The Clydesdale has continued to cruise us down Route 101 this week. Occasionally we would wander off course to visit some oddity or another, but we would return to the coast that seemed to leave both Darwin and me in wonder and awe. Bowie just wanted to pee on everything.

A few days ago, we took in our final view of the coast and headed East, the direction we would be heading for the next several weeks. Darwin had decided he wanted to revisit a very popular trail town, one of which I had heard lots of hikers express fond feelings towards by I had never seen; a town of which was ruled by dogs, Idyllwild, CA.

Darwin had talked to me about this place since the day he left it. It’s one of the first trail towns on the PCT, and he had taken his first zero there. As we drove into town, Darwin was pointing out general areas where the PCT was located until we came around a small turn. No one could miss the dark, black scars left by a fire that skirted the town only a few months before. Darwin was shocked and left almost speechless by the damage the fire had left. As we continued to drive, he described to me the beauty of the area he had hiked through, a vast difference to what my eyes were taking in. I saw the anger set in his face, this fire had been very intentional, set by one man. It destroyed over 13,000 acres of wilderness area, caused thousands to evacuate, and destroyed homes.

We drove the next few miles silent until we crossed a perfect line marking the fire’s edge. From the view we had, you could see the exact stopping point of the fire. The line of trees  black and scorched on one side the other green and full of life. Darwin’s face eased once we crossed the burn line and he began telling me all the things he wanted to show me in town.

The remainder of our day was spent along with Bowie walking around the town popping into little shops, admiring “Harmony,” the 25-foot wooden statue towering over those who view it, along with Sequoia Tress in the center of town. Bowie filled up on dog treats with every store we entered and Darwin, and I chatted with locals and visitors such as ourselves roaming the streets. I listened as he rehashed his time there before; hikers he had met, conversations he had, where he had eaten, etc. It was a Sunday, and the sun was spreading its warmth on all the activity below it; a perfect day. We saw Mayor Max and his spares from a distance visiting their townsfolk. I would have loved to meet him, but Darwin and I were worried that Bowie would offend him.

Early in the afternoon, we retreated to the place Darwin had longed for ever since he had left it, Silver Pines Lodge where to Bowie’s dismay we stayed at the Cat Nap. It was here that we worked and discussed the coming months long into the night. Planning and plotting, lost in thought and laughs; an idea of a plan has been given out to the Universe.

 

 

Things To Expect In Up Coming Blog Posts & Other Stuffs:

Mini Misadventures Updates: Cover Complete!

New Book Review! – Coming Soon!

Cool Thingys That I Also Do:

Our Etsy Store: TravelandTrail

Instagram: The_snuggle_diaries

Old Posts You May Like To Rehash:

The Trees They Are a-Swayin

My Little Headlamp

A Seven Day Adventure and I Wasn’t There

 

The last few days have been a blur, so I made a list of happenings…

 

• Darwin has returned to van life with Bowie and me

 

• We spent several days in Bend, OR with friends where Darwin primarily lived at a  recovery gym

 

• With the help of our friend Eric, the Clydesdale (our van) is back to 100% working order

 

• I attended my first Brewfest (super fun now that I enjoy beer!)

 

• Attended PCT Days 2018 (which was pretty dang impressive!)

 

• Met a lot of great people who actually read this blog along with Darwin’s vids! (So cool to meet you all!)

 

• Caught up with Bean-Dip and Moonshine (and Birdie too!)

 

• Hung out with Hike Oregon

 

• Bummed around the Cascade Locks Ale House

 

• Picked up a new hiking skirt at PCT Days to test out! (A full review will be happening!)

 

• Purchased some new needed gear for an upcoming adventure (stay tuned!)

 

• Started a family road trip down the coast via Route 101 with Darwin and Bowie

 

• Watched a pod of wild seals play in the bay

 

• Walked along the beach in the Pacific Northwest

 

• Woke up to the calls of Sea Gulls

 

(Darwin Filming Me, Taking A Picture Of Him)

 

Things To Expect In Up Coming Blog Posts & Other Stuffs:

Mini Misadventures Updates: New Cover Currently In The Works…

New Book Review! – Coming Soon!

Cool Thingys That I Also Do:

Our Etsy Store: TravelandTrail

Instagram: The_snuggle_diaries

Other Recent Posts You May Have Missed:

The Most Treacherous Road To Darwin

The Things That Remain

Updates & Other Musings

It started with a text message. I hadn’t talked to him in a week, and then he sent a text message with coordinates to the location where I would pick him up. I looked up the location, “Hart’s Pass” and the internet lined up all the information for me. The first word my eye fell upon was “dangerous,” then “treacherous.” I tried to text Darwin back with my immediate concerns but it was too late, he was already gone, with no idea what he had left for me to stew about the next few days.

