Days 133 - 136:
All rested up from a zero at the Mountaineers Lodge, I started walking today under mostly sunny skies today. I passed the very last 1000-km marker today as well: 4000 km! At this point my mind can't even comprehend that I've gone that entire distance on my own two feet. Walking has become such an integral part of my day-to-day life that I feel like I've been doing it for ages. I no longer feel like I'm accumulating miles, but living in a sort of permanent walking life with no clear duration.
在山莊休息躲避壞天氣後，今天又出發了，而天氣明顯好轉。今天也走過PCT最後以千為單位的里程碑：4000公里！想到我僅靠雙腳就走完那麼長的距離實在很難相信，現在走路已經不是為了累積公里數，是我日常生活的一部分，短遠距離已經分不清楚了，走路比較想是一個永恆的狀態，總距離難以估計。
今天很意外遇到Christian，今年讓我印象最深刻的登山客之一，他總是很樂觀由很會逗笑，我是在PCT的第5天認識他的，在南加州常遇到甚至有幾天走在一起，不過第24天後一直到現在都沒有遇到。不過我今天會在這裡遇到他是有特別原因的，我並沒有趕上他的進度，他今天跟Goldilocks是逆走的，要回我今天出發的登山口，Goldilocks的帳篷昨晚下雪的時候積雪積得太厚了，最後整個塌下來了，人跟睡袋全濕，面臨失溫的危機。幸好昨晚Christian睡在同一個營地，Goldilocks在半夜跑到Christian的帳篷內取暖，兩個人擠在一個睡袋裡睡。今天她要在一天內走一天半的路程回到登山口，再達便車到小鎮找個地方把睡袋烘乾，睡袋這麼濕不能待在山上。Christian今天要陪他走下去，後來再往前跳幾時公里接回步道，只因為要確認Goldilocks可以安全下山他就失去走這段步道的機會，真是好心人。這起事件又證明大自然要我們趕快走完，今年舒適登山的季節已經結束了。
I decided to walk into the night as I wanted to get as many miles in as I could while it wasn't raining or snowing. I didn't mind doing this as I wouldn't have to hunt for a tentsite in the dark; there would be one right beside a lake, right beside the trail. The next morning I woke up early at 4:30 to thick fog, making it hard to get out of bed. I managed to get going and after gaining a little elevation on the trail, I was suddenly above the cloud layer with a dark starry sky above me! Sunrise over the sea of clouds was breathtaking, and I had views of Mt. Rainier again, Glacier Peak further north, and Sloan Peak off to the west.
我今天決定天黑後繼續走，想說在沒有下雨或下雪的時候要儘量多走幾公里，而且我之前設立的目標是不要讓自己要在天黑的時候找營地，但是今天要住的營地不用特別找，走到湖邊營地就在步道旁邊，這樣就不會違反我的目標。隔天早上4點半外面起濃霧又濕冷，沒什麼動力起床，不過沒有下雨或下雪所以還是要儘量走。還好我沒有賴床，走了一小段後已經爬升到雲層上面，看出去下面是大雲海，上面滿天星星。雲海配日出是難以忘記的景色，日出後看得到好多壯觀的山頭：瑞尼爾山、冰川峰、Sloan山 。
才剛走過4000公里的里程碑，今天又走到最後以500公里為單位的里程碑。
It was one of those perfect mornings in the mountains where everything is clear and crisp and the colours pop. I stopped for breakfast in a meadow with a view of Glacier Peak, basking in the sunlight.
早上的空氣乾淨又清涼，陽光也使得山上的顏色特別鮮豔。我走到冰川峰下的一片草原就坐下來吃早餐，看看風景，曬曬太陽，舒服到一個極點。
Glacier Peak is a stunning mountain. It is a solid white triangle surrounded by mostly bare rock. The next two days I walked up to the base of it and around to the north side. It was non-stop postcard-perfect alpine scenery.
