before i reached the wilderness area i got water at one house. it was an A-frame i was attracted to, partly because the front door was open and it seemed welcoming. i wouldn't have to knock. the guy there was really nice and we chatted for a bit about radical topics. he has a vegetable garden and he said he feels it's the best way to avoid supporting places like safeway. of his house he said, "like living in a burrito." which i found funny.
after his house was the second of three big hills on this route through the coast range, which goes south of the town of Crow, and proceeds through