That night, I didn’t sleep very much. I was to busy sending mental messages to Darwin and envisioning the van getting stranded on a narrow section of road up to Hart’s Pass or Bowie and I tumbling around inside the van as rolled down a cliff taking us to our doom. You see, I had ruined myself with the information I found online. I had read articles about this dreaded road up to Hart’s Pass, being known as the most treacherous road in the whole state of Washington. Darwin had unknowingly tasked me with driving up it and back down. What Darwin didn’t know is that I had felt a small catch in the Clydesdale, it was faint and not often, but I felt it. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get to him.

I continued on the next day watching videos of people bouncing around in their vehicles and stopping on a cliff’s edge to allow another vehicle to pass them, their tires mere inches away from the edge. I read how if it was too windy vehicles should not attempt the drive as the road was partially exposed and a small breeze at the bottom of the mountain was hurricane strength winds at the top. Hart’s Pass also was the highest road in Washington, taking those who dared drive it over 7,000 feet up via a narrow, washboard road. Trailers and motorhomes were entirely not allowed per the Forest Service.

“How am I ever going to get the van up this road?”

“What happens if I get stuck?”

“What happens if I need to turn around?”

“What happens if I don’t judge my distance right and a tire goes off the edge?”

“What happens if the catch becomes a puttering stop, on the way up?”

I had put the Clydesdale (our van) thru the ringer the last few weeks with gravel roads, potholes, washboard roads, etc. and I was concerned I had pushed it a little too much out of necessity and of course, I had felt that “catch” when driving a few times. I had not had a shower in over two weeks, I hadn’t been sleeping well, and I was extremely lonely. This last month without Darwin had felt like one of those never-ending hallways, always stretching further before you could reach the end. With this new concern of “Washington’s most treacherous road” in front of me, I decided I needed a break. I was getting a hotel room.

I booked one in a town that Darwin and I had previously discussed we would be staying at when I picked him up from the PCT. This conversation had been several weeks before this more recent Hart’s Pass text. In my exhausted and worried state, I didn’t even think to look up how far away Hart’s Pass was from the hotel. It was only after my time frame to cancel the room, I discovered it was still a three-hour drive to the pass. I felt completely defeated. So Bowie and I drove, it was the only thing we could do.

I sat in that hotel room feeling further away from Darwin that I had ever felt in my entire journey even though I was only two days away from seeing him. I felt consumed by loneliness. I was tired. I called my mom, talked to my sister, and called my really good friend Caron. I cried a lot. I washed down three large slices of pizza with two beers. I soaked in the tub. I sent text messages to Darwin explaining I didn’t think I could get up the narrow road to Hart’s Pass. I pleaded with him to call me, but I knew he wouldn’t get my messages. I thought about him waiting for me at the top of the pass. Once I drove the three hours there, I would try to get as close to the top of the pass as possible.

The day arrived when I was to meet him. I was a ball of nerves. Even though I knew he had twenty to thirty miles to hike to reach the pass, I left early, and by eleven I had driven as far as I could down another gravel, washboard road, feeling the catch now more prominently. I parked the van in front of a warning sign that said “Road becomes narrow next ten miles, proceed with caution,” or something along those lines. Bowie and I hiked up the road and found it drivable. However, from my research, the road would continue to become steep and narrow as it gained in elevation. I then made my final decision. I would wait at the bottom of the road and hope Darwin would figure it out to hitch or hike down; he was going to have to give me a few more miles after already hiking over 2,000. I felt awful.

And so I waited. I counted the vehicles as they passed by, seven had gone up, and three had come down. I had hoped each heading up would remember me and if approached by Darwin at the top, would notify him I was down below and maybe give him a ride down. I had no signal, and I figured he still didn’t either. I had previously called the forest service; there was no way to get a message even to the campground at the pass. I kept waiting.

Four hours later it happened. A car coming down from the pass slowed as it came close to the van. Then a car door opened. Then there was Darwin. He had found me. In a rush of words, I explained what had occurred. The most treacherous road, the catch in the van, my missing him, the long never-ending hallway.

I hugged him, and I kissed him and on the hour drive back into civilization, while he slept, a funny thing happened, the check engine light came on.

Notice Anything Wrong With My Sign?

I Suppose I Was To Worried About The Road That I Forgot The Name Of The Man I Was Picking Up! 