冰川峰是一個經典的冰川山頭，從裸露岩中凸出一個完美的白色三角形。這兩天我先走到山腳再繞到北側，一路都是如明信片般的高山風景。
The trail had a couple of challenges here. The first was a bridge that had collapsed over a raging creek. It ended up being easy to cross but looked pretty risky from the shore.
這段步道有兩個比較難走的階段。第一個是要過某一條溪流的時候要走斷掉的橋，而溪流的水流很強，一掉進去應該就沒救了。從岸上看過去有點可怕的樣子，但走起來發現其實斷掉的橋還是很穩。
The other was one section of trail that had collapsed and was not much more than a mud pit with some rough switchbacks through it. I am used to this sort of mess when hiking remote trails in Taiwan, but it is very rare on the PCT.
第二個難走的階段是一個小範圍的土石流，原本的步道已經流失了，目前只能走在泥巴中，以之字形慢慢下，其實這種路況在台灣很常出現，但在PCT是極少見的。
After more spectacular scenery in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, I eventually reached the next fire closure.
下午經過更多冰川峰野森林區的美景後走到一個岔路口，從這裡開始要走替代路線，PCT主線因為前面的森林火災而封閉。
In a normal year, you would just carry on straight here to Stehekin Road, then take the shuttle round trip into Stehekin and back to the trail.
沒有封路的話可以繼續走稜線到Stehekin林道，再坐接駁車到Stehekin鎮補給，再坐接駁車回步道。
This year, we had to turn east here and walk down to the village of Holden, a Christian retreat accessible only on foot or by ferry.
今年我們反而要往東下切到Holden村，一個偏僻的基督徒避靜村莊，此村莊跟外面的世界沒有聯絡道路，只能搭船或走路進來。
From there, we had several choices to rejoin the PCT. Most people opted to take a shuttle to the nearby lake, then the passenger ferry up to Stehekin, then the shuttle to the original trailhead at the end of the fire closure. This way actually ends up being about 10 miles shorter in walking distance, and you get the experience of taking a boat ride on Lake Chelan, one of the deepest lakes in the world. Almost everyone chose this option. (Yellow portion is shuttle and boat, no walking!)
到了Holden村之後要再接回PCT主線有很多選擇，大部分的人選擇坐接駁車到湖邊，再搭船去Stehekin鎮，補給完後再坐接駁車到Stehekin林道的登山口。這樣的走法可以省16公里走路的距離，也可以體驗到在世界上最深的湖泊之一搭船，是一個不錯的選擇而大部分的人選這個方法。（黃線為接駁車和搭船的路段，都不用走路喔）
There is also a trail from Holden Village up over a pass and down to Stehekin Road. Then you can catch the shuttle into Stehekin, and the shuttle back out to the trailhead at the end of the fire closure. Some people who felt like taking the boat was cheating and wanted to at least walk as many miles as the original PCT chose this route.
從Holden村也可以走一條步道，翻越一個鞍部之後再下切到Stehekin林道，再坐接駁車到Stehekin鎮補給，最後坐接駁車到Stehekin林道的登山口。有的人就算走替代路線還硬要走跟原本PCT主線的距離一樣長或更長的路，不能因為森林火災而少走一點距離，他們選擇這個方法來補公里數。
Unfortunately for me, both of the above options would mean breaking a continuous footpath. This has been my goal along, and I'm not about to break it now. This means I'll be able to take the shuttle into Stehekin and partway back along the road, but then I will have to walk a long section of the Stehekin Road to rejoin the PCT. In total, it's about 14 extra miles compared to a year without this fire closure.
可惜以上兩個選擇都會中斷我實際走路的路線，我的目標一直以來都是要從墨西哥到加拿大踏出一個中途沒有中斷的路線，加拿大現在那麼近我不願意放棄目標。於是我要在Stehekin林道走很長一段距離才能接PCT主線。我這樣走會比一般沒有森林火災時的主線長22公里左右，大概要多走半天以上的距離。
The trail down to Holden was actually very beautiful and I did not regret having to miss part of the PCT for this. Again, I walked into the night, but there was an official campground just outside Holden that was clearly marked, so I wouldn't have to hunt for a campsite in the dark.
