April 2013, I was losing my wits. Ihad a lot of ideas for adventures and traveling but it was all moot when you have shared bank accounts with someone who doesn't enjoy what you do. So needless to say I was not doing so well, feeling crushed by life itself.
Finally the breaking point was reached and I was released to an extent. First things of order were to jump on one of my finely planned trips. By finely planned I mean bare minimum supplies in a 24 hour back pack and my boots tied tightly.
Landed in Seattle. Ive never been to the west coast so I wanted to start out strong. Learned my first lesson, always reserve the car you want when renting. I figured there would be something suitable to pick from. In fact I know there was but rental companies push a lot of bullshit. So I ended up with this:
Not exactly what I wanted but I was on a mission. Stayed with a friend from high school and then hit the road early the next day. I was more excited than I ever been. I had nowhere to be, no one to tend to. Just myself and wherever the road took me. It didnt take long for me to be overwhelmed.
It was chilly and wet. There stood only the beginning. Elevation rose and the snow got deeper. The mountain passes are often closed for winter and I times it right with them just opening. The roads were silent.
Literally less than an hour of driving into the trip I went from pacific coastline to snow covered peaks to the sun peaking out in the high desert. Three totally separate climate zones so closely packed together.
Small mountain town of Leavenworth. Before Ive only seen pictures of such paradises. Guess they are real. I was on a mission to see a lot but I back burnered this town. Id be back.
Never been to a desert before. Check! I wasnt sure how I would feel about it. I do like greenery and foliage but the desert had an awesome draw to it. Being able to see so far from pretty much anywhere made me feel really small. I liked it. It was an added bonus that the peaks I just left were still floating on the horizon.
I did say I liked greenery! I was driving north towards Canada and quickly ran into foothills. The rolling green humps were a nice blend separating the high desert and snowy peaks. I definitely had the wrong vehicle for this trip as having four wheel drive wouldve offered me a few more opportunities. I made the best of it though.
I was approaching the Canadian border and decided it was time to cut back through the Cascade mountains so I followed this small river with the peaks on the horizon slowly getting larger. Something in the water caught my eye. Look closer.
Oops? Shit happens. No one was in the area kinda wondered if they were coming back for it. Also wondered how it happened as it wasnt really rough waters there. Ill never know.
A little too rickety for me to attempt using but boy was I tempted! Actually drove by it at first and turned around to check it out. I fantasized about what was on the other end. Dreamt of boyhood memories with tree forts and all the other badass halfassed ideas out there.
Back into the mountains! This mountain pass was already looking better. Its later in the day so the cloud cover was less. By looking at the map it was longer too.
Whoa.
Oh my.
Yeah I did.
Coming down the western side of the range the snow gave way to green and glacier lakes. The wind here was a sustained 40-50mph. Not gusts. Never felt such a thing it was pretty awesome. I walked all over the place like a drunk yet felt sobered by how weak I am. How weak we are.
I needed to get out of the car and get some boot time. The foliage of the Pacific northwest is something else. Very moist and moss is everywhere. Although above freezing, the humidity can really get to you. Nonetheless it made for some outstanding sightseeing.
Yum! Moss! At this point I still hadnt seen how mossy things can get. I stayed somewhere for the night. I dont remember where but I was back on the coastline.
It was somewhere near here. To give an idea of the size, near the base are normal sized doorways. Yeah it was a lot of concrete in a town named Concrete. Nifty.
First pacific sunrise. Technically the Puget sound but whatever. One day has passed on the adventure and I was in Go mode. Todays mission was Olympic national park and the rain forest. Only rain forest in the United States actually. My goal was to be somewhere on the pacific coastline by night.
I rode a ferry across the Puget sound (first ferry experience). Nothing thrilling but still cool. Didnt take long to get into Olympic national park. Took a road that climbs what is called Hurricane ridge. Awesome road that just keeps going up. Once above the fog line it was amazing. The fog flowed over the mountains like water. It was mesmorizing to watch.
Pretty cool seeing the layers of the ridgelines. Mountains becoming more and more faint. Unreal looking and I only wanted more.