 

Things To Expect In Up Coming Blog Posts & Other Stuffs:

Mini Misadventures Updates: New Cover Currently In The Works…

New Book Review! – Coming Soon!

Cool Thingys That I Also Do:

Our Etsy Store: TravelandTrail

Instagram: The_snuggle_diaries

Other Recent Posts You May Have Missed:

The Things That Remain

The Heart Of An Experience, People

Two Weeks Without A Shower

I woke slowly, sleeping to the exact moment of my alarm. The sun was already peeping into the van where it could. I had rested well, once I finally fell asleep. Sleep has been a distant friend lately.

I lingered over every movement, every action I took as the morning grew old.

I watched as the sun slowly brightened the forest around me. Soft rays of light filling in the dark spaces between branches creating spotlights on the forest floor, revealing various hues of greens and browns.

I watched in silence peering out from the van door, a silent observer to this light show.

I feel asleep again, listening to the early calls of unknown birds. When I opened my eyes once more, the forest was again changed. New ferns and moss were grinning in the warmth of the sun.

Lazily I piddled around doing my chores, watching pine needles fall great distances down, down, down, when the breeze pushed them to do so.

I listened to the winds, the birds, the flying insects, everything having its own destination.

I would stay today, I decided. In four months I’ve left for one reason or another, but today, I would stay. I would watch this small but wild place, observe it. Witness its changes.

The trees swayed and the dripping mosses waved to me. The warmth of the afternoon heating the forest floor and releasing deep earthy aromas.

The remnants of day-old spider webs glittered in the golden daylight.

Leaves fluttered, moved by unknown forces.

My journey would end soon, but these things would remain long after I’ve gone away.

There is a comfort in the things that remain.

(Morning Trail) 

Things To Expect In Up Coming Blog Posts & Other Stuffs:

One of my writings has been featured as a Guest Post!! Check out this piece over at The Armchair Mountaineer! I submitted this piece back in January! WhooHOO!

Macabi Travel Knee Length Travel Skirt Review –  Done! Check It Out! 

New Book Review! – Still in the Reading Process…

Cool Thingys That I Also Do:

Our Etsy Store: TravelandTrail

Instagram: The_snuggle_diaries

Other Recent Posts You May Have Missed:

Updates & Other Musings

A List Of Week Events…

Traveling Alongside the PCT…

It’s the first of August. You may be expecting to hear my book “Mini Misadventures” is available to purchase, but I won’t be saying that. It’s not ready. I have missed my goal.

The truth is that van life isn’t all pretty views (see one of my latest Instagram Posts) and easy living. It can be frustratingly hot, inconvenient, and unpredictable. Internet connection is a must when trying to work on a big project such as writing and publishing a book. With van life, I depend a lot on the WIFI availability at coffee shops, which isn’t always the strongest since I have to share with several other strangers. I also have a time limit during the day, Bowie and I cannot sit in the Clydesdale all day working (me) and sleeping (Bowie). We both go a little stir crazy, so we move around a lot. It’s sometimes hard to work, eat, and sleep in the same small space. A downfall of van life I suppose.

Since I have never written a book or published one on my own, I basically have no idea what I am doing and so thought I was almost finished. I was so excited to come out with a cover! But guess what? I’m pretty sure it isn’t going to work. A weak image as it were that will not print well as a paperback cover.

Instead of releasing something to you that isn’t a 100% what I want, I’m taking more time and getting the kinks worked out. Van Life moves at a slower pace and so will this book.

I did, however, get a little inspiration from a hiker friend in regards to van life. It’s so easy to find information on the luxuries and positives about van dwelling. Smiling pictures and amazing views; no one likes to show all the other times. Coming closer to the end of my excursion of four months living and traveling in a van along with the issues I’ve experienced trying to work on a book, I have plenty of good, bad, and ugly stories to share and will do so in the near future.

***Update: After writing this post, I got a notice that I one of my writings, has been featured as a guest post on a fellow bloggers site! Just the boost I needed after not hitting my book goal! See the link below to read a never before released Snuggle Diary!

(A common scene when working in the van) 

Things To Expect In Up Coming Blog Posts & Other Stuffs:

One of my writings has been featured as a Guest Post!! Check out this piece over at The Armchair Mountaineer! I submitted this piece back in January! What an honor and surprise!

Macabi Travel Knee Length Travel Skirt Review –  Done! Check It Out! 

Cool Thingys That I Also Do:

Our Etsy Store: TravelandTrail

Instagram: The_snuggle_diaries

Other Recent Posts You May Have Missed:

The Heart Of An Experience, People

Two Weeks Without A Shower

A Traveling Fear Comes True: Part I