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It’s pretty simple really. I mean, no one knows how it works, or really even what it does, but still, it’s simple.

You look at the bigass stone tablet, you read the words, you believe in your heart, and you disappear in a flash of light. That’s all anyone knows really, and I know it because I’ve seen it.

A lot of people THINK they know what actually happens. They “believe” they know. Some of them have compelling arguments, particularly the physicists, but I don’t think they really know either.

What the anthropologists and the archaeologists and the geologists and the planetologists, and probably a lot of other ologists all seem to agree on is that 560 million years ago, a civilization of 14 billion Venusians all read from the tablet.

I know, it was weird when I found out too.

Nine years ago we finally built ships that could land on that hellhole, to let the scientists poke around among the volcanos and acid clouds and everything-melting-heat. Of course we COULD have gotten there a lot sooner, it was just the acid and the heat and the not giving a shit about a place no one could exploit for real estate or mining rights like they have everywhere else in the solar system. They’re not sure what caused the acid and heat thing either, or whether the Venusians had a comfortable climate, or whether indeed the climate was perfectly dandy for them even with all the volcanos and acid. It certainly wiped away a lot of the traces of their civilization, except for…

THAT.

It wasn’t even hard for them to bring it here, what with all the asteroid and planetary mining technology. There were seven bids on the job.

The Venusians all thought they were leaving their home planet to merge with the Sun. We’re certain of that, because that’s what the tablet says. That’s what you’re supposed to believe in your heart. Though it’s pretty hard to know what someone else actually believes in their heart, some people don’t get incinerated, er, I mean merge with the sun, or anyhow disappear in a flash of light, and it does seem like it’s when they have doubts. Or maybe their Venusian accent is bad. Or maybe the rock decided it had its fill of people.

The light is hard to miss. No one can sleep within a dozen miles of it. Even when you close your eyes you can still see it. Inside. Underground. We don’t know how that works either. It doesn’t hurt though, and doesn’t seem to be harmful to anyone, even up close.

So, it’s all pretty convincing, and a lot of people have been convinced, and this being America and all, if you want to do something stupid and dangerous there’s always someone there to defend your right to do it, and probably take a vid of it. The first few went viral.

I’m not one for any of the old religions, seeing as how none of them even knew Venus was a planet. The newer ones are hard to get behind too. Sure, they can make your brain feel good, with community and charity and parables. Useful doesn’t mean it’s true, and absent any hard evidence I’m just not going to believe in one thing over another.

But Ra? Much easier to point at.
Yeah, Ra is the Venusian word for the sun.
(You have to learn it for the incineration thing.)

There are three vehicle brands, four soft drinks, three children of celebrities and a sports stadium named Ra now, and I don’t have to help you imagine their chants.

Of course if they were true believers they’d all be gone by now, right?

Lots of people have.

Billions.

But a lot of us are left, either because we aren’t convinced, or because we have some other excuse to lean on.

Some think the Venusians lived in this state for a thousand generations.
Some think they all left in less than a year.
We’ve been at it for two.

***********************

End of Chapter 1?

H

/

Let’s see if I’m in the mood to write.
I’m not going to apologize
like i did
to my childhood diary.
.
When i’m writing I’m always happy I’m doing it.
I might not be “happy” about all things
In fact it’s impossible to be
But predominantly
On average,
Yes
.
When I’m not
writing though,
I do other things,
Like a normal person.
A human being, and
Definitely not
An alien
god

-H

In Olympic NP, i drove as much of Hurricane Ridge as they would let me. Again with the RV length limitations! That was out and back, and i went west along the coastal road. I’d wanted to visit Cape Flattery, but the native reservation prohibits alcohol and i didn’t want to dump out what i had, so i stayed in a forested recreation area.

The peninsula has a relatively inconvenient road layout, and there’s no real through or loop road, so i did another out and back to Ozette, a town on the west coast. I did a triangle hike, which is three miles out, then three miles along the beach, then three miles back. I added a couple miles of additional wandering and ended with 11.5 miles total. The beach hike was tiring but beautiful. The coast is rocky, with hundreds of giant driftwood trees, blanched from sun and water. There are tiny crabs in the water, and dozens of tiny islands jutting out, including one with a hole that i could see through. I took lots of pictures, and only some were excuses to rest, and plodded through the shifting sand and rock in my hiking boots.

