Pacific Crest Quest

On Friday I rode south out of Cascade Locks toward Mt. Hood. Looking back northward, I got this view of the Columbia River. #2014PCT

Over the next several days I rode Shyla and kept Takoda once again at the Diamond Lake Corrals, with Wayne Watson, while I was out overnight on the PCT. The trail remained snow-free, and I continued to Odell Lake (staying at the Whitefish horse camp by Crescent Lake) and finally as far north as Elk Lake, at the southern edge of the Three Sisters Wilderness where Takoda and I had our difficulty. Then Mom and I made a mad dash late on the evening of the the 10th all the way up

These flowers seem to flourish in among the trees by the trail. #2014PCT

These flowers along the way definitely brighten up the landscape. #2014PCT

I took a couple of days off after the fall with Takoda so that we could both recover and so that I could re-group and try to devise a new strategy. But like the old saying goes, after you’re thrown you’ve got to get back in the saddle again, and I was determined not to let this setback, as scary as it was, deter me from my goal if there was another way to achieve it. I was able to take refuge at an amazing horse facility outside of Bend, Future Road Farm, where Leanne Johns

The day after our accident, as we drove through Sisters, Oregon, after Mom had finally found Takoda and me on the 242 and we camped overnight, we couldn't help stopping at the sight of this restaurant . . . #2014PCT

There was still thunder and lightning and some rain showers in the morning as I tacked up Takoda and set off southbound on the PCT in the morning, hoping to meet Mom at Elk Lake later in the day. Almost immediately, we encountered snowfields that covered the trail, and the higher I went, the deeper the snow got. But due to the early morning temperatures being cool, and the storm clouds hiding the sun, the snow was hard and easily supported Takoda’s weight, and so we continu

The last couple of days proved to be a combination of challenges, with a little unexpected fun. First off, as I was driving out of Sonora Pass on Sunday, my truck started having problems with the tachometer, and I feared a repeat of some of the problems that I had with it after Old Station, when I stayed with Pam and Aaron Williams in Redding for a day or two and got it fixed. It was a little ironic that once again I was on my way to Redding, and if I was more superstitious

I don't think this is how most people move down the PCT . . . and I was obviously taking a short break, visiting with my mom and her family where they were camping at Whiskeytown Lake outside of Redding. I had stopped to get a vet check for the horses and to get my truck repaired, so I decided to give myself a brief vacation and join them for a little fun. #2014PCT

On Sunday I rode into Sonora Pass for the second time, this time coming north out of Yosemite. I still think that Sonora is the most breathtakingly impressive of the passes that I've seen so far. We had to go more slowly than I had expected through Yosemite, due to the rocky ground, which was basically just a series of granite steps and cobblestones, and sometimes nothing much like a trail at all, just a barely discernable track over naked rock. One of Takoda's shoes was c