I Promise You Won't Suffer

I Promise Not To Suffer: A Fool for Love Hikes the Pacific Crest Trail by Gail D. Storey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You know this book has to include some suffering, despite its title. A memoir of hiking the PCT would not be complete without some major hurting.

The trail starts in California at the Mexican border, and ends 2,663 miles later at Washington's Canadian border. That number speaks for itself: my feet are sore just thinking about hiking that far. Add in walking through desert, climbing alpine heights, crossing ice fields, and fording raging streams. And bears!

The PCT hiker's interior journey can be just as full of pain as her physical experience. That's why I keep reading memoirs of the trail. This author had a lot going on in her head before she started the trip, and her time on the PCT brought many anxieties to the surface.

On this list is her dying mother, who had promised to be alive when the author finished the trail. Another is her husband, whose dream inspired the couple to sell their house and live on the PCT for six months.

One question I have when I start one of these memoirs is, "Will the author finish the trip?" I won't answer that question here, for fear of spoiling it. I will say, that in the end, the journey's weight is in the author's interior transformation. It's a good addition to the list of Pacific Crest Trail memoirs.

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Other memoirs of the Pacific Crest Trail include:

• The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind -- and Almost Found Myself -- on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Dan White (which I read and enjoyed)
• Wild, by Cheryl Strayed (here's a link to her interview on NPR)
• The Trail Life: How I Loved it, Hated it, and Learned from it, by Julie Urbanski
• Skywalker: Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Bill Walker

Those last three are on my to-read list. Have you read any of these? Or better, hiked a part of the trail? Been a thru hiker on the AT, or attempted any journey like these? I'd love to hear about your experiences, first-hand or otherwise.

Camping trip traditions

Our local homeschool group has been around for long enough now that we have well established traditions. In September, we enjoy a "Not Back to School" picnic for families. We party at the opposite end of the year with a combination field day and picnic. In between, we have Park Days every Friday for kids. (An unofficial, alternate name for these gatherings is Homeschooling Parent Support Group.) In warm enough weather, we meet at a playground. In cooler months, we get creative and go bowling, visit a bounce house, attend nature classes, and go on field trips.

One last tradition is our October camping trip. It started in 2008, when six of our group's families spent a weekend at Cunningham Falls State Park. 

These girls don't remember a time they didn't go camping together.

My younger daughter had just turned 3, and she doesn't remember a thing about that camp out. I do: the first night was rainy, we slept in hats, and little Kathy and I snuggled in my sleeping bag. (I've also got some great pictures to jog my memory.)

An outcrop of rocks in the middle of our group's sites became a playground. The kids clambered up and around them all weekend. It was only when I reserved those same campsites the next year I learned that they feature "a severe drop off of the back of the camping pad" and are "not suitable for children." This perceived liability had become our group's favorite spot!

Kids still play on the rocks in 2013

On Sunday we returned from our sixth camping trip to the same park, the same sites. The group has grown: this year we had twelve families (with fifteen girls, five boys, and two dogs).

This isn't even the entire group of campers

We tried something new this year, and reserved one site where we could gather as a community. That was a successful experiment! During the day, the kids played on the camping pad, and at night, the grownups brought their chairs to enjoy a big fire.

Community campsite at night

The weather cooperated by not raining on us -- a tradition that has held since our second year, and one that I cannot claim any responsibility for. We went on a group hike, ate countless s'mores, played flashlight tag, burned hot dogs, and enjoyed being unplugged for the weekend. I talked two of my friends into going on a sunrise trail run to the falls and back. 

Spectacular colors

New for me this camping season is my Dutch oven. I'm totally in love with it for camp cooking. Instead of burning our hobo packets in the coals of a fire (or worse, undercooking them), we arranged them in the pot and let the radiant heat of charcoal briquettes do the work. I have used it to bake mac'n'3 cheese, "dump cake," biscuits and bacon, and banana boats, successful every time.

Dutch oven plus campfire

I also invested in a happy, apple green percolator. I loved drinking hot coffee in the great outdoors while watching my girls and their friends running around before the sun appeared over the mountain.

My breakfast starts with coffee

We have a lot of camping equipment, and I'm pretty sure there isn't room for much more gear, even though we probably need a second tent. This is true car camping! I'm not sure how getting ready for two nights in the woods takes up this much space. At least we did not forget our sleeping bags this year.

Everything and the camp kitchen sink

What a great time! I love how the kids create play in nature. I love the fresh air. I love the relaxed time with my husband. I love how the leaves fall in a gentle breeze. I love spending time with my friends. I can't wait for next year's adventure!

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Recipe for Mac'n'3 Cheese, transcribed from a GS leader training packet:

Old Fashioned Macaroni and Cheese

(One pot OR Dutch or Box oven)

1 12-15 oz. box pasta

1 stick of butter

8 oz sour cream

2 cups small curd cottage cheese

Onion powder

Salt and pepper

12 oz sharp cheddar cheese

Cook pasta. Melt butter into pasta. Mix with other ingredients and place in greased pan.

Cook over low heat until cheese has melted and mixture is thick and creamy; stirring frequently

OR

 Cook in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.