Backpackers traversing a hillside, Mt. Jefferson in the near distance

Every other week off the grid is not enough

Published 2022-08-26

Two weeks ago we were at the beach, not so much off-the-grid as grid-adjacent.

Last weekend we were in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness for a few days. It was some of the hardest hiking but easiest backpacking. We were between the mosquito and wildfire seasons. Most of the meadows and swamps were dry, but still plenty of water every few miles.

We took our Japanese housemate with us, who was a total trooper. She had never been backpacking… or camping… or hiking more than half an hour or so. I was reminded vividly of when I started backpacking at that age (early 20s) with older friends/colleagues (mid-30s to mid-40s). After an hour with the pack I thought it was intolerable … how could anyone do this for even two hours let alone weeks on end? And how can these old people walk so fast without stopping?

A group of hikers huddled together about 25' distant, sharing out handfuls of candy. They are on the edge of a ridge, flanked by small firs, with Mt. Jefferson on the horizon

Candy break on Bingham Ridge

A mirror-still alpine lake at sunrise, in cool shadow, with sunlight just striking the peak of Mt. Jefferson above it

Hanks Lake (or Hunts Lake? I forget which)

A group of backpackers crossing a broad alpine meadow ringed with tall firs; Mt. Jefferson in the background

On the long string of meadows above Hunts Cove

Four backpackers in shorts climbing a trail out of a broad alpine valley, with the triangular peak of Mt. Jefferson in the background, under a sparkling clear sky

Mt. Jefferson is my new favorite Cascade

Selfie: two middle-aged white people with backpacks and baseball caps crowding into the left half of the frame; Mt. Jefferson and the forest in the background & filling the right half of the frame

P&J together in front of Mt. Jefferson

A twenty-something woman seated on a log in the shade next to a small alpine lake, looking toward the peak of Mt. Jefferson which is nearly snow-free

Shale Lake or Coyote Lake or something

A woman and high-school age boy at the edge of large green mountain lake, under a clear sky

Low water (but cold!) on Pamelia Lake

Six colorful, well-stowed backpacks arranged from largest to smallest lean against a log in the foreground. About 50' away, two kids climb up a boulder about 6' tall, while a black dog watches

It is deeply satisfying to pack up for the last day of hiking