Hitch #5 - Pick A Title

Karlena and I build our first rock water bar together
Sleeping On The Job....lunchbreak on the trail
Kick Ass retaining wall

This post could very well have a number of titles. Instead of limiting it to one, I will list my options and let those that actually read my blog, pick their own title....

1. Farewell to Our Redneck Crew Leader Mr. Bicanich aka Casey Jones
2. Go F--k Off A Cliff
3. What's Your Name?
4. Barbecue Fire

Our last hitch in the Northern California/Southern Oregon, was in the Russian Wilderness. We spiked out at the Music Creek Trailhead for the week. Our commute to the Pacific Crest Trial was a mile up switchbacks and then at least another half mile to mile hike to our project site.
We had one volunteer with us all week. Jed, a 5th grade school teacher in Sacramento but grew up in San Jose. His father grew up in Mapletown, Utah. Crazy that I keep running into people with Utah connections. The work this week consisted of rock water bars, retaining/junk cribs walls and moving one massive rock from the trail.
The past two hitches, we have seen quite a few Pacific Crest Trail through hikers (starting in late April and hiking 2,650 mile anywhere between 5 or 6 months. Through hikers have names like: Not A Moose, Totally Rachel, Easy Rider, Out There and many more that I am sure to come across.
The last two night, I slept with my rain fly off so that I could do some stargazing. On this hitch, I saw a few shooting stars which I can not really remember ever seeing a shooting star before then.
We packed up a day early in order to have a farewell barbecue at our sponsor, Ian's house in Medford.
Friday was the drive back north to Trout Lake, Washington. 5 am start after not much sleep. After trying looking for where my stuff that I had left here was and finding an empty room, I did some unpacking and laundry.
That night I went to visit the Mt. Hood team. They live in a nice house in Zigzag, Oregon which is located on Hwy 26. Saturday, I went for a beautiful hike on Mt. Hood. Beautiful wild flowers in bloom.
Tomorrow will be our first hitch with a new sponsor/new area. It will be in the Mt. Adams Wilderness. We have to hike in 6 miles and we most likely will have to carry more then just our personal gear since we might only have 2 horses to pack us in. This will also be the first hitch where we will have quite a few volunteers. 3 for the first half and 9 for the second half.