A Thousand Miles On The Pacific Crest Trail
“Hiking the PCT was the maddening effort of knitting that sweater and unraveling it over and over again. As if everything gained was inevitably lost.” - Cheryl Strayed, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail.
Those who know me, know that I am NOT a hiker and used to be an indifferent walker at the best of times. My walking capacity has improved thanks to my wandering and certain life style changes that I implemented in my life but I couldn’t even dream of hiking any portion of the Pacific Crest Trail.
In fact to be totally honest I hadn’t even heard about it until a friend invited me to go with her to visit the Vasquez Rocks Park and Museum in Southern California on a fine Saturday morning.
The Pacific Crest Trail which runs from Mexico to Canada passes through Agua Dulce a small town along California State Route 14 where Vasquez Rocks is located. My introduction to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) came when we stopped for lunch at the Sweetwater Café, a popular stopping place for backpackers on the trail. As we ate lunch we had an opportunity to chat with a group of hikers enjoying their own meals at the next table. As most of them left a young lady was kind enough to stop and chat with us about her motivations and her experience in making this trek.
Serendipitously, our book club reading for the subsequent month was Wild: From Lost To Found On The Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. In her book which I subsequently found was also made into a movie, she talks about her experience and amongst other things highlights her visit to the Timberline Lodge and the ending of her quest at the Bridge of Gods.
Therein began my fascination with the Pacific Crest Trail and the motivations people have to challenge themselves. I too wanted to visit some of these locations in my own way at my own speed. Since backpacking and camping in the wild is beyond my repertoire, I flew from Los Angeles to Portland Oregon and drove to the Timberline Lodge and the Bridge Of Gods amongst other wandering in Portland. In my own small way I felt a sense of victory and accomplishment in making this journey for myself. I also hope to wander to other locations as my wandering permits.
Vasquez Rocks is a natural area park located in Northern Los Angeles County in California. It is known for it’s rock formations, the result of sedimentary layering and later seismic uplift. It’s a popular place for rock climbing, horse riding and wildlife watching. After the year plus lock down it was great to enjoy the outdoors and watch people doing the same when I visited in early April.
This area with it’s Western-looking landscapes and proximity to Hollywood has been a popular filming location. The Park has a museum that gives you a very interesting perspective on local fauna and flora as well as the history of the native Americans that once lived here.
However the museum also pays tribute to it’s claim to Hollywood fame through posters and quotes. Notable mentions: The Flintstones movie, Mel Brooks Blazing Saddles, The Invaders episode The Saucer and the Star Trek episode Arena amongst a host of others.
The History channel shoots the popular reality TV show "Top Shot" in the hills and canyons on the north side of the valley and Reno 911 has filmed in locations off of Soledad Canyon Road.
From Vasquez Rocks we drove to the quaint town of Agua Dulce drowsing in the sun. I felt like I had been transported back in time as we pulled up at the café. A small grocery store and post office added to the quaint scene. Pre-COVID the locals will tell you about evenings enjoying live music and dancing.
The Pacific Crest Trail cuts straight down through Aqua Dulce Canyon Road where the Sweetwater Bar and Grill is located. This little oasis on the trail provides a welcome rest stop for travelers on the trail with their wall of fame that hikers sign as they stop for some hearty fare and a source of fresh water to fill up their containers for the trail.
We enjoyed our own lunch sitting at their outdoor patio table and conversations with the servers and some of the hikers who had stopped here.
A few months later I made my way to Portland Oregon for a few days wandering in the Pacific Northwest. Here I took the opportunity to drive up to Mount Hood and the Timberline Lodge. Unfortunately the recent fires in the area made the atmosphere a bit smoky and to my disappointment there wasn’t much snow either.
One of the most beautiful sections of the 2,650 mile Pacific Crest Trail runs right past Timberline Lodge and along the western flank of Mt. Hood. Between the heatwave, little or no snow and fears of rising COVID numbers, the lodge was unexpectedly deserted but we managed to enjoy wandering around and admiring the wonderful atmosphere.
A sample of the art on the interior walls which gives us glimpses of the local wildlife.
The depiction of the legend of the Bridge Of Gods painted along the side of the bridge. Between the truck parked and the angle of the sun and where I was standing I just couldn’t get a clear picture but I was fascinated with the legend that I am sharing with you as well.
Long before recorded history began, the Native American legend of the Bridge of the Gods says that the Great Spirit built a bridge of stone and placed a wise old woman as it’s guardian. There were three brothers who lived in peace until Squaw Mountain moved in between two of the brothers and caused a falling out that resulted in a battle which had the brothers throwing rocks and fire such that the bridge collapsed in the middle and fell into the river.
The bridge of legend has been replaced by a modern steel truss cantilever bridge that spans the Columbia River Gorge.
While it had not been Cheryl Strayed’s original intention to conclude her PCT pilgrimage at the Bridge of the Gods over the Columbia River, in the end she was drawn there. “Down, down, down I went on that last full day of hiking,” Cheryl wrote in her book “Wild” “I could feel the river pulling me like a great magnet below and to the north. I could feel myself coming to the end of things.”
The bridge is located at the convergence of the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail, three National Historic Trails, and the Pacific Crest Trail at the lowest point in the Pacific Crest Trail, “down, down” says Ms. Strayed in her book Wild. I personally did not get to walk across the river but was able to appreciate the view, take some pictures and conclude my own pilgrimage of the PCT, albeit not in the way of most people.
I do have a yen to visit Crater Lake next and perhaps I will have an opportunity to wander that way if I can.