Week 2-Mckenzie Pass-Leah’s Perspective

The sun is up, but it’s light barely penetrates the thickly moss-covered Spruces that our tent is nestled amongst.. “Oak’s, wake up buddy. It is show time.” With no hesitation he sloughs off his sleeping bag and begins to break camp. He is in charge of packing up the tent while I wrestle us up some coffee/hot chocolate and breakfast. Today is a big day and we both know we have no time to waste.

Today we need to get up and over the 5,320 foot McKenzie pass before noon because severe thunder storms are expected in the afternoon. It would be no place to be stuck.We are only at 1,000 feet this morning so that means a 4,000 for climb over the course of 24 miles. On steep hills we average about 4.5 miles an hour. I have been feeling shaky about this and Oakley has sensed it. The biggest hill we have climbed so far was a mere 1,500 and we were beat.

Quickly, we load up our panniers with our bomber, Coleman stove (to replace our melted stove) our cooking gear, groceries for a day or two, clothing, sleeping bags and pads, camping pillows and camping chairs, first aid kit, repair kit, toiletry kit, rain gear, tent and, believe it or not, math work books, journals and reading books (we are homeschooling). We top it off with four liters of water and we are off. All packed up, fed and on the road in 45 minutes.

By 6:45 we have begun our ascent. Oaks begins chattering on about all manner of middle school drama. He covers the basics of relationships, idiotic pranks, health class and hilarious feats that his friends have accomplished. I ride beside him. My breath is rhythmic and deep and I sound and feel very much like a freight engine. His talk actually helps and rather than tune him out I ask one word questions (about all I can manage) “Who?” “What?””Why?”, to try to keep us both distracted from the burning in our thighs.

We climb out of the dark forest at about mile 14. We enter an area that has experienced many forest fires so it looks alpine in nature. Blankets of beautiful purple, pink and blue flowers cover the ground and the trees are all stubby. We have risen into the clouds and the result makes the landscape seem ethereal.

Oakley is beginning to run out of chat. I worry we maybe losing his good cheer. He has already eaten 3 monster size protein bars, so I don’t think food will help his energy level. This seems to be a pattern to approaching exhaustion; chatter, quiet, irritation, fury.

When the occasional car passes us now, I worry about visibility. “Car.” I report to Oaks when I hear one approaching from behind.

“What do you think I am, deaf!”, he retorts.

“Just trying to keep us alive Oaks.”

“I am not a baby!”

“Nope, you are tough as hell.”

“My knee hurts!”

“So do mine.”

“Don’t say that! You don’t know how it feels!”

Thus we pass our next five miles. And then, just as we were sure to come to blows, we come around a switchback and rising before us are The Three Sisters. These three mountains are astounding. They have jagged, craggy peaks and wear skirts of glaciers. They tower off to one side of the pass. On the other side is a vast lava field. Who knew?

Oaks stops on the side of the road. He clambers up the sharp, porous lava boulders and surveys the land. He has never seen anything like this, nor have I. “This is amazing.” Oakley declares. We are truly awe struck.

“No more bad mood?” I can’t help but ask.

“No way!”

As we hop back on our bikes, the last four miles of the climb to the pass seem effortless. We ohh and ahh and exclaim at everything we see.

Then we are there. There is a tower constructed of volcanic rock with steps leading to the top. Oaks, ditches his bike and runs up the stairs. I hobble after him. And there, with a 360 degree view of the volcanic core of Mount Washington, Mount Hood, the Three Sisters and the Belknap crater, Oakley does a back flip.

We sit and eat cucumber and cheese sandwiches before saddling up and coasting 15 miles down the other side. We don’t pedal for 40 minutes. Nor do we speak.

Week Two-Oakley’s Perspective

This past week I have seen…

1. Cows in the field
2. Fossils
3. Lizards
4. Horses
5. Huge mountains covered with snow and glaciers
6. Llamas
7. Baby Alpacas
8. Miles and miles of marijuana fields
9. Too many cars
10. Deer with antlers
11. Two elk
12. Skeletons of animals that were eaten by coyotes
13. A hefty bald women rip off her wig and cannonball into a hot spring
14. Bear skeleton
15. A lava field that went on for many miles on the Mckensie pass
16. Aftermath of forest fires-acres and acres of burnt trees
17. 22 miles of straight up hill on the side of a mountain that we had to bike
18. Rainbow trout jumping out of the blue clear water showing all their colors
19. Cowboys in a Dairy Queen
20. Ospreys and American bald eagles