Day 7: "We need to go back to Ashland."

[Erin]:

Our hike today was amazing: up and over a ridge past Preston Peak and the Lieutenants to Twin Valley, and up and over another ridge and out to Poker Flat. We were headed to the trailhead to meet up with our friends, so though Emily was still limping, she seemed to be happier. We took turns asking each other questions, like: "would you rather live in Dallas or Houston?" "Which is better: Crayons or colored pencils?"

The Lieutenants.

We had our first bits of snow, which obscured the trail at times. and we were able to admire the mountains, the flowers, the meadows...

The meadows were grand.

Just enough snow, and not too much!

Emily trucked on, despite her leg.

Lewisia cotyledon, growing from the rocks.

We got to the trailhead at Poker Flat, and wandered over to an RV where we talked to Mark, a talkative and friendly guy who had lived in Seiad Valley and knew the area well. He had a barky dog who greeted us and a wife named Laurie we did not see, though at one point, upon seeing Emily's leg, he called out, "Laurie, do we have any benadryl?"

Emily's friends Derek and Lisa arrived from Ashland, their truck kicking up dust as they approached. They gave us beer and ice cream and told us how happy they were to be out of Ashland. To which we replied, "we need to go back into Ashland."

Thank the gods for them, as they drove us the three hours back into town, fed us salad and beer and sausages, and asked their doctor neighbor what we should do. He said to go to urgent care in the morning. We showered and put on Lisa's clean dresses and Emily hobbled around. We went to a drug store and wandered around under the neon lights, buying more bandages and gauze and ibuprofen.

Total miles: 8