my life as of now

i have been in this little town since sunday afternoon. actually, its not really that small. i've just been lazy at my aunt's house recovering from the first hitch. crater lake was beautiful. a lot more amazing then i actually thought it was going to be. its one of oregon's last old growth forests! the great spanning views were what the best thing. looking over cliffs into expansive forests, seeing the parts of those cliffs that had crumbled into smaller and smaller boulder stretching into the landscape. i wish i hadn't of dropped my camera that last day on the roads.

at first we scaled roads. travelling up 3km segments scouring the edges for invasive species. how do i know what i'm looking for? "well, it looks different from everything else." there were so many different species in the park, and they all looked natural. dainty little wildflowers and patches of native grasses covered this place. coming back to civilization i've realized how many plants just aren't supposed to be here.

the roads were not that bad. even with my limp from the rocks in my foot and the cut on my toe didn't stop me. the landscape around me was too fascinating to make me bored or not keep going. the trails were a bit more difficult. they had more steep uphill sections, and my shoes are currently falling apart due to their terrain. getting off the roads was worth it. although the views are nice, there is nothing like being inside of it all.

there were all these purple daisies on the trails that i wanted to dry and bring back to mom, but i kept missing them on the way back. the hike in we focused on identifying and finding invasive species on the sides of the trail, so when i saw something i always told myself i would come back for it. i never remembered with those flowers though, so hopefully the memory and thought will be nice enough.

we hiked through a forest that had been the site of a burn a few years back, that was one of the best we went on. i love the look of a half burned forest, i even looked around for mushrooms growing in the area on our lunch break. the trees were so thin and tall. the half charred among them still stood. it was finally bright in the park when we went through that one. the most beautiful hike i have been on.

it also made me realize i was ill prepared for this first hitch. i neglected to realize that the temperatures in the park were going to get so cold, and that the altitude would effect me so much. i haven't been eating a lot in corvallis, and i didn't change my eating habits for all the physical activity i was doing for the job. late in the week i got pretty sick and had to spend half a day resting at camp.

i was spurred by this attack of ill health, and started to eat a lot better for the last few days. one of our segments was part of the pacific crest trail and i got to see all sorts of people. there were guys and girls that had been hiking through it for months, it was absolutely inspiring. being surrounded by that much natural environment was inspiring. i can see why people would spend five or six months of their lives hiking along that trail.

since the weather was a lot colder than i expected and the intense physical activity of the job left me drained, most of the time spent at camp was spent sleeping. i want to be a lot more active on this next hitch, but i also don't want to tire myself out.

coming back into town was such a nice feeling, with the comforts of home, a nice warm bed, showers and some love from family. i just cant wait for the next park though. it just keeps getting better and better.