Weekend from Hell

I am not the sharpest tool in the shed.  After five hard days on the farm, I probably should have taken my two day weekend to recharge my batteries.  Maybe head into town or Portland.  Have a couple of drinks and relax. Instead I find myself near death on the side of some mountain overlooking the Pacific.

I figured I'm out here to get in shape, so why not use the weekends too.  When I proposed this to Eva, she thought it was a great idea.  Let me put this into perspective.  I'm out-of-shape, lazy-ass, prefers to take the elevator over walking up the two flights of stairs to my apartment, Mike.  She is the Himalayan climbing, Bolivian salt desert trekking, hyperactive ball of kinetic energy, Eva.  I probably should have taken baby steps on this one.

First we have to get out to the coast.  This was accomplished by hitchiking in the front of pickup trucks, the back of pickup trucks, and with an Indian Christian missionary woman.  Fun times.  After a few hours we realize that it wasn't realistic to make it to where we wanted to go (Cape Falcon), but that we are right near Cascade Head.

The first leg of our hike involves 3 miles of a really difficult path up 1300 hundred feet while having to climb over and around obstacles all over the path.  At this point I'm ready for a jacuzzi, steak dinner, and a two foot rub.  Instead we have miles more of hiking up and down mountain sides.  All said and done, we hiked 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) with 750 meters (2500 feet) of elevation.  I was a wreck by the end.  I used to walk 10 miles from my apartment to my sister's house on occasion.  But that was relatively level and on pavement.  Oh yeah, this time around I was also carrying a 30 pound pack.

When we decided to make camp, I just collapsed where I was standing.  This might be a good time to mention that we were hiking in a coastal rain forest.  Even though it was in the 80s and dry in most of the surrounding area, the hiking spots were in the 50s and constantly drizzling.  I don't have proper camping gear. I have a sleeping pad, but instead of a bag, I have a little fleece zip up blanket.  As the temperature dropped and the showers began, I slowly froze.

The second first light came I was up and at em, despite the pain in every muscle and bone I have.  I needed movement to get warm.  All we needed to do today was hike 8 km (5 miles) out and hitchike home.  It was all downhill today which made it easier, except for the pain in my knees.  Got a couple of hitches and I'm back in civilization (funny how quickly a farmhouse where I've never met a neighbor has quickly become 'civilization').  Best hitch was in the back of an enclosed pickup truck, driven by a native american with his whole family in the car smoking weed (the smell wafted into the back).  They had some mattresses and blankets in the truck bed, so it was really comfortable.

Its amazing what (hopefully) real change does to your outlook on life.  Three weeks ago my natural choice for weekend plans would have been some festival on Governors Island, a BBQ at Seth's, with a stop at Mammoun's along the way.  By putting myself in different a surrounding, I naturally gravitated towards a completely different way of life.

As physically painful as this weekend was, the joy I found easily compensated.  The hike was beautiful, and I saw things that I've never seen before.  I can feel myself getting stronger as a person the whole time we trekked.  I felt like I was pushing myself farther then I've ever tried before.

As unlikely a pairing as we are, Eva was amazing.  Even as I felt bad about holding her back as much as I did, I appreciated what a good friend she is.  Of all the random travel buddies I've had through the years, Eva is the best.  I'm glad our random gchat messages resulted in us deciding to wwoof together.

So I'm back at the farm, trying to rest up enough for the start of another week here.  Look forward to posting soon.