In the
late afternoon, Swiss Army and I were walking together when I told him I needed
to stop and have a bite to eat. He agreed, and we pulled out our Z-pads
and sat down in the middle of the trail While I was opening up my pack
to find some peanut butter and jam, Swiss Army asked me if I would like a bagel
with cream cheese, Swiss cheese, and pepperonis on it. I turned and
looked at him and asked in a most incredulous manner,
“Are you
carrying that kind of food?”
He said
he was and he had extra and was willing to share.
I
couldn’t believe that anyone would be carrying that kind of luxurious food here
in the wilderness, but he did indeed have it. The bagel was fresh, the
cream cheese wasn’t sour, and the Swiss cheese and pepperonis were A-OK.
Swiss Army said that the cream cheese was good for up to four days
without refrigeration. During my entire three months on the trail thus
far, this cheese/bagel sandwich was the most satisfying and filling trail meal
I had eaten thus far.
There was
enough for a second, and I didn’t hesitate for a moment. After finishing
both, I felt as though I had just eaten at a posh restaurant and resolved then
and there, that for the remainder of the hike, whenever possible, I would
purchase these same food items in an effort to make the whole trail experience
a little more enjoyable.
At the
end of the day, food was the one thing I had to look forward to as a reward for
the day’s hard efforts – and that bagel sandwich was ten times superior to my
peanut butter and jam tortilla sandwich. While Swiss Army and I were
sitting on the trail, Storytime showed up and joined us for dinner; he too was
treated to a bagel sandwich, and in turn, he shared with us his miniature Oreo
cookies that we dipped in chocolate Nutrella.
Everyone was happy. Swiss Army and Storytime were delighted to find that they worked for the same electronics company in California, only in different buildings. They had a lot in common and enjoyed spending the rest of the day together trading stories about former employees and projects worked on.
Everyone was happy. Swiss Army and Storytime were delighted to find that they worked for the same electronics company in California, only in different buildings. They had a lot in common and enjoyed spending the rest of the day together trading stories about former employees and projects worked on.
The three
of us walked together for a few hours and then camped on an abandoned logging
road. It was almost dark when we made camp. Then just before dark,
three new hikers showed up: Blast, Slack, and Orbit (female). From
others on the trail, Blast had heard about my journey on the ocean, so he
visited with me for a while. The camp for the night was at mile 1,644,
which left only fifty-six miles to the Oregon border.
Leaving
camp this morning, on the abandoned logging road, the trail began a gradual
descent towards the Klamath River and the tranquil Seiad Valley, which would be
the last resupply stop before crossing the California-Oregon border.
Halfway down the mountain, far in the distance, I could see the distant
twin peaks of Kangaroo Mountain and Red Butte. The trail builders had
routed the trail in the notch between the two peaks, and in two days I would be
there.
For
miles, the trail descended through heavy vegetation along Grinder Creek,
crossing it three times on footbridges, and then ending at the Grinder Creek
Campground. Yogi’s guidebook said this was a campground with camping
sites, picnic tables, but no trash pickup or piped water. As I passed
through the lower end of the campground, I notice several fifth-wheel trailers
that looked like they had taken up permanent residency in the campground.
The trail
builders were unable to build a trail with a more direct route to Seiad Valley
due to issues with private property owners and a bridge over the Klamath River.
So, with no other choice, the trail merged for a 6.5-mile roadwalk, first
along Grinder Creek and then along the Klamath River.
In doing so, trail
hikers were able to experience two things they might not otherwise have come in
contact with. First, blackberries in great abundance; and secondly, they
received their first introduction to the proposed fifty-first state of the
Union – the State of Jefferson, which, if it ever came to fruition, would
encompass the northern top half of California and the southern portion of
Oregon.
The Great State of Jefferson – the Fifty-First State
In the
late 1930s, residents of the counties of Northern California and Southern
Oregon banded together to apply pressure on their local state governments for
increased revenue to shore up their economies by building roads and bridges
into the timber-and mineral-rich Siskiyou Mountain. In October, 1941,
after many failed promises from the two state governors, the mayors of the
communities in this local region, with the backing of the populace, decided to
secede from the Union and create their own state.
A contest
was held to determine the name of the new state. The name Jefferson, as
in Thomas Jefferson, was the winning entry, and the contributor walked away
with a two-dollar prize. A flag of green was proposed as the state’s
flag, while the seal for the new state was the backside of a gold pan,
emblazoned around the edges of the circle with the words, “The Great Seal of
the Great State of Jefferson." Two X's located in the center of the
pan represented the double-cross of Sacramento and Salem in stiffing the
populous of this region with their failed promises.
John C.
Childs of Yreka, California, was elected governor of the new state, and on
November 7, 1941, a massive demonstration covered by Hollywood news cameras
captured on film locals brandishing weapons for shock effect and displaying
signs that read “Jefferson Border Patrol,” stopping traffic on Route 99 south of
Yreka, and handing out pamphlets entitled “The Proclamation of Independence of
the State of Jefferson.” It declared that the state of Jefferson was in
patriotic rebellion and would secede from the Union every Thursday until
further notice.
With film
in the can, the news reports were set to air nationally on Monday, December 8,
1941. Of course, the news broadcasts, which were a big deal at the time,
never happened. On Sunday, December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl
Harbor, and the movement to secede immediately collapsed. The populous of
this region backed the war effort and eventually roads and bridges were
constructed into the mountainous region to extract the vast wealth of timber
and minerals. (Erwin)
.JPG)
No comments:
Post a Comment