Boo! Hiss!

I had these glorious plans of returning to Mt. Rainier and backpacking around the Wonderland Trail - this 93-mile loop around the mountain. I'd spent several nights here measuring distances and plotting my route and daily mileage. I was going to hit it a few days after getting back, after running around like a bat of hell trying to get twelve-fourteen days worth of food packed and mailed off and strapping thingys about my ruck. But nooo-ooooo! It seems that there are several other insane people in this world. So many insane people, in fact, that really want to walk up and down hills for 10-14 days without a shower, that they've filled up all of of the trailside camps - there's no cross-country camping allowed for Wonderland thru-hikers. So there went all of my plans. Booooo.

So I've changed plans and am going to walk around Mt. Hood instead. It's not a national park, so the regulations are not so stringent. Besides, that will only take four days or so. A wee 41-mile hike that's more at my level of experience. I suppose going off on a fourteen-day hike by myself wasn't the smartest of ideas. I will say though that of all the stupid things I've dedicated myself to, this one caused the least amount of panic for my parents. They almost seemed to be encouraging me! They're just so happy that I'm not in the army anymore that just about anything is A-OK with them.

I was also contemplating staying here a bit longer and then visiting my friends in England for a few days, especially after those friends found out I was sort of in the neighborhood. Feelings may have been hurt, but they know how the money thing goes, so they'll get over it. I really can't justify hanging around here and drinking beer for any longer. Besides, there is the problem of extending my allowed length of visit with immigration, having my mail held any longer, putting in my thirty-days notice for my apartment back home, blah blah blah. Details, annoying details.