Change, Change and more change

 Saturday, July 3rd

If you read this blog last year, you know that I left the Pacific Crest Trail in September because the last 15 miles of the trail were closed and the air for the last 200 miles of the trail was full of smoke. 

After leaving the trail I spent a couple of days sightseeing in Seattle before going to Vancouver, BC and then on to Edmonton, Alberta to visit relatives. On the plus side, I  had a good time visiting all my relatives ( my 2 Aunts, my Uncle Eldon, and all my cousins ). I even got to see the Eagles in concert. On the minus side: I  got Covid. BOO !! Being cooped up in a motel room for a week is not my idea of a good vacation. Fortunately, I had a mild case, nothing worse than a runny nose and sore throat.

Dina ( Sage ) and I had originally planned on meeting near South Lake Tahoe ( about now ) and hiking north to Timberline Lodge to cover the section we both missed last year. We then planned on hiking from Cascade Lakes to Trout Lake ( Dina skipped it last year ) and then hiking from Snoqualmie Pass to the border.  So what happened ?

For starters, central California received not a boatload, but a Supertanker load of snow during the winter, which meant we were constantly trying to guess when we should start from South Lake Tahoe. Let me put it this way: as of June 1st, the snowpack in Yosemite is 350% of normal. The snowpack in the Sierras will probably last well into August ( and South Lake Tahoe is just north of the Sierras ). Then about two weeks ago, I noticed a lump on the front of my neck. By last Thursday, it was painful to the touch, so I  scheduled a Doctor's appointment.  Last Saturday, I was getting ready to text Dina to let her know that I might not be going on trail this year, when she phoned to tell me that she had something come up that was probably going to keep her off trail this year. I saw the Doctor on Monday and when she saw the lump, her exact words were " Wow. That's pretty big." At any rate I am scheduled for a CT scan on the 26th. 

My plans ( yes I know that "Life is what happens when you have other plans.") for the moment are to spend a week or so mid month hiking in the U P ( the Upper Peninsula of Michigan ) . Next year, I  hope to start from the Mexican Border about April 13th. Why the 13th instead of the 1st, you ask ? Simple: on April 8th there will be a total solar eclipse over Niagara Falls ( how cool is that !! ) and I want to see it.