Coors, Codeine, Cannabis and Constance-

“Over the weekend, my roommate -we'll call him Mr. Y- and I decided to sojourn to the Olympic Peninsula. We decided on Lake Constance as our destination. On Friday evening we gathered our gear and piled it into the car. After getting some Gu, Clif Bars, and Cytomax, we were on our way.

After a few hours of driving and a six pack of beer we arrived at the trailhead at 2am. Due to our fatigue and the absence of daylight we chose to camp for the night.

At 9am we awoke to the sounds of fellow hikers gearing up for a day of sylvan bliss in the virgin wilderness that is the Olympic National Park. After 2 hours of breaking camp, cooking, and sorting gear we were almost ready. The only thing that was missing was the the hand that fate was about to deal us. Indeed, this hand was the royal flush of debauchery, truly Dionysian in proportion.

A car comes upon us containing two individuals, one of whom is obviously really high on some sort of hallucinogen and the other sober as the Dalai Lama. After some trivial conversation the high one -we'll call him Dionysus- offers us some of his mushrooms. Being aware of the steep grade of the trail (it rises 3300' in just 2 miles) and not wanting to risk reinjury to Mr. Y's shoulder (still in a sling from surgury in March), we respectfully decline. He understands and promises to provide some herbal delights at the lake. Dalai and Dionysus depart for the wonders of the forest, leaving us to finish sorting our gear.

Not too far in, we hear the wanton, unintelligable cries of a man deep in the throes of psychotropic drugs. Soon the sounds fade and we are at peace again.

Now we are at about the halfway point, there's a moderate amount of snow on the ground, and my left knee is beginning to hurt quite badly. We stop to rest. Mr. Y spots someone in a red cotton t-shirt and points him out to me. Sure enough, it's Dionysus, cotton clad, mud covering his face, and making it much farther than anyone could ever expect. Dalai is a no-show however. Dionysus, much more coherent now, conveys to us that he didn't sleep all night and was about to go to Vegas to hang out with some showgirls had he been able to get his $99 plane ticket. He reiterates his offer to smoke up at the lake, offers me a codeine pill for my knee pain, and we proceed.

The trail gets really steep at this point and Mr. Y is forced to use an ice axe in his one good arm to hook rocks and tree roots to make progress up the icy and exposed trail. I, onthe other hand must use trekking poles and tree limbs to accomidate my bad knee. It is here that Dalai catches up with us. Dionysus seems to glide effortlessly up the steeps despite his dilapidated condition.

We arrive at Lake Constance, finally. Dionysus scrambles to the top of a snow covered rock at the edge of the frozen lake and opens his backpack. He removes a spare pair of pants and a half case of Coors, still in the box. The four of us imbibe. Dionysus comes good on his promises of herb and codeine and in exchange we provide him with a pair of dry wool socks and some thermal underwear to suppliment his cotton attire. We part ways, and as they descend, we crawl into our bivvy sacks, cook dinner, and sleep the sleep of the dead.”

“God invented sacred herb for peace, mushrooms for hilarity, and codine for fun.
Sounds like you had the perfect trip.”

“The Holy Trinity of hedonism. If I had it to do over again, I would.”

“Let me know when.
I'll go too.”

“Do you live in the vicinity mel?”

“Unfortunately, no, Dear.
You're up there in that place where it (usually) rains all the time.
Whereas I, am down here to the south where it won't quit snowing on my daffodils.
You should come on one of the llama hikes.
Happy Hour has been known to last for several days.”

“How much stuff can you put on the back of one of those llamas?
And what do you mean by "the south"?
That's a pretty vague description. You can narrow my residence down to two states and a province.”

“I hope the second paragraph does not imply you powered down a six-pack while driving mountain roads at night and while fatigued.”

“i was thinking the same thing gordon. that, and I think statements like these:

God invented sacred herb for peace, mushrooms for hilarity, and codine for fun.

come from the weak.”

“How was the herb? Was Dionysis WC?”

