Talking to Yourself Me, Myself and I Story and Photos by Bill Hoke
G
oing hiking by yourself is one thing. Going solo for three, four, five nights—or more—will open new doors to your outdoor adventures. Thanks to Cebe Wallace, local climber, and hiker, who went into the mountains by himself for one week every year, I thought, Why not? I asked Cebe what it was like and he said two things: “You’ll see” and “You’ll talk to yourself.” I did see, and Bill and Bill became well-acquainted, discussing every meal, every trail dead end, where to place the tent, whether we should attempt to solo Heart Peak. We did not always agree but thankfully it never got to the point where we split up. My first overnight was to Upper Royal Basin, eight miles in, and when I arrived at 4:30 p.m., I was alone, no one in sight. I set up camp—sorry
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The heartbeat of Cascadia
no campfires allowed—fluffed up my sleeping bag, wandered the area, fixed dinner, did the dishes, hung my bear bag, kept looking down the trail halfwanting for there to
ht, Royal Basin. ? ig n r ve O o ol S First night alone bring st r fi he t l il w t Wha be others. After checking my watch: 5:45 p.m., I fluffed up my sleeping bag again. Now what? This first night alone was memorable. I had my Deliverance fears, imagined bear attacks, snakes, cougars,
even an abduction. Asleep at 10 p.m., awake at midnight, awake at 2:10 a.m, and this time an epiphany hits me: I am alone for the first time in my life, eight miles from my car, 20 miles from a main road, thirty miles from a payphone. Alone. Finally back to sleep. First morning alone, feeling cocky, I climbed Mt. Fricaba, returned to camp, and hiked out, passing a few hikers coming in. One night behind me, I was still alive, a little wiser, and ready for more. After several solo attempts on the 44-mile roundtrip Skyline Trail (one an admitted chicken-out at Kimta Peak), my climbing partner Terry MacDonald and I finally pulled it off in four nights, one of the best hikes ever. After a full day to hike the four miles between Kimta and Lake Beauty (aptly named), Terry said to me, “bet you can’t solo this.” He was beginning to make fun of Bill talking to Bill, as they bent over a topo map like they knew where they were.
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