Day 7 Aug 7,1982<br>Since the trail we came up on
didn't fit my map I looked around and found a trace of
it on the south side of the creek, or I could just
be lost again. The sky was still overcast so we
waited a while to see what was going to happen. We
considered taking a rain day and staying put. By 11:15 we
had decided and were on the trail. It was a ho-hum
day walking thru the loose pumice, missing Gary,
overcast, ordinary country. At Deer Ck. we took lunch and
then moved on. Suddenly we came to the rim of Cascade
Valley. The ho-hum day immediately changed. The clouds
swirled around the snow covered peaks across the canyon.
It would be raining in one spot and the sun beaming
throught the clouds in another. The scene before us was
constantly and quickly shifting. It is one of the most
spectacular sights I have ever seen. I havn't seen it at all
like it since. Owen and I would hold up under a tree
when it sprinkled and once a cloud moved up the hill
until we were enveloped in the fog. By the time we
arrived at Duck Ck. the sky had cleared off and we made
camp. There were two women who had arrived at the same
time camping nearby. While I was trying to get the
fire started with the damp wood, one of them came over
and asked "don't you have a candle", well, nope. A
little later when we had a roaring fire going she came
back and told me they had a difficult time getting
theirs going. I bit my lip but chuckled inside. One of
Owen's pack straps was starting to come undone so I
whipped out the sewing kit and made repairs. Our sleeping
spot was a small depression that fit us just right. It
was so good we used the same place the next time we
were there. 8.1 miles today.
