Monday, August 16, 2004
Two Water Firsts
08/16/04
I saw the shortest stream ever: from the side of the trail, a generous and clear spring poured out water, which flowed downhill about 8' and drained into a hole, never to be seen again.
While walking down the trail, I noticed a prominent, but suspicious side trail that I chose to ignore. Walking along the real trail, I stepped over a dead tree that had been placed there. Then I saw what the redirection was about.
Extending out into the trail was a beaver dam. The immediate area had been extensively dammed and the trail was just in the wrong place. I tried to 'shwack around it, but I did not want to get my feet wet. I actually thought, "How sound are beaver dams? Can I walk on this one?" Then I had visions of crushing a beaver family, and headed back to the well-worn alternate. How do beavers move mud?
Today I also had another "water two." I had lunch on Two Ocean Pass, more specifically, the parting of the waters. The circumstances of the parting of the waters is an anomaly that seems possible, but not very likely. A stream, on its downward flow, flows right into the Divide. The Divide sort of comes in from the side, and at the exact meeting place, the stream splits. The larger flow heads east and toward the Atlantic, and the smaller flow to the Pacific. Pretty amazing. And genetics have proven that fish have swum across the Divide. Even more amazing!
Northbounders
Today I met Fixer, or something like that. He's finishing his triple crown, having done the PCT in '94 and the AT at some point. He's doing the CDT in sections.
I also got to talk a while with Garlic Man, who I hiked with on the PCT last year when I did the Sierra. He walked by as I was finishing my dinner break. He said that Trippin' Ant is about 1/2 a day behind him, that Roni's been doing a lot of road walking and that might be why we didn't see him, and gave me the scoop of who is how many days ahead, southbound.
I've been thinking about my decision to leave the Traveling Show. I still feel good about it (I'm really enjoying the hiking), but I'm worried that it looks like I left because Apple Pie got sick. I left because she wouldn't address being sick, and that's an independent decision that affects the whole group.
I did just over 24 miles today, and it was easy.
