Then David came. My old French friend from the trip. He stayed for a week looking around the city and then went with Melissa, Jeff and I on our backpacking trip.
Melissa and I took two days off and we drove all the way to the Northeastern Cascade mountains. We drove up the highest road in the state to Hart's Pass, elev. 6,000 something. Then we hiked down along the West Fork Pasayten river in this valley, the roundest valley.
Then we looped back over Holman Pass along the Pacific Crest Trail, the very trail of milk and honey to all Northwest hikers. I had been waiting my whole life to finally get to the trail and run into some very hairy, smelly people who are somehow inspired to hike from Mexico to Canada.
The hike was delicious. We hiked far but not too far, had plenty of food and time to relax and enjoy our 3 campsites. I felt utterly refreshed. David however, must have been homesick for France. Everything we did was too far, too short, too cloudy, too large, too wasteful, too boring, too often, too little, too late. I think he found America to be quite grotesque. Cars, food portions, excess - all upsettingly wasteful. I agree with him. America has serious trouble with our consumer based culture and economy. We have no trains, no good cheese, people are overweight, overworked and generally uninspired. But America has only been around a short time and we haven't the chance to develop slowly and maturely into a society with real values, like France. It is quite perfect there. I will spend the rest of my life advocating for a slower, more delicious and caring society. Until then however, don't hate, appreciate the good things we do have. Like mountains and reading books in the woods.
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