By Bob Spiwak
Editor’s note: former Mazama columnist Bob Spiwak is filling in for Mandi Donohue, who is on vacation.
My name is Bob and I endorse the following stuff.
It is a foggy fall day, as has been the case for some time now as winter creeps ever closer. There has been snow on Washington Pass already and at the Harts Pass Snow Station the depth today was 20 inches. This is the last day of October. Halloween could be a damp tramp if the forecast rain appears.
The foliage on the trees has been extra extravagant this season compared to others. The leaves have been hanging around longer and the colors were deeper. The Methow may well be displacing Leavenworth as the place for viewing fall colors. Especially notable were the red osiers.
Carolyn Burkhart is now in her third year as an “angel.” For those unfamiliar with the title, trail angels are unpaid volunteers who appear on or near the major trails, offering advice, food, water and whatever else they may have to make the hikers’ treks more enjoyable.
As Carolyn explains it, her dwelling just off the Mazama turnoff from Highway 20 is the last bastion of such assistance on the Pacific Crest Trail before getting to Canada. Mazama is the place of last angelic assistance. Things will be a lot quieter here now that the snow is covering a lot of he trail. The arrival of hiking weather brought more trekkers to the Mazama Store than any of the regulars can remember.
For those less enthusiastic regarding their outdoor activities, the annual firewood follies are probably tapering off, other than for procrastinators. While this is quite common knowledge to locals, readers in more sanguine environments may not be aware of what is involved. The wood many burn must first be collected, either by self-service or bought from a seller of the wood (we do it in the summer). Next comes splitting, gathering, cleaning out the woodshed, avoiding black widow and brown recluse spiders, and stacking the wood neatly. Three cords seems to be a minimum, and a cord measures 4 by 4 by 8 feet.
What is left after all the wood butchery may be a lot of excess material. Whether shoveling, mushing a blower or having a snow removal service, this material ought be raked and the path of removal cleared. It could save a broken shovel or wrist.