Along that route, above the high tide line are lots of tent campsites, at which were a lot of dangling buoys and driftwood boards. These flotsam swings also gave my feet occasional rests.

The other six miles of the triangle shaped loop trail were through a low wet area, nearly counting as swampland. Most of the path was very thick old boardwalks, slowly rotting in the wet climate. More than a few had broken through and i tread lightly, counting my paces to judge distance. For me 1000 paces is close enough to a mile to be a useful measurement, at least on the easy boardwalk terrain.

From there i went to another trailhead and had a quiet night.

The next day i ended up driving all the way to Seattle, and met up with an old friend of mine. Old, as in we met in third grade, though that makes us both old by the same measure. I crashed his date on short notice and the three of us toured some local galleries and ate sushi. I had the chef’s choice, which was one of each of a dozen Nigri. I was amused that the place was named Matsu, which has significance in the samurai-themed RPG I’m currently running.

I found a flat parking spot near Freemont and met up with my girlfriend for breakfast. We hung out and caught up.

Saturday we went to Mount Rainier NP, hoping to get a campsite and hike, but the area we targeted was too popular and after an hour wait in traffic we were turned around completely. We found a campsite by a river, in the national forest outside the NP, and had a relaxing day playing in the cold stream. In the morning we got up early and drove into the day use area of our earlier target. We had breakfast and coffee and started a hike up the river towards the titular peak. Later we expect to drive the Sunrise road, to get nice views from the power of diesel rather than legs.

She wanted to swap out for a different pack, and since the trail is short and safe i sat down to write while she went back to the RV. I managed to write all of this so far, so if she doesn’t show up soon I will be walking back to see if she’s ok.

OK, it’s now the Thursday after, so I’ll sum up: brutal challenging hike where i ended up way off trail sliding down volcanic scree. Saw glaciers from a ridge though, and didn’t die, so that was a success. Good food and company in Seattle. Drove to Portland and had dinner with a coworker/friend. Went to the largest independent bookstore and bought more books to not read. Meeting up with a childhood friend at his farm tonight.

H

I was exhausted after my hike yesterday, and i decided to drive down from the mountain but not too far. I went down the Nooksack river (hahhaa) and across then back up a forest road, but the road was closed after a while and i ended up going back to a small pull off. I couldn’t get to any of my three internet connections due to the steep valley and dense forest. Since the road was closed there were only a few cars and trucks past me and all of them left pretty early. I conked out at around 8pm but didn’t sleep well and woke a lot. My legs were sore.

I woke early and headed further downriver two towns away and found internet, so i worked and had breakfast. Later i went west out of the mountains, north to nearly the Canadian border, the west to Blaine Marine Park, where i spent the rest of the workday on the coast, and in view of Canada. I realized I could in fact go to Canada and realized that would be my sixth trip. I’m still at five though… Seventh grade French class trip to Montreal and Ottawa, winter in Saskatoon, summer drive from Saskatoon to Inuvik on the north coast-ish, where the sun didn’t set, a weekend in Montreal with my ex, and a work trip to Vancouver. I like Canada, but I’m going to need to go south soon and i hadn’t practiced saying soory.

I drove down Interstate 5 to a car wash that looked big enough, and indeed it was. I could stand on top of the rv, and did, washing parts that hadn’t ever been cleaned as long as I’ve owned it. I definitely need to do a bit more of that, as well as really scrub the dead bug collection, but it’s a billion times cleaner now. I unfortunately can no longer do the world’s most detailed DNA study of a six foot by nine foot by three thousand mile four dimensional tubular cross section of air, and the animals that formerly inhabited it.