通往Holden村的步道意外地漂亮，PCT封閉路段的風景應該比不上這條路。今天又走到天黑，但村莊外面有林務局開設的露營區，不用摸黑尋找營地，露營區有路標，位置很清楚。
The next morning, I walked into the village of Holden. It's been around for fifty years and is run entirely by people from the Lutheran Church. The guests are mainly people of this Church as well, but this year because of the fire detour the village has welcomed PCT hikers walking through.
隔天早上我走進Holden村，50年前由某個基督教會設立的，現在會來這裡度假的人通常都是此教會的信徒，但今年因為PCT封閉，他們讓登山客來拜訪，還提供住宿、餐點、接駁服務。
You can buy a meal in their cafeteria and they run a shuttle to the lake. I got to the cafeteria a bit early this morning and just sat there enjoying the peace and quiet while charging my phone. They had prayers printed on a sheet of paper from different faiths. The Chinese one I found to be perfectly suited to PCT hikers. So simple, and so true.
我們可以在餐廳買餐點，也可以跟他們訂碼頭接駁服務。我今天提早到餐廳，在那邊靜靜地坐著，順便幫手機充電。桌上有來自不同宗教關於食物的祈禱，我最喜歡的寫說是孔子的，我不知道孔子真的有沒有說過這句話，但這一句的確很適合PCT的登山客。
The breakfast was very reasonably priced and had a huge variety. They told me I could start eating some of the other food that was laid out, but that the "main dish" wouldn't be available until 7:30. It turned out the main dish was oatmeal, so I just gave that a pass altogether, as I'd had quite enough of that on the trail. I ended up sitting with a group of retiree couples who had met in this very village back in the '60s and came back during the summer regularly for a vacation. I had a lot of miles to cover today, so I said goodbye to them and got back on the trail. I had to get over the pass and down to Stehekin Road in time to catch the shuttle that would take me into town.
早餐便宜又多樣，他們說主食要等7點半才會出來但已經擺出來的東西我可以先吃，我後來發現今天的主食是燕麥片，剛好是我絕對不會想吃的東西，在過去幾個月燕麥片已經吃得好膩，7點半主食出來的時候我已經差不多吃飽了。我跟幾對退休的夫妻一起吃早餐，他們都是50年前在這裡認識偶配的，後來每年夏天的時候都會來渡假。我今天還有很長一段路要走，自己吃飽後就跟他們告別，繼續走替代路線。今天要上到鞍部再下到Stehekin林道趕上通道Stehekin鎮的接駁車。
The detour was very clearly marked and the weather cooperated all the way today. The larch tree needles are all fully yellow now and the berry bushes underneath fully red; it was a picture perfect autumn day.
替代路線的路標很多，天氣一路都很好，走得很順利。落葉松的針葉已經變黃了，樹下的梅果灌叢也變紅了，構成一幅很完美的秋天景色。
The beautiful yellow trees in that last picture are larches. Although they are needle-leaf trees, the needles still turn yellow and fall off in the fall. We are very lucky that the PCT passes through the larches' habitat, as this is pretty much the only place in the world you can see these beautiful trees. Their habitat is restricted to very high elevations in the Rockies and Cascades of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alberta and BC, as seen in red in the following picture:
前一張照片中的黃葉樹是落葉松，雖然是針葉樹的一種但它的針葉到了秋天會變黃再掉落。落葉松的分佈範圍很小，限於北美洲西部山區，而且在此範圍內也只會出現在高海拔處（圖中紅色區域），走PCT剛好穿過落葉松的生長區域我們算很幸運。
Apparently, there are a lot of bears in the area, as all along the trail down to Stehekin Road I saw pile after pile of bear poop. There were probably 20 of these right on the trail itself, but I never actually saw a bear.
