the dharma blog

Thank you to everyone who has already ordered Esker. If you haven’t done so, you can still get your very own copy for $12. Not only have many people already ordered, several have been kind enough to spread the word via their blogs and I want to publicly thank everyone for doing that:

• Julie at Not So Shiny Jules: “Have you read it yet? If not, you need to. Really, need to.”
  
• Hansi at Universal Klister: “As I have grown up in the mud and sand of the St.Croix River myself I am looking forward to reading it!”
• Esker contributor Lené of Counting Petals: “My very first blogging buddy, dharma bum, has self-published a book called Esker and has graciously included one of my poems in his collection.”
• And my colleague and friend Sean of Wool Gatherer: “In addition to being tall and handsome, Greg is a remarkably thoughtful and articulate chap, and he writes beautifully about his love of the outdoors.” (What, how was I not going to include his bit about me being tall and handsome? Complimenting my writing really only gets you so far…)

I’ve also gotten Esker’s “official Web site” up at www.gregseitz.com/esker. It’s still a bit under construction and there’s not much there right now besides what you can find here, but it will serve as the place to go to order copies, etc.

Thanks again for all the congratulations and encouragement and to everyone who has purchased a copy. It means as much to me as the number of sales. But, if you haven’t bought Esker yet, here’s that link one more time.

We hosted my parents and grandma and Rosie’s parents at our house for Thanksgiving. It was a wonderful day. Enough sentiment to make it memorable, enough relaxation to make it enjoyable.

Perhaps the best thing about Thanksgiving weekend is that you get the holiday out of the way right off. Once all the dishes were done, we had a long weekend of well-deserved rest and play.

On Friday, I had a couple free hours in the afternoon so I drove over to our nearest park and took Lola for a wander in the woods.

On Saturday, we went a-Christmas tree cutting with Rosie’s clan. The three families met in Stillwater and then headed across the St. Croix to find a tree.

Rosie and I got our tree tied on first and hit the road back to her parents’ for dinner. En route, we decided to swing by the Arcola High Bridge to see the sun set over the valley.

As we were driving away, the moon was suddenly hanging over the tree tops, as big as I’ve ever seen it.

I was out catching up to tomorrow, or was I caught up in the past?
These days it’s hard to tell what’s out in front from what’s behind.
But, oh God, it’s unforgettable and unpredictable the way our chemicals collide.

- Cloud Cult

Finally, on Sunday, we went for a hike with Rainier and B (and Lola and their dog Quercus). They were leading us to new parks and it was a good wander around the northwest part of the metro area. Our primary destination was closed for a special deer hunt that day and that day only, so we improvised and found a state forest where we could walk some fire roads and trails through the pines.

Perhaps my favorite part of the walk was through a stand of red pines planted 50 years ago. The thick carpet of red needles on the path and the wind in the high canopy created a strange peaceful effect. A crow’s caw some distance away echoed carried through the woods.

I got myself a new look,
(Something gave me another chance to see).
Each time, each time I will try to do better.
Right now, right now is where I guess I belong.

Pulled my fist from my mouth.
I beat myself for a quarter century.
Remind, remind that it’s bigger than me.
Dissolve, dissolve into evergreens.

- ibid.

The cold started to set in over the course of the weekend. Winter is looming awfully long right now, and November has been dim and darkening, the skies have been gray, the wind raw, the land impartial and unmoving.

But there are lessons in all of it, and I’ve survived every other winter I’ve attempted, and already the cold is feeling more comfortable.

The fifth and final part of my interview with Sam Haraldson about his ultralight thru-hike of the Pacific Northwest Trail. Here’s part one, part two, part three and part four.

Sam is giving a presentation titled “Ultralight Thru-Hike of the Pacific Northwest Trail,” tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. at the Midwest Mountaineering Winter Expo. Rosie and I will be there, as will some other folks. Let me know if you’re planning to attend and we can say ‘hi.’

My last question for the solo-hiking Sam was about other people. Though he spent days hiking in perfect solitude, Sam inevitably met some interesting folks on the trail.

He says the first half of his hike, through western Montana, Idaho and eastern Washington, differed greatly from the second half, through western Washington.

As I followed the trail across Montana, Idaho and Eastern Washington – places where population density is intrinsically low – I met the least number of people. Making my way into Western Washington where population density is higher I began to encounter significant numbers of people.

Up until I entered North Cascades National Park I had kept a tally of the number of backpackers I met in each of the recreation areas I’d passed and this number was in the dozens. Upon entering North Cascades and moving westward the number of people sharing the backcountry with me as backpackers became great enough that counting them became tedious and I quit keeping tally.

Of all those people, Sam encountered a few characters that have stuck with him, from an older gentleman practicing a very minimalist form of backpacking (from the miles per day to the simplicity of his food), to a guy who seemed to emulate The Big Lebowski in more ways than one.

Let’s begin with Bob whom was backpacking outside of Bonner’s Ferry, ID. Bob is in his 60s and had been hiking these loops of trails or some decades previous. He practiced Tai Chi and subsisted while backpacking off whey protein and raw olive oil. He knew his limits, moved at a slow pace and truly savored the sights and sounds of his surroundings.

Todd, an individual whom I met early on in my hike while I was in Glacier National Park was driving his truck on the backest-of-back roads along a route nearly identical, yet reverse of the hike I was making. He had started at Neah Bay in Washington (a few dozen miles North of where I was to end) and had worked his way Eastward to the Continental Divide at Glacier National Park (where my hike began). Todd wore a bathrobe all the time, had very interesting theories on modern physics and was an individual like few I’ve ever met.

Clifford, Steve and Andrea all hail from Northport, WA. Cliff is the town librarian and music teacher while Steve and Andrea own and operate Northern Ales Brewery and Organic Grocery. Clifford met me one warm morning as the library was opening and let me in to check my e-mail and sit for a chat as the temps outside rose to 100 deg F. His son gave me excellent advice as to the best swimming in the Columbia River and in a visit back to the library later that day soothed my ears with some delectable acoustic guitar picking. That evening while Andrea poured us quality brews, Cliff and Steve had an excellent jam session at Northern Ales.

I met many a good conversationalist along the trail. From small talk about the weather at a local deli counter in Oroville, WA to an in-depth ultralight gear chat in the alpine country of Olympic National Park the people along the way were a highlight of the trip providing an excellent balance to the beauties of the scenery and sounds of the wilderness solitude.

So that concludes the interview. I hope you enjoyed it and found it informative. Many thanks to Sam for his great tales and insights, it was a pleasure to do the interview and post it here.

And don’t forget about the talk tomorrow morning and to let me know if you’re going to be there!

An Ultralight Thru-Hike of the Pacific Northwest Trail, The Interview:

• Part 1: Introduction
• Part 2: Best and Worst Days
• Part 3: Gear
• Part 4: Great Thoughts
• Part 5: The People