#mazama

[keepingitneutral]

"Tinyleaf," Mazama, WA, USA,

Courtesy: GO'C

[thegreatprinceoftheforest]

Common Brown Brocket | Nicolas Olejnik

[pcttrailsidereader]

Unexpected Pleasure

Yesterday my neighbor called up to see if I was around as he had some people he thought I might like to meet. Rob had just driven over the pass on Washington Highway 20 from Mazama. Mazama is a little blip in the Methow Valley that features a small number of shops and a brewery. It is also the first place a hiker will come to from Hart's pass on a return from the border. As Rob was passing the Mazama turn off there were three people attempting to hitch a ride west.

Rob being the huge hearted person he is, stopped and gathered up Luuk, 'Toasty' aka James, and Dr. Nick aka Alejandra. This trio was making their way toward Seattle for whatever the next stage of their adventure would hold.

I met the group at Rob's house and we immediately found common ground. As we shared a refreshment we swapped some stories and impressions from our respective PCT experiences. This mini trail family was a reflection of a PCT demographic that acknowledges the international make up of the PCT community. Luuk traveled from the Netherlands and Alejandra (Dr. Nick) from Mexico, while James (Toasty) came west from Virginia. Toasty had previously hiked the AT. They have walked a lot of miles together once they linked up. They have navigated fires, smoke, and numerous trail closures not to mention any and all other things the trail can throw at you. It was immediately apparent they earned every single mile from the southern desert to the colder and wetter north. As they got nearer the Canadian border there was rain and even a little bit of snow flying. Obviously the perfect time to end their journey!

Luuk, Dr. Nick, Rob, and Toasty

It was not a surprise but more a confirmation/affirmation that the trail community is real and alive with warmth, humor, and yes, even some magic. Meeting and hanging out briefly with Luuk, Dr. Nick, and Toasty was a real highlight for me. I feel I made a connection with them albeit from this brief encounter and that is just how it seems on and just off the PCT. People from diverse places and backgrounds become part of an interpersonal Venn diagram.

I don't know if I will see these three again but for now I am so warmed by their spirit, friendliness, and shared experience. As my friend Rob would say, "Onward!" I hope wherever that is we somehow share a few more stories and impressions from their PCT adventure. Here's hoping!

Luuk, Alejandra, me, and James...Alejandra is holding a copy of 'Crossing Paths' our collection of hiker/writer stories with the hope these three will be inspired to share some stories in the future here...fingers crossed!

[owlwithafringe]

Modern Dining Room Seattle

Mid-sized minimalist concrete floor, gray floor and wood wall kitchen/dining room combo photo with brown walls

[confronttheconfidencegap]

Seattle Kitchen Dining Mid-sized minimalist concrete floor, gray floor and wood wall kitchen/dining room combo photo with brown walls

[englishvietnameselanguage]

Metal Seattle Example of a mid-sized minimalist brown one-story metal house exterior design with a shed roof and a metal roof

[soranatus]

"Gentle Giant of Wizard Island" 12x12", Ink and watercolor, 2023. By Emily Poole.

[inatungulates]

Lesser brocket Mazama nanus

Observed by nicoolejnik, CC BY-NC

[radioactive-earthshine]

She is not happy about the strange sounds as our new furnace is being installed.

[13thpythagoras]

good news for wizard kind

NO WAY

[voiceyeong]

모여라 시튼학원! 진 리메이크

群れなせ！シートン学園-間様人リメイク

Seton Academy: Join the Pack! - Jin Mazama Remake

[thegreatprinceoftheforest]

Purplish Jay. A purplish jay stands on the back of a brocket deer, acting as a cleaner, searching for ticks and other tidbits. Photographed in Poconé in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Brocket Deer | Kyle Lloyd Arpke [2024 Audubon Photography Awards]

[genelvavirtualstudio-blog]

La Jeune Artiste Tamu Mazama, Lauréate du Prix Révélation Culturelle aux Panafrican Awards 2023, fait son entrée sur la scène internationale

La talentueuse artiste de 21 ans, Tamu Mazama a récemment été honorée du prestigieux Prix Révélation Culturelle lors de la troisième édition des Panafrican Awards, qui s’est déroulée à Yaoundé, au Cameroun. Cet événement d’envergure continentale a été l’occasion de célébrer l’excellence dans divers domaines, mettant en lumière des personnalités émergentes qui se distinguent par leur contribution…

[petitworld]

Mazama Ridge Trail, Paradise Inn, Washington, USA by David Irons Jr

[thebashfulbotanist]

One of the prettiest but tougher to find speedwells around here, Veronica cusickii/Cusick's speedwell, which grows in the mountains in North America. This was one of the very last plants still in flower in October near Mazama in Washington State.

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

10,000-Year-Old Sandals from Fort Rock Cave in Oregon (c.8000 BCE): these sandals are the oldest known footwear ever discovered

The oldest shoes in the world come from Oregon's Fort Rock Cave, where a team of archaeologists unearthed more than 70 sandals dating back to about 10,000 years ago. They had been buried beneath a layer of volcanic ash during the eruption of Mount Mazama in 7,600 BCE (the same eruption that produced Crater Lake). Some of the sandals still show signs of charring from the hot pumice that rained down over the site.

Each sandal is woven with ropes made of twisted sagebrush bark, and their design represents a distinctive stylistic tradition.

From the Oregon Encyclopedia:

While sandals have been found at sites other than Fort Rock Cave, no other site has produced the unusual quantity found at Fort Rock. They range from child-size to large adult size. Most are heavily worn or broken, which suggests that they were discarded rather than being stored for later use.

I briefly mentioned these sandals in my previous post, but I decided that it would be better to just give them their own separate, dedicated post instead, because they really are amazing.

Sources & More Info:

Oregon Encyclopedia: Fort Rock Sandals

Museum of Natural and Cultural History at the University of Oregon: Great Basin Sandals

Wikipedia: Fort Rock Cave