I drove down to Coupeville (without the de) and through the very orderly construction of Fort Casey, clearly built during a very civilized time in the army’s history, aside from the killing part, to the ferry port. I had no reservation so despite making it just in time to see the six PM arrive, I had to wait for the next one at 7:30. I’m just happy i didn’t have to wait for the 9:10. As the 7:30 arrived a motorcyclist arrived on a muddy dirt bike with an oversized tank and camping gear stuffed in a milk crate strapped to the back. She hopped off hooting in happiness for having made it, and danced around from excitement and cold, pulling off her helmet to reveal the shaved sides of her head and butt length braid, and putting on her jacket to staunch the chill. I was, briefly, in love.

During the wait between ferries i video chatted with some friends regarding preparations for Burning Man, and watched the eagles and fellow ferry queuers.

The ride to Port Townsend was swift and i spent it all on the third deck bow of the big vessel, exposed to chilly winds in my T-shirt, shorts and sandals. The temperature had dropped from the heat of the day, but i didn’t don the sweater i threw in my backpack. I sympathized with the cute motorcyclist who was previously riding even faster than this shared journey. I also didn’t end up using the binoculars i brought, since i saw no signs of any whales. The safety cable at the bow whistled a drone through nearly all of the trip.

On leaving the ferry everyone else was turning left, but an arrow to the right said Historic Downtown, and Basho told me to turn right. I circled through what was indeed a lovely 1800s port town. It clearly had old shipping wealth and new wine bar, art gallery and coffee house wealth, and i spent a while taking pictures of it all in the light of the fading sun.

I then went to a parking spot suggested by my app, at a trailhead in a quiet neighborhood, and it seems a good choice. Quiet with a well maintained portapotty and with good cell service. I fired up the generator for a few minutes to heat a grocery store enchilada in the microwave and cracked a beer. Then i wrote stuff and now then is now, so i will say goodnight for now.

H

I made my way off the forest road very early in the morning, using my 2×8 boards to try to avoid too much scraping from getting high-centered. I drove up to the Lake Ann trailhead, where I’d have preferred to overnight, but it was prohibited. Judging by the number of vehicles, i am sure I could have gotten away with it and saved myself an hour of driving. Sadly there is no toilet there, and, knowing i would soon need one, i went back to the visitors center for coffee, a bagel and… That.

Back at the trailhead i did my final preparations for what will be a long day. It’s an out and back trail, and one of the few within striking distance of a glacier. There are some slightly shorter hikes to glaciers, but they’re not actually in the National Park, and, strangely after three days I’ve yet to actually cross that boundary. There are lots of beautiful places, recreation areas, wildernesses, national forests, etc. but the Park itself isn’t easily accessed.

I descended steep wooded switchbacks with big Douglas Firs, and occasional views of Artist Point, the place I walked around in my sandals yesterday. Today I’m wearing hiking boots, long pants and carrying about everything i can. I regret forgetting to put my actual backpacking pack in the RV, but i should be ok with what I have. I brought my poncho tarp and hooded jacket, as well as my emergency kit and handheld ham radio. I don’t expect to need any of that but it’s nice insurance.

Out of the trees now and overlooking the narrow valley, filled with low vegetation and scattered cedars. The stream is audible, as are some birds and also something making a low “whoop whoop whoop”. I’m not sure what that is. I wonder if there’s a book on sounds of the forest i could buy and not read.

I scared a family of ground birds, maybe pheasants, the babies flying away, and the fat momma walking quickly up a fallen tree before disappearing into the brush before I could grab my camera. After i passed i could hear her calling to them, and turned to see her fly up to a stump with a good view a bit off the trail.

I crossed into the bottom of the valley, following a narrow but well maintained rocky trail, clapping as i went past the scrubby trees in hopes of not needing to use my new bear spray. Then into the sun and through an area of boulders hinting at the violence of ten thousand winters.

Between the rocks and boulders the earth here is rich and black and wet. The plentiful spider threads crossing the trail inform me that I’m the only human here today, and those at bear height provide some comfort.

I pass a couple of hikers heading the other direction, and they confirmed they had not been eaten by a bear, which is in the whole a welcome development, but ruins my spider assisted warning system. They had camped only partway to the lake and were heading back to their vehicle.

