Sept. 11: Trout Lake

 I had heard that the Trout Lake Zen Center was a 'do-not-miss' stop on the PCT for peace and trail magic...  Desperate for some down time, solitude and meditation, I hitchhiked to the Zen Center in Trout Lake, hoping to take a "zero" day and connect with some peace... 

 Trout Lake Abbey and Mt. Adams Zen Center...  wow!  http://www.tlabbey.com/eggs.htm

 Greeted upon arrival to the Zen Center by a very pleasant monk, Kozen Sampson, I was informed that the Zen Center couldn't accept guests on this night due to plumbing problems.  I ended up sharing a cabin down the road with Terese, Polar Bear and Hoff Zombie...  Not the solitude I was needing.  Terese and I did laundry, ate farm eggs from the Zen Center, shared a bed, hid from the boys and giggled late into the night while the boys, in customary PCT style, got too drunk and compared stories of manliness. 

Journal Entry:  Sept. 11, 2014 Trout Lake, WA:  5.0 miles

"So many emotions... woke today from another night of being cold.  It's difficult to recover from a day of hiking when the night involves shivering & tense muscles.  Couldn't get out of bed.. slept until 9:00am! Met Ice Cave and Skywalker while making oatmeal; they told us of the A.T. Trail Rats slack-packing behind.  Ugh!! It was enough to make me so grumpy.  Only 5 miles to Road 23, but it was all I could do to stay focused on the present.  I'm tired of PCT culture, thru-hikers, hearing about gear, miles, etc.  I had hoped to come here to escape:  my plan was the zen buddhist abbey.  Trout Lake is a lovely community.  Gary [a trail angel] came & picked us up from the trailhead.  But as soon as we got to the store some guy named Shepherd was aggro-complaining about Sierra City & The Red Moose Inn.  Ahhhhh!! (internal scream).  The good news is that I checked my phone and there were messages from Corvallis Clinic, Redmond, Asante and Sunnyside!! Yay! I'm getting excited about work/working.  Tomorrow I will stay here until I've figured it all out.  Dad is picking me up at white pass on the 16th or 17th.  As for the trail, I really hope to have some solitude going into Mt. Adams & Goat Rocks.  Just 60 miles ahead, and I'm going to take my time & try to enjoyit as much as possible.  The Buddhist Abbey was closed do to broken plumbing, but Kozen, a monk, told us of cabins, so tonight it's me, Terese, Polar Bear & and Aussie.  Laundry, showers & beds!!  The boys went to eat.  Just the girls [now].  Peace.  Finally."