The day was gloomy and cold, but the worst of the storm had passed. Despite the cold, it is incredibly beautiful here. I found deer tracks winding through the campground this morning, and sat for a while to take in the snow covered landscape. As I write this, the scene around me is of giant pines and tangled manzanitas, all dusted white. It looks a bit like a magic eye poster; if you don't focus on anything it becomes a maze of white and grey shapes as far as the eye can see. Some car campers arrived today, and the smoke from their campfires drifts through the branches. Above it all, a few lights from the town turn the sky a faint pink and orange, while the rest of the sky fades to purple.
Speaking of the car campers... apparently they were never taught in school to bring enough for everyone. I heard someone say "shall we do the roasted radishes for appetizers?" I looked at the peanut butter I was eating. Later, after I got back from the grocery store and was eating some fresh mushrooms, I heard the same voice. "I like my steak rare." I looked at my mushrooms and frowned. So I got out my own beef meal (beef flavored ramen) in retaliation. It didn't make me feel any better.
While we're on food, I should mention the best and worst thing I made for this trip. I took garlic cloves, smashed tgem with a mallet, and dehydrated them. I had two raw cloves with my ramen - delicious. The down side, now that I am tucked down in my sleeping bag, inside a tent with limited ventilation...
I met Wolverine for coffee again this morning, and we talked tents before heading up to the outdoor shop to look at their selection. Wolverine is like a kid in a candy shop, because apparently most of this gear costs double in Australia. We parted ways afterward so that I could go to find the library. I needed a new book, and the sale rack, which I finally found, was pretty decent. I picked out Candide, and a book about a Scottish guy who spent a year living in the Alaskan back country. I'm reading the latter first. With all this snow it helps to feel like there's someone stupider than me. I've always enjoyed these kinds of stories. The ones about epic adventures. One of my favorite books growing up was Kon Tiki. Anyway, the library gave me one of the books for free (a service they offer PCT hikers) and off I went.
I spent the day reading and waiting for clearer skies. I did see a couple of patches of blue in the late afternoon, but not nearly what I would like. I also picked up a candle so I can lay in bed and read. Let's hope I don't burn the tent down. For now it's pretty cheerful!