“Was the "Dalai Lama" a beast of burden?”

“Mr. X, do you live in WA or were you just hiking there? I live in WA too.

I saw a show on tv where a cop brings pot and a drug dog to show the kids how it works. He sneeks pot into a kids backpack and the dog seeks her out. Then he tells the kids, see, if you leave your pack around, someone might slip something into it.

I now go everywhere with my backpack open, lol.”

“No, we didn't "power down" the six pack, we drank it slowly and savoured every delicious malty drop of the stuff.

Why else would god create the aforementioned substances but for human consumption whatever the subjective experience of the consuming individual might be.

The herb was great, although we were forced to smoke it through a Coors can. I'm not sure what "WC" means, so I'll just say yes.

Dalai Lama is a beast of compassion. As you can see from Nafai's statements, compassion towards the unenlightened hedonist can be quite a burden, therefore Dalai Lama is a beast of burden.”

“Lipstick Hiker-
I live in Oregon. Do you hike much in the Olympics?”

“whatever you need to say to justify your words and actions, Mr. X.

I suppose god created lung cancer and apoplexy as well, eh?”

“I've hiked a few Olympic trails like, the Hoh Rainforest, the Enchanted Valley, Lena Lakes, Mt. Townsend, Mt. Zion, Hurricane Ridge, the Upper Dungeness, and Camp Handy, I forget the trail name. I think that's it.”

“Why don't you ask god? I'm not justifying anything. My intent was to put what I thought was a light hearted account of my little trip into the woods onto TT. I do what I do and you have no place imposing your value system on me or anyone else (except maybe your kids if you've got them). You assume a lot about someone you don't know, having only read a few paragraphs worth of all the things I've ever thought, said, or done. This dosen't even amount to a microcosm of who I am. I am much more than my statements here as I am sure you are as well. Please, let's try to maintain some objectivity here instead of resorting to scathing, nefarious, and judgemental comments.”

“How was the Hoh rainforest LH? What time of the year did you hike it?”

“Mr. X: you'll notice that my quote was from Mel's post, not yours. And I'm unclear about something from your encounter, which was amusing: did you guys take any mushrooms from him? If so, as a drug user, you should know that taking something from someone you don't know is seriously irresponsible, even pot. Unless, of course, you don't mind having an acid trip at high altitudes with strangers.”

“We didn't take any mushrooms because Dionysus said that he lost them. I think he ate them all. I know what pot looks and smells like. It was a little old but otherwise untainted. Mushrooms, well I've eaten them before in the backcountry in the winter, among various other places. I've seen them enough to know which ones to eat and which ones not to eat. And yes I'm aware that you were citing Mel's statement, one which I found entertaining and worthy of defense.”

“Well, I don't see a TOS anywhere that says that I have less of a right to post my intellectual and moral thoughts than you do to post lighthearted stories about backpacking and drug use with strangers.

SO...i guess we agree to disagree.”

“Yes, that's the idea. This has been quite a spirited debate. I hope to chat again sometime, hopefully on more agreeable terms.”

“steve, unfortunately I don't keep a journal of my hikes anymore and my memory isn't worth a damn. I'm sure I did the hike in fairly warm weather. Surprisingly enough, it didn't rain, and it didn't rain when I did the enchanted valley either. After 3 yrs in WA, I only got rained on 3 times or so on hikes with light rain.

The hike in the Hoh Rainforest was nice, but I just expected more moss, and for it to be more interesting than it was. Maybe my expectations were too high. I would like to know what others think of that hike.

The enchanted valley was spectacular.”

“aye, Mr. X.”

“Cool LH! Betcha enjoyed it even if it wasn't the primeval forest we sometimes think of when we hear rain forest.

I'm thinking of doing a hike in winter, perhaps following the coast for awhile then turning in to the rain forest and up to the snow line. Anyone ever hike the Olympic peninsula in winter?”

“steve, I've done the Olympic Coast beach in the fall. I don't hike in the winter. If you come out here, you should shoot for July or August when we get our best weather and all of the hiking areas are open.”

