posted by Claire on Sep 1
You’ll never guess who I ran into at the gas station at White Pass Ski Resort in Washington: the legendary Billy Goat. We first met, as you may recall, right before I entered the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Billy was out with two LA Times reporters, and I inadvertently crashed their party (much to Billy Goat’s delight). We crossed paths once more near Etna, CA, and had a lovely 4-hour chat on the side of the trail.
But, in White Pass, we both arrived wet, cold, and generally bedraggled from days in a long, Washingtonian storm. Neither of us wanted to go back out into the rain, and so we got a hotel room at the ski lodge. Turns out there were 12 or so other hikers there. They had the same good idea to wait out the storm and dry out their stuff. We had a cute little efficiency with a lovely view of the mountain and, most importantly, a really, really powerful heater. We took off our sopping shoes and sat, toe-to-toe, with out bare feet right underneath the vent of heated air. Ah, heaven! I’m not sure how I can express the deep delight we took in being inside, warm and dry. We gleefully watched the rain pour down outside. It was such a pleasure to relax and allow an external heat source to warm me, instead of requiring my own body to produce all the warmth. It is surprising to me every time I go out in the cold how much extra energy I expend just to stay mostly warm. That’s the bad part about hiking in the cold and rain; your body has to work double time to dry the moisture on your skin before it can even address your own body’s heat needs. If your not hiking or in you sleeping bag, you get cold! Well, some thoughtful and well-prepared people bring warmer clothes, but I found that strategy to be far too reasonable to ever work for me.
Well, Billy and I had a lovely 2-day hiatus from walking, curled up in our room, loving every minute of it. He seems to appreciate my company as much as I do his. So, despite the fact that we had a widescreen plasma TV, we never turned it on. Instead we spent hours talking. as if we could stock up on social interaction before heading our separate ways (he was southbound, whereas I am northbound). On trail, you can walk with someone going the same direction as you for as long as you both like. But, when you cross paths with a southbounder, the meeting must be short, for you both have more miles to cover that day. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to spend a full two days getting to know him better. An extraordinary synchronicity, and highly enjoyable for all.
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