[pct-l] re: resupply adventures

[pmags at yahoo.com (Paul Magnanti)]

One of my most memorable re-supply adventures ever was
when I entered Crater Lake National Park.

In this stretch of trail, I went 3 1/2 days without
seeing ANYONE. (Unless you count the car that went by
a road once). I was alone with my own voice and
thoughts in the Oregon woods. The weather was grey and
overcast at that time, mixed in with haze from all the
fires that were happening in Oregon that summer.

Remember walking along one morning and seeing a herd
of elk racing through the woods. My heart was pounding
both from excitement and from being startled at the
sheer amount of noise from all the running of the elk.

I finally saw people again on Sunday at Crater Lake
National Park. From being by myself for over three
days in  the woods to being in a national park on a
Sunday afternoon was an amzing switch. Talk about
feeling alien. Here I was: heavily bearded, duct taped
gear, haven't showered in many days, and feeling very
out of  place mixed among the people in clean clothes,
who some seemed so much larger than the lean
thru-hikers I knew, who were (for the most part)
staring at me. Couple that settings with the fact that
I was not used to that many people at once! I truly
did feel "alien".

There was also a valuable re-supply lesson learned
here as well: DO NOT SEND YOUR PACKAGES TO THE
LODGE!!!
Anything from sent to the lodge gets sent down to the
general store. The (very helpful) staff at the lodge
spent a good 20 minutes or so looking for my package
to no avail. Turns out that not only do they send
packages to the general store, but the UPS place in
Ashland sent two packages to the same place! 
I had to hitch down to the general store, re-supply,
and hitch back up to the rim. (And a shamless plug for
Yogi..her wonderful book has the correct info in it!
:D)

I also had a very memorable camping experience on the
rim. Stealth camped (shhh! :D) and watched perhaps the
most beautiful sunrise of my life over Crater Lake. 
Deep red clouds from the sun risem mixed in with the
smoke. The smoke and clouds lifted just enough where I
could see the expanse of Crater Lake with a deep blue.
And at the time of the morning, seemed to have the
whole park to myself.

Life was good.

Pic of the sunrise:
http://gallery.backcountry.net/pmagspct02/aip
(Though it does not do the view as much justice as my
memory does)

Mags




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The true harvest of my life is intangible.... a little stardust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched
--Thoreau