前一張照片中的黃葉樹是落葉松，雖然是針葉樹的一種但它的針葉到了秋天會變黃再掉落。落葉松的分佈範圍很小，限於北美洲西部山區，而且在此範圍內也只會出現在高海拔處（圖中紅色區域），走PCT剛好穿過落葉松的生長區域我們算很幸運。
Apparently, there are a lot of bears in the area, as all along the trail down to Stehekin Road I saw pile after pile of bear poop. There were probably 20 of these right on the trail itself, but I never actually saw a bear.
果然附近有很多黑熊，下山的路一路都是一坨一坨的熊大便，總共在步道上看到20坨以上，但沒有看大黑熊。
After a hard push to get down to Holden yesterday and a hard push to get up and over the pass today, I had made it through the fire detour in time to catch the shuttle into Stehekin. This was my final resupply stop for the PCT and I felt incredibly happy, and lucky, to have made it all this way without getting rained on and in good time. Walking down the road surrounded by bright fall colours with the time pressure off, I could not stop smiling!
昨天努力走40公里到Holden村，今天又以飛快的速度翻越鞍部走到Stehekin林道，抵達時接駁車還要等半小時，確定來得及搭車我就鬆了一大口氣。這是PCT的最後一個補給點，從上一個補給點到這裡都沒有淋到雨而且能夠準時到達，讓我非常開心。往公車站牌走的時候，林道的兩側都是漂亮的紅黃秋葉，我忍不住大笑。
I was early enough getting here that I had time to go to the bakery here. Everyone in the comments on the trail app was raving about how good this place was so I knew I had to visit it once, if not twice. It was about a two-mile walk, but I put my thumb out and right away a local picked me up and gave me a ride right to the front door!
因為提早到林道我就有空去當地的烘培坊，app的留言一致贊成這個地方，所以我打算在Stehekin的時候要去吃一次，有機會的話也可以吃兩次。烘培坊要走3公里多，可是我大姆指一伸出就有車停下來說可以載我，五分鐘後我已到達傳說中的Stehekin烘培坊。
I should say a little bit about Stehekin first. Stehekin is in the North Cascades National Park and is not accessible to the outside world by car, only on foot, by boat, or by plane. There are roads in the town and the surrounding few miles, but the roads are all dead-ends and the vehicles here are stuck here. This is why I was still able to thumb a ride.
首先我應該來介紹Stehekin鎮，是在北喀斯喀特國家公園內的小鎮，跟Holden村一樣沒有聯絡道路可以通到外面的世界，要來Stehekin只能走路，搭船，或搭飛機。在鎮內外有馬路，但所有路都是死路，車子只能在附近開來開去，無法從Stehekin一帶開走，不過至少在Stehekin附近我們還可以搭便車。
The bakery really did live up to the hype. They had a great variety of items on offer, and every single thing I tried was delicious. For my afternoon snack today, I had pie and ice cream, a sandwich, a wild rice and veggie blend, and a cinnamon bun. The latter was recommended by a man named Dean sitting outside the bakery who was visiting Stehekin with a friend and chatting with two other PCT hikers.
烘培坊真的不負眾望，他們賣各種各樣的甜點和餐點，我點的每一個東西都好吃。今天下午吃水果派配冰淇淋、三民治、菰米配蔬菜、還有一個肉桂捲，肉桂捲是一位坐在烘培坊外面的Dean推薦的，Dean是跟一個朋友來Stehekin旅行的，我到的時候他正在跟另外兩位PCT登山客聊天。
I caught the shuttle into town, arriving just before the post office closed. This is a very small village, so the post office is small. However, hundreds if not thousands of PCT hikers come through here every summer and almost everyone sends a resupply box here as there is no real grocery store in town and everything is very expensive. The post office floors and walls are covered in resupply boxes, piled up high on top of each other. There is barely any room to move in here, and I am very impressed that the postmaster is able to keep things organized.
