Day 119 Meet Becky in Ashland

Day 119 Meet Becky in Ashland
16 miles
From Sheep Camp Spring (mile 1698.6, elevation 6858)
To Mt Ashland Rd. (mile 1713, elevation 6180)
Upload 2180
Descend 2919

“What is there to do
you can do
When there are two of you.
The baker in “Into the Woods” by Stephen Sondheim

The above quote from Into the Woods seemed appropriate to describe the encounter with Becky. Instead of stressing out too much about it, it worked much better if we both worked on how/where/when to meet. We still had to finalize meeting plans when we woke up this morning and I wanted to see how easily we could connect. Given the times we each expected to start moving in the morning, I suggested we meet near the Mt Ashland Ski Resort (where the PCT crosses Mt. Ashland Rd.).

We had tickets to see Sondheim’s Into the Woods that night, so we couldn’t meet up too late; At least we couldn’t if we wanted me to take a shower first and have time for dinner. Becky was convinced I would be waiting forever since she was driving over 5 hours to get there and I was camped just 15 miles away. Then I reminded him of my typical walking speed. I started earlier, so I was able to arrive a little before her. She seemed unsure of where the trail crossed the PCT. I hoped my presence on the side of the road would make it easier.

Colors of sunrise when I began my walk.

1700 miles

I had a couple of brief delays earlier in the day talking to people on the trail, including a woman running who told me there was a cooler of sodas coming up. My first real delay occurred in that refrigerator. The sodas weren’t cold (there was no ice), but the cooler was in the shade of some trees and there were chairs to sit on.
I also got there about a minute before Extra (from Alberta), who got his trail name from taking many extra adventurous trips while heading towards Canada. We talked while drinking and enjoying our soft drinks.

It was hard to get up, but when I did, I still had an ETA almost an hour ahead of Becky at our meeting place.

Mount Shasta (the rightmost peak in the distance) definitely doesn’t seem very close anymore

A little further on, as I approached another dirt road junction/parking area, I saw a couple of guys sitting along the trail. As I was commenting on their good choice of location, one responded and I recognized his voice. It was Matt/Bones, my friend/coworker who I met earlier at Walker Pass. Not only did he have magic in the back of his car, but he also had many stories of his summer adventures. After each shared numerous stories, I returned, now with an ETA about 15 minutes ahead of Becky at our meeting point.

But then I looked closer at the map and realized I was a mile further from the meeting place than I thought. I walked as fast as I could, but I knew I would be late. The only question was whether Becky would arrive later.

She won this “race,” but at least the PCT crossing was obvious and had a fairly large parking area, so she had no difficulty finding it without me sitting on the side of the road.

Of course, when I arrived, Becky was handing out fresh fruit, sodas, and chocolate covered almonds to all the hikers (not many, but it wasn’t empty either). He also offered to take hikers to Callahan’s or Ashland (or drive their backpacks, allowing them to pack on this stretch). No one took him up on the offer except me, who desperately needed a shower before the evening show.

I admit it made me feel a little special to have two friends (who had never met) providing magic on the trail just a couple of miles away.

Choosing a restaurant for dinner was an interesting process. I was trying to get ready and presentable, so Becky was looking for restaurants. But our priorities were not exactly the same. She wanted good food. My attention was focused on a lot of food. She had baked and brought a cake, which served as a nice appetizer and allowed my stomach to feel satisfied with dinner at a real restaurant (Martino’s Upstairs was very tasty). Matt joined us for dinner and also went to the show.

It was interesting to see Into the Woods here. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents different shows on the same stage on subsequent nights. So their sets are pretty minimal. After getting used to the elaborate and beautiful sets that the Pacific Conservatory Theater (PCPA) creates (especially since my youngest son works there as a stage manager), I was initially disappointed by the minimalist set. But the actors did a very good job with the show. I felt like their take on the show was more direct and less subtle than PCPA’s. Of course, I also accept that I’m probably biased toward: the show I watched first and the show my daughter works on.

At my request, Becky brought her bathroom scale. I weighed myself several times that first day and found the results interesting and confusing.

141.8 pounds before shower. I started the tour weighing about 153 pounds. This was less than I expected, but I also recognize that I might have been dehydrated.
143.4 pounds after shower. This was particularly confusing. I would expect the shower to wash away some dirt and reduce my weight by a minuscule amount. Was I so dehydrated that my body absorbed water while I was in the shower?
£147.4 after dinner/show. This was after I had ample opportunity to consume lots of snacks, pastries, dinners and desserts, as well as drink lots of fluids. So I’m not surprised that I’ve gained a few kilos.

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