I would be less concerned about the whole getting -eaten scenario if i hadn’t just been in Glacier NP last weekend. The only bear signs here are about food storage, so maybe they’re not very common.

I’m back on the east side of the valley now, climbing back up the same ridge I’d gone down earlier. The shade is welcome but i can tell it will be baking on the way back.

Back and forth i weave on the narrow trail, each right turn bringing a fresh babbling stream on my left. Some have small corrugated metal culverts and others make me glad my boots are waterproof. The woods here are peaceful and i occasionally startle a bird or squirrel at short range.

I’m a little over an hour in, and i made it to the fork where the supposedly unlabeled Swift Creek trail diverges. It is in fact marked with a carved wooden post. A tent shows this is a good place to stop, but that’s not my plan. I crossed said aptly named creek and continued on, as a tiny shew scuttled across my path.

I trudge up again, still keeping to the shaded east side of the valley. I may need to put in more bug spray, or stop less often to talk to you.

And now very much up, getting in my cardio now, though I stop for a photo of the Wilderness’s titular Mt Baker , towering behind me, covered in snow. It is not my destination, since it is not in the NP proper. I’ve yet to knowingly spot my destination mountain, Shuksan, which means “go away white people”, probably.

I pass two more hikers, and shortly thereafter add a useful length of cordage to my MOOP collection, a step up from shredded bits of blue dog poop bags. I try not to think too much about that.

I stop to enjoy the view from a large scree field, which will be inhospitably exposed on the way back. The view of Mount Baker is the best so far and alone is worth the trip. I have some water, finally, and apply some DEET, which I keep in a Ziploc bag. It’s harmful to synthetic clothing, which I wear a lot of while hiking. I applied some less offensive stuff in the RV but clearly missed some spots. Mosquitoes can go right through my wool t-shirt.

Overhanging ice makes staying on the trail difficult but other paths work just as well. The edges of the curving masses have a line of grey dirt. These are not glacial, but all of this valley was carved by ancient ice. I continue on, upward, switching back across the same scree field. I think i see the pass I’m meant to, uh, pass. Far below i spot another hiker heading in my direction. I expect they will pass me before too long.

I make short work of an ice field , with only a couple of slips. I’m glad the slushy surface provides a little traction, while the ice underneath prevents postholing. I didn’t bring the crampons from the RV and my show shoes are in Massachusetts. Clomping feet down at an angle mountainward of horizontal helps a lot to build impromptu steps for myself and others.

I pass some waterfalls, streams and another couple of campers and their fluffy excited dog. I’m close to the pass now.

I lose the trail in a snowfield so i head directly and sweatly uphill until i find it again.

A difficult climb up more slushy snow, and I remind myself that there is less air here. When I get to some shade near the top i rest a bit, and check for cell service. The bugs are enjoying the fresh meat.

Down now, with a view over the alpine lake. It’s still mostly frozen, looking like an iceberg with blue seams, like the kind of place a polar bear would hunt seals. I plod down, mindful of the friction of my toes, and soon spot a glacier!

A couple of campers are on the next ridge, and i begin to doubt my ability to reach said glacier. It’s damned high up. But there is a path so i will continue on. Two and a half hours to make it to the end of Lake Ann trail. It’s ten AM and not oppressively hot yet.

I pass a tent, and a couple flat spots for others. Exposed but acceptable in this weather. The trail continues but i wonder whether it is taking me to where the glacier is or where it was. I expect i will outlive it. I hear the roar of former glacier now as it huh huh huh… Cascades.

I pass a couple of dudes heading in the other direction, them with crampons, rope and ice axes. I hope I won’t need those. The trail here is narrow with a steep fall for those who stumble. I don’t.

The greens and greys are punctuated with yellow, blue, purple and pink, if you look closely enough at the small flowers being visited by the bees.

There’s a little service here, so I send check in messages. I can see Baker lake from here, about seven miles away.

Bugs keep finding me when i stop so again i climb.

The pines here have a clinging moss that looks like the beards of old men

The flies are relentless.