我後來搭接駁車到鎮中心，抵達的時候是郵局快要休息的時候，剛好還可以去領包裹。這個小鎮人口很小，於是郵局也是很小一棟，不過每年夏天有數百或數千個登山客會來到Stehekin，而且幾乎每一位都會寄補給箱來，畢竟這個小鎮沒有超市，什麼都很貴。郵局裡面的地板全部鋪滿一堆一堆的補給箱，局長還能從中找出包裹我覺得很厲害。
Here at the post office was my last resupply box, as well as the two pairs of Darn Tough socks that the company replaced on warranty!
我在郵局領了我最後一個補給箱，還有Darn Tough寄給我的新襪子來替換之前磨破的。
I ran into Dean outside the general store and he said he had supper reservations at the restaurant already. He said they might be able to squeeze in one more person and asked if I wanted to join. I agreed of course and then went to deal with setting up my tent and organizing my food. When I had leftover food before, I would usually keep it some of it for the next week and put some in the hiker box. If I had more peanut butter than I needed, for example, I knew I would eventually eat it even if it took two more weeks. The same went for stove fuel. This resupply was different, however. I only had four days left and didn't want to have anything leftover at the end. I ended up getting rid of a ton of really good stuff, because I just wasn't going to need it anymore. A brand new bag of tortillas, a brand new Nutella, a can of gas, a bunch of candy, and a full bottle and a half of olive oil were among the offerings to the hiker box.
我在雜貨店又遇到Dean，他說他在餐廳已經訂了晚餐的位子，我如果要加入的話他或許可以多訂一個位子，而我當然答應了。吃晚餐前我還要先搭帳篷並處理最後的補給品。以前只要走到補給點有剩的事物我會放一些在hiker box，但也會留一點給自己，比方說我的花生醬如果沒吃完我不會直接放棄它，因為我知道花生醬就算沒有在5天內吃完我確定後面一兩週內還可以繼續吃，遲早會把全部吃光，瓦斯也一樣，這禮拜沒有燒完的我之後會有機會燒。不過這一次補給不一樣，四天後我的PCT行程正式結束，四天後還沒吃完或用完的東西都是白背的，根本沒有下一段步道。於是我裝好四天份的補給品後還剩好多東西，全部都在Stehekin這裡放棄了，墨西哥餅皮一包（未開）、榛果醬一罐（未開）、瓦斯一罐、軟糖一包、橄欖油一瓶半等等，全部都丟到hiker box裡。
At supper, Dean and his friend were there along with several other PCT hikers: me, Canuck, Tipsy, Amy (who started the PCT the same day as me!), and the two girls I had seen with Dean at the bakery, Dirtball and Sweatball. Dean was really interested in the PCT experience and traveling in general, and even kept a blog about his travels, which he said we would all appear in. It was great company for my final restaurant meal of the PCT.
晚餐是我發現Dean和他朋友邀請蠻多登山客來跟他們一起吃晚餐，除了我還有Canuck、Tipsy、在烘培坊看到的兩位女生Dirtball和Sweatball、還有Amy，我跟Amy是在同一天出發的，當天在墨西哥邊境的大合照我們兩個都在裡面，到了PCT最後的補給點又相遇是不是太巧了？Dean對PCT的經驗非常好奇，他也是很愛好旅行，出去玩的時候會做記錄，回家後打網誌，他還說我們都會出現在那裡。我走PCT的最後一次在餐廳吃飯能夠跟這群人一起吃算是小幸福。
It's hard to believe this is my last night in civilization before reaching Canada. After nearly five months on trail, this experience is coming to a close. I'm still not positive I will make it, either! The forecast is for a lot of precipitation over the coming days, which will probably be snow at high elevations. I'm so close now; I just need a bit of luck and I should be able to finish this thing!
很難相信今天是我抵達加拿大前最後一次接觸到文明世界。在步道上走了快五個月，終於快要結束了。其實就算加拿大那麼近，我還不確定我真的走得完，這幾天天氣預告很差，降雨機率很高，在高海拔的地方應該會下雪，希望我運氣不會太差，拜託讓我走完啦！
No comments:
Post a Comment