A Stealthy Hike · Sep 8, 10:14 am by Jennifer Pharr
There are lyrics in the song “Hotel California” that mention being able to check-in to California, but never being able to leave. Well, after 2 1/2 months of hiking in California, those lyrics have never felt so true. But finally, finally, I am in Oregon! And I made it here without having to skip any miles!
Yes, after much fretting and deliberation in Etna, I decided that I would risk the federal offense, a $5,000 fine and imprisonment, to hike through the “closed” Marble Mountain Wilderness. Although scary signs and barriers had been placed at the park’s entrance, word on the trail was that the closure was not being enforced and that Rangers were turning a blind eye to thru-hikers. Still, it didn’t make the decision easy. A few more years of maturity on my side and I probably would have skipped the section, but the invincibility and foolishness of youth saw me through the perils of civil disobedience and without ramification.
I made it through the entire wilderness without ever seeing a Ranger, partly because they were all off tending to wildfires and partly because I bushwhacked a mile long semi-circle around the sole Ranger station that the trail passed. More apparent, however, were the constant helicopters that flew overhead, and while they were probably far more interested in spotting fires than thru-hikers, it didn’t stop me from taking cover under a tree every time I heard their imposing presence above.
I did see three fires while I was in the wilderness, but thankfully they were all on distant ridges. Instead, the more threatening obstacle came in the form of two bears that were planted directly on the trail. I was leery of the creatures due to the fact that animals tend to become more aggressive when wildfires are in the area. But both bears seemed perfectly content insomuch that the fire hadn’t destroyed their favorite berry patch, and they were more than happy to vacate the trail as soon as I was in range.
Yes, making it through the wilderness was both an adventure and a blessing. I really can’t imagine making it to the Canadian border and then somehow trying to figure out the logistics of getting back to the Marbles in Seiad Valley, California, a community that precociously boasts a population of 350.
No, it’s simply onward and upward from here. Oregon and Washington together claim 960 of the trail’s 2,663 miles, and I’m already 26 miles in. That’s only 934 more miles to go. And I only hope that they can be as wonderful as the 1,700 miles I experienced in California.
Until the next time. All the best! jp
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