If i encounter a bear here, one of us is going to fall off the mountain. I’m betting it’s the bear, only since I can’t collect if it’s me.

Tom Petty says “the waiting” is the hardest part, and i can now say with certainty he has never climbed this mountain.

I am traveling slowly, not due to tired legs (mostly) rather to the dangerousness of the trail. The path is a mere suggestion for where most people probably didn’t die.

I passed just under a snowfield and the wind and melt has carved a tunnel under it. I am sitting under the world’s largest air conditioner and it’s delightful. It’s also managing to keep the flies at bay. I’m above part of the glacier, so i expect I’m going to be making it there soon. Resting a bit while i can do so cool and relatively bug free. Eating a peanut butter Cliff bar for elevensies. The view is stunning.

I made it all the way to the glacier, with considerable scrambling and rock hopping, fighting sliding ground the whole way, and doing my part to make the mountain shorter. Another hiker accompanied me for the last bits and we kept an eye on each other. I licked the glacier, which was my main goal this morning. The ice looks clear but there is a lot of dust and rocks so it was gritty, but I regret nothing.

I sat and ate the lunch i brought, a pea salad thing, made less healthy by the liberal addition of cheese, bacon and white goo, probably a mayonnaise based sauce. As i was finishing up Curtis made sounds like my mom’s 1970s Dodge Aspen station wagon doors being slammed, and I decided to move a bit to the side in case Curtis wanted to go for a Sunday drive. I call him Curtis now because I’m on a first name basis with everyone I’ve licked.

On the way back i found the tail and bones of a rodent of some sort, with unusually long red fur with black tips. I was thinking it was a red fox before i found the skull. Judging by the placement and dimensions i expect it was a hearty meal for an eagle.

I’ve got a “healthy” tan on my forearms, but i have a long way back to the vehicle so I’m going to try to make better time and hopefully avoid a burn. I didn’t bring more sunscreen. It’s 1pm now and I’m almost back to fly headquarters, resting first in my new favorite air conditioner.

I passed the last of the snow, but not before stuffing some in my hat and down my back. It’s hot now, a ridge away from the glacier.

Less shade, more hikers, more water, more white butterflies and blue hop-flying beetles.

If you’re not dunking your hat in mountain streams at every opportunity, do you even head? Seriously, hats are amazing. Shade is becoming increasingly valuable; you should bring some with you.

The first mountain got three times as tall as it was this morning, but i made it out, turned on the generator and AC in the RV and had Gatorade and a shower. I feel mostly human again.

Random thoughts while i had my phone off to conserve battery: Why isn’t the Earth’s mantle thoroughly mixed by now? Do insects have a concept of humans as other entities, or is it just like “oh, Bob is flat today. Sometimes spiders get flat.” Why is Evernote shitty with low service but works fine in airplane mode? Why are SO MANY apps dependent on internet, especially ones people might rely on in emergencies? Do all glaciers taste as crunchy as Curtis?

End to end time , eight and a half hours, including at least an hour visiting Curtis. Only about three and a half to get back, despite my increasing exhaustion and decreasing speed on the last mountain. About nine and a half rocky miles.

Now to figure out where I’m staying tonight.

H

Sandaled feet in snow

By the crest of the mountain,

Summer heat respite

H

I’ve brought Basho to another lake, filled with silt and cold, its color a milky mixture of sky and pine.

I swam again, briefly, and was asked if it was too cold to go in. No, i said, but too cold to stay. The air is close to a hundred degrees, but the glacial lake half that, so the beauty of the place has competition for the taking of breath. The ratios are less elegant by Celsius’ count, but this is the land of Freedom and less scrutable units. This place reminds me of British Columbia, probably because it’s like 37 feet away. You can do the conversion to meters yourself if you’re trying to navigate here from Canada.

The campsites were all taken, but I consulted my birdsong to English dictionary and determined that the staff all leaves at 5PM, and the deer said he didn’t mind so long as i didn’t chase him away from his favorite dinner bush. My body is operating three time zones east, so I’ll be moving quite early anyway.