“my leader sez doing that stuf is bad”

“To each their own. Sounds like it was a fun trip, Mr. X!

Life is too short.”

“You savored every delicious drop...of Coors??? Kids, that's what drugs do to you.”

“Amen, revvum ken!
The thing I don't understand is how two guys can drink Coors when in Washington with all that GOOD microbrew beer around.
I think it grows on trees out there.

Otherwise Mr X, it sounds like a truely magical backcountry adventure complete with some delightfully kooky people.

I spent six days in the backcountry in Olympic last August.
My #2 son and I went up the Hoh to the glaciers and on to the High Divide and out the Sol Duck.”

“"You savored every delicious drop...of Coors??? Kids, that's what drugs do to you."

The Coors is what they had at camp. Being from the PNW I'm sure they had a fine micro brew on the drive up. lol! When we are talkin' free beer there is nothing below my standards.”

“LOL (Mr.Ken)”

“Hey mel! Nadai called you weak!

Okay boys and girls, bets are on and my money is on the Llama Queen!

Mr. X, sounds like a very interesting trip. Hope your knee is okay and Mr. Y's shoulder is healing.”

“Mr. X says "I live in Oregon" and yet he spells "savoured" like a Canadian. But then, would a Canadian be caught dead drinking Coors? He is, however, evidently well versed in Greek Mythology with the Dionysus reference, and perhaps a spiritual person, with his reference to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama....

Yup, it's gotta be Gentle Ben!”

“Mr. X, tell me about GoreTex please. Does it breath?”

“Steve - Coastal hiking in winter can be one of the most rewarding things around. The raw POWER displayed by nature is awesome! The weather can turn on a dime, though.

Mr. X - Wow! Some trip. Constance is a great trip. Got pics?...no, I did't think so.lol”

“Oh shoot!

From the title I thought this was a 'gear for sale' thread.”

“Nigal-
You are right. The Coors was provided at the lake. On the drive up we had some Shakespeare Stout. Thanks for helping me salvage some dignity.”

“Ken-
I think it breathes OK. 3 layer breathes better than 2 layer, just don't work too hard in it. I find that a wind shirt or some sort of microfiber shell breathes best and is adequate for light to moderate precipitation.”

“Thanks X. I guess you're not our missing friend Ben. Unless that was just an act...”

“null”

“Sorry Ken, I'm not your missing friend.

God Bless Canada!!”

“I knew ya wouldn't let me down there X. Stout is where it's at! If you can shine light through a glass of beer it's too thin and weak!

Nafia- Kudos for standing up for what you believe no matter how unpopular it is.”

“Nigal-
Dionysus provided us with Kudos (the tasty snack bar) as well. Thanks for reminding me.”

“Forgive me Mr X.
Nigal, You are a clever one!
Good deduction.
It was Mr Dionynus by the lake with the cheap beer!

I was thinkin'......Gentle Ben

I'll take mel in the first round.
Who the hell's this Nadia chick?”

“Perverts... "THE Holy trinity of Hedonism".... what ever happened to err... "conjugation," or those pother sex related c terms?”

“I'm a beleiver of the bill of rights, regardless of wether I agree/disagree, you know that right to self determination thing that most people who don't agree with you, tend to forget.
TOLERANCE”

“I thought it was Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll?

Tom, my guess would be that Ben, being the red blooded "Amerikan" he is, drinks nothin' but PBR.”

“I was hopin' Constance was a woman and we might get a good randy story like the one involving Wanda.....or was it Wilma?”

“wwwandrr-
I feel that Nafai and I have reached some sort of closure. In that closure I believe we have fostered a certain tolerance, if not respect for eachothers opinions. I promise to try to be less reactionary when someone speaks out against my ideals, my morals, and my actions. Perhaps by doing this, others will learn to be more accepting of individuals they deem wrong or immoral. Lead by example, not hypocrisy. Thank you for your observation.”