PCT 2005 - Independence Day

July 4th Evening
Elevation: 5500 ft
Trail Miles: 887 miles

Happy Independence Day! How did you celebrate it? Did you have a barbecue, drink some fine american beer, and light stuff on fire?

I celebrated in the woods, by feeling completely independent. I woke, I walked, and I write about the day where I did not see a single person. I heard voices for a short bit, and I saw an airplane, but I did not see anyone or speak to anyone. Independently lonely in the woods.

Sure the mosquitos kept me company, but there not much for conversation. They just whine in your ear all day, and occassionally bite you to demand your attention. Oh there were the tadpoles in the pond I took lunch at, but they mostly just wagged their tales and went about their business.

Then there were the frogs on the trail, tiny little ones searching for a pond to hangout in, but they just hopped away when they saw me coming. Alot like the two fawn deer and their mother I saw frolicking through the woods, unaware of my presence, or so it seemed.

I guess the most interaction I had with anything was the small butterfly who came and sat on my socks while I ate lunch. I dont know why it would want to sit on my socks, hell I dont even like putting them on. Nonetheless, I enjoyed my lunch while she slowly flapped her golden wings.



Todays hike was rather viewless, though I did walk past a good number of ponds and lakes. How does one distinguish between the two, Ill never know. My guess is that a pond is a big mudpuddle, stagnant and green-brown. A lake is generally larger, stream fed, and quite often blue and clear. Then again, I have seen alot of lakes that are brown and unclear, but those generally have people driving boats in them and larger rivers filling them.



I walked past one particular pond that had lillies in it, those big leaves that hang out on the waters surface waiting to have a frog rest on them. It wasnt too pretty, but it sparked my childhood memories of Alaska. I believe that the preschool that I, or my brother, went to, had a lily pond near it completely covered in lillies. I would walk around it amazed at these simple plants providing a pad for the frogs. I am sure that is not their purpose, but I imagine frogs love kicking on the pad, soaking in some sun in the midst of their afternoon dip.

I also had a short hike through a burned area. I dont know how long ago the fire was, but it was interesting to see all the trees dead with their bark and limbs missing. The sun had bleached what remained of the trunk, and all that was left was thousands of these white branchless trees, like oversized toothpicks poking into the ground. Some had fallen over the winter, making my traverse a little more difficult, and me more thankful of the people who do upkeep the trail.



I planned to stop at a campground at Island Lake, but I missed the campground. So I looked over the guidebook and saw that Dumbbell Lake was just .7 miles further. I hiked on, and was glad I did. It is, by far, a much nicer lake to camp at.

Tomorrow I hike 7 miles into Elk Lake for a resupply