There are a lot of paddlers here, mostly sitting on the inflatables also suited for standing. I learned they compress considerably, and I’m thinking i can find a spot for one in the RV. There’s naught but a gentle breeze on account of the glacially carved mountains and it seems like a rather pleasant way to get around, likely with the aid of sunscreen.

I decided dinner was the plan and went for that, then managed to find a bit of sky for Starlink, so i think i can post this now.

H

I went for my second swim of the day in a lake significantly warmer than the last, on account of it being further west, this side of the continental divide. Perhaps it felt warmer partly because the air was hotter, with 97 showing on the RV thermometer. The first swim was in a well manicured park, where i was preceded by a flotilla of wetsuit clad women who swam into the distance and later returned, each towing a tiny balloon buoy. I should get one of those, because boats. I have a wetsuit in the RV, but i wasn’t expecting to stay long in the pebble ringed water, and i did not.

Neither did i stay too long in this one, but my goggles helped me notice i was sharing it with a million minnows, three indifferent blugreen fish, and a sizeable crayfish. And this internal monologue: “oh what is that white thing” “is that a bone?” “OH SHIT IT’S A LEG” “oh, that is a deer jaw not a human one”. Body dispoal pro-tip: always toss a deer jaw in the mix.

After cooling off i sat by the lake to read. It’s been a rare pleasure, since while my journey has been beautiful it has been infested with hostile bugs, particularly mosquitoes and horseflies, which keep me indoors. I sometimes decide where to stop based on names which linger from long ago. Mosquito Creek is still probably a hard pass, and Swampy Forest is right out.

This spot though is full of bees, dragonflies and other random insects, none of which have deigned to bite me, which is quite frankly a smart move on their part. I’m a well practiced swatter.

Also across the placid lake is a single corvid, occasionally discussing something of monumental importance with itself at full volume. Recently two bald eagles crossed from the trees on the far side of the lake to those on the near side, in animated dialogue, despite then alighting in substantially different trees. I can still see the titular head of one as it surveys a view similar to mine.

There are plovers, or something similar on the shoreline, and canada geese canada honking as they head north to, presumably, Canada.

I’m permitted to stay here up to fourteen days, free of charge, and i have to say at the moment I’m tempted.

I decided I’d read the book about walking an ancient road in Japan and I don’t regret a page of it. The author quotes many prior travelers whose thoughts echo his own, violating spacetime causality, and meeting me here as well. These linguistic wormholes allow my meat brain to be poked and wiggled by theirs, reminding me why i write.

Basho and Santoka are here,
with me,
and the eagles,
and the mountains.

H

Bison have comically small tails.

Prairie Dogs are adorable with their short legs, fat bellies and inquisitive little heads.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is much nicer than the other parts of North Dakota, or at least the parts visible from I-94.

I’m parked at an off road vehicle playground, which I’m not equipped to participate in, but which at this hour is a nice quiet parking lot with a pit toilet and 4g. I’ll take it.

Pretty exhausted though, so I’m going to make this one short. Hoping i have the energy for a little stargazing but I’m not betting money on it.

H

Today was a bit of Minnesota and most of North Dakota. The north wind was brutal and that made driving hard, so i kept my speed under 65 despite the 75 mph limit. Fortunately the road was wide and mostly empty. For a couple hundred miles there were small ponds or drainage pools rimmed with dense cattails, and the powerful winds stirrred them chaotically and beautifully. There was also a truly enormous cow on the side of a rare hill. And that was about it for North Dakota, at least until just now.

Shortly before sunset i pulled into the visitor center parking lot of the Painted Valley at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The view from here is of badlands mounds and hoodoos, and, much like everything for hundreds of miles, carpeted in grass. Except the badlands bits, because badlands.

I got some nice pictures, nuked some dinner and lied down, and my back is SCREAMING at me. I am considering buying a new driver’s seat but I have no idea how to find one I’d like better. It’s also possible I’m just older now and can’t tolerate sitting for that long.

I did some work, finally fixing a thing that had been bugging me for days and now it’s sleep time

H