Reaching the peak of the park meant the light drizzle turned into snow. Temperature dropped 20 degrees from the base of the park. Being in a rear wheel drive vehicle meant there was donuts to do. And so it was. I headed back down the way I came and pointed in the direction of the rainforest.
Driving down the entrance road was insane. As if things were not green enough. Moss was dripping off of everything. There were no sharp angles, just flowy natural beauty. I had a good feeling about this place. I was not let down.
The essence of natural beauty. Never seen water so clean looking. Not gonna lie it was tempting to not fill up my water bottle however I couldnt afford such a risk. I spent a good amount of time in this park. I felt like I was surrounding by alien architecture as there was a distinct resemblence to the environments of alien habitats in the Alien movie trilogy. I wonder if Giger was inspired by something like this.
Simply didnt feel real. I didnt want to leave. But theres more to do. Plus I was close to the coastline now which meant yet another change of scenery.
There it is. First time stepping onto the West coast. Felt pretty surreal. Also bloody cold. I cant imagine this being a pleasant place to swim. I know its April but the Pacific norhwest coast is a chilly one. Still a beach though! I played around for awhile even though I knew it would be dark soon. There was something enlightening about not knowing where Id end up for the night. I had no reservations. Just maps and my wanderlust.
I made it to a lovely beach tourist town of Cannon beach as it started to get dark. The sheer size of these rocks are hard to grasp. I wandered a bit and concluded Id spend the next day here as it looked like there was a lot I could do. First order of business was where to sleep. I generally sway away from paying to sleep so I found a back corner lot that was not marked for trespassing or any time restrictions. Parked and then got some local fish and chips. Had a local blackberry brew too that was pretty impressive.
Sleeping in cars kinda sucks but its do-able. Sure enough shortly after falling asleep someone was banging on my window with a flashlight. Local popo. I got out and she goes on about no sleeping in cars blah blah. She asks for some ID and I toss her my badge. She gives it a look, lightens up and apologizes while I explain Im on a divorce vacation. She tells me that the town has an ordinance about overnight shit due to vagrants. She tells me theres a spot right outside of the village where I wont be bothered. Ok whatever.
Woke up early and was back on track to put a lot of miles on my boots. Cannon beach really is a beautiful town. I could spend more than a day here. However for the day I had something else in mind. The coastline was new to me and yesterday I scoped out some potential quality exploring.
These rocks were so easy to climb. Blocky and lots of holds. Never experienced such a thing. I looked back to the town and the jagged horizon was awesome. I hung out here for a bit, enjoying the crashing waves and the peace.
Seagulls were all over this point and they werent too keen on me being there. I got divebombed a few times. Cheeky bastards.
Bam. Ontop.
To give an idea of how easy this was to climb. Unlimited number of holds.
The top!
A pretty gnarly storm rolled through as I left but it gave me this, satisfaction.
I didnt forget about Leavenworth. It was a pretty obvious decision. Kinda amusing cause it was the first mountain town I encountered so I went back and spent the whole day there. The cuisine was widely sorted and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was time to stay on foot for awhile. I wandered about the village, enjoying the sights, smells and feel of the place.
Ah shit a trail with an unknown destination. Of course I had to follow it. I said to myself Im not stopping until I get to the top of whatever this is.
Down in there valley lies the road which was my first mountain pass way back in the beginning of this adventure.
And higher yet.
Yes. Even higher. Can really see the horizon open up. The snow kept getting deeper too. At least six feet in some spots as I fell through and found myself in a pickle.
Ran out of water. Quick improvision. It melted fairly quick in the high noon sun and provided to this date the best tasting water Ive ever had.
Conclusion. I found a fallen tree and got comfortable. I laid there for two hours, just contemplating my trip. I knew this is what I should be doing. This was me. Documenting this trip alone has made me happier as it has revived the memories of nearly a year ago. A good decision I believe. I left the mountains and flew home the next day. I had a new life to make. A deliberate life that isnt just me holding on for the ride. Theres choices to make and I was ready.
