The Trip 8 team is coming to the end of their time at their alternate base camp at the llama ranch. They depart tomorrow (Tuesday).
The Trip 9 team assembled Sunday prior to starting their hiking adventure today. The Trip 8 and Trip 9 teams were both originally scheduled to hike into a base camp near Pete Lake, which is affected by wildfires.
At Pete Lake, the teams were to have Monday night together as the llamas brought the Trip 9 team in and the Trip 8 team out. Now, the teams have Sunday and Monday nights together at the llama ranch.
Trip leader Barney reported on the Trip 8 team’s Sunday activities:
“Did we really make a grown man cry?
“Is it possible that the pancakes this morning were better than the day before? Yep, credit the chopped walnuts. But enough about food.
“We set a new record this morning. We got out of camp and headed toward Charley and the llama barn by 9:25 am. The other two mornings, we got out 10-15 minutes later.
“This morning that was doubly good because we wanted our camp looking spic and span to impress the folks on the Trip 9 team arriving in the afternoon before we got back from hiking. (But we didn’t want them to know we were trying to impress them.)
“The second reason that our time out was impressive was that we spent time saying goodbye to one of our fellowship — Tony was leaving. Monday is his kids’ first day at school. We did a group hug, surrounding him with 16 circling arms. Was that a tear in the corner of his eye?
“Yes, we hiked. We hiked out of a different trailhead. Llama wrangler Andrea joined us fresh from her successful search and rescue operation the day before. After more up, up, and up, we got a great view of far-off Mt. Stuart. It looked like it belonged in Patagonia, not the Cascades. Andrea regaled us with search and rescue stories for 20 minutes or more.
“When we got back to camp, we found the Trip 9 team — all six of them — present and accounted for. Joe and Kristy (with a y not an i), Teresa and her mate AJ (no periods in between and never, never A Jay, he says), Bill and Beth. I asked trip leader Joe if he noticed how clean and organized we left our camp and he said, ‘Oh, really?’ … Oh well.
“Almost everyone went swimming or at least dipped feet in the water. Charley, if anything, undersold the Teanaway River that’s 100 feet from our camp. I took a dunk and a swim. Ahhh … clean. My wife, Sandy, was kind afterward looking at my fright wig of wild, dry, grey hair.
“Homemade sourdough bread, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and three bottles of wine was all it took for the Trip 9 team to worm their way into our hearts. All hail Trip 9. The spaghetti dinner we cooked up for all wasn’t half bad either.
“Charley came by after dinner to go over all our options for the next day’s hike. With both teams together for the first time, I took advantage of the opportunity to present Charley with a laser carved wood plaque of appreciation from PassToPass. I told all how many ways Charley has gone above and beyond to accommodate us.
“Then Charley spoke. Holding the plaque close to his chest, he recited how much he gets out of helping, how touched he is by the spirit, perseverance, and attitude of everyone here with Parkinson’s disease. His voice wavered as he spoke and the corners of his eyes were wet. As were mine, as were almost everyone else’s. Thank you, thank you, Charley.
“And on that note our day ended.”
Assistant trip leader Kristy echoed Sunday evening for the Trip 9 team:
“Greetings from Trip 9! All six of our hikers arrived at the llama ranch. We just had a lovely community dinner with the Trip 8 team and look forward to a hike tomorrow [Monday] with both teams of hikers and the llamas.”