I signed up to participate in the UltraPedestrian Wilderness
Challenge 2013: Devil’s Dome Loop. That is what brings me here on a Sunday
evening–driving upriver in deep dusk, thinking existential thoughts. Moments
from the PCT are replaying themselves on my mind’s movie screen. The radio
proclaims, “Nothing scares me anymore” and I sing along–a phrase I can
wholeheartedly agree with amidst a sea of vapid lyrics. I drive onward winding
up into the mountains, arms straight, elbows locked out. I am on a mission, not
just to run a course, but to run away from the life I have come home too. The
mountains, my dearest friends welcome me with knowing, grizzled faces. They’ve
seen the likes of me one too many times.
I fill my water bottles in the dark. The darkness calms me.
The mountain night fills my lungs, soaks into my skin, permeates my psyche. I
feel the stress of everything outside this place and moment falling away. I
find an amazingly comfortable camp spot beneath ancient cedar trees just a stone’s
throw from my car, but the roar of the creek is so loud I cannot sleep, even
with earplugs in. Oddly, I miss the pure exhaustion of the speed record that
allowed me to sleep anywhere the moment I was horizontal…
5:30 comes and I find myself eating an almond butter sandwich
in the pre-dawn light. I don’t bother to unzip my sleeping bag or turn on my
headlamp. I realize it is the most natural thing in the world to me. As will
packing up and moving forward when I’d rather be sleeping. At the trailhead I throw my tent and sleeping
bag into my trunk. A man walks over and asks if I am doing the UPWC as well. I
say yes and he holds out his hand, “Arya.”
I take it and stumble over my own name. “An…Heather.” He
walks away. I push the button on my Garmin and begin my day in the gray light.
Anish…I almost introduced myself as Anish. Shaking my head I wonder
semi-seriously not only if I am experiencing a mild form of PTSD, but if I am
at risk for split personality disorder. The cobweb of nightmares in my brain
dissipate in the sweat and blood pumping power of the switchbacks up…and up…and
up. I forget the faux pas with my name. Who cares anyway? Anish is Heather.
Heather is Anish. I am home. Home. Home. Home….it pounds through my veins and I
smile as I bound through the huckleberry laden parklands. The sweet odor of
fermenting berries drifts around me like the mist. I relish the fact that I am
free of my backpack and only carry a couple of handhelds and some snacks.
The climb up to McMillan Park breezes by. Over and over I am
amazed at how effortless it feels to run through the mountains on narrow
trails. My body must be recovered from the PCT for it to handle the 41 miles
today as though it was nothing. I don’t push. I simply revel in the beauty of
the wild and my body moving through it, just as I did for 2 months prior.
Vaguely I am aware that I am reaching landmarks in what feels like a short
amount of time, but it doesn’t really matter.
Onward I fly, uphill, downhill, over the rocks and through
the brush. I bomb down from the ridge to the cusp of Ross Lake. I am sad to
enter the forest and leave the sunny high country behind.
Yet when I cross the bridge and consult my watch I see that my easy run has been less than 11 hours long (10:46…plus 3 minutes or so of fumbling with the Garmin to make it stop recording). I whoop and stride back into the sun drenched parking lot. I guzzle water as though I will never drink enough again. I rip my shoes and socks off and throw my pack into the car.
Then, I go
lie in the glacial creek and absorb its power. Rejuvenated, I leave home and
return to the building in which I live.
Bonus! I am pleased
to discover that this fell out of my pack and was awaiting my return to my car:
Full Route Info: http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/305200569
Heather, I'm happy to find your blog. Congrats not only on your awesome PCT hike, but on your post-PCT living, which I find even more inspirational. Happy trails!
ReplyDeleteThanks Matt! Congrats to you as well. Hope you are doing well and that you have some exciting adventures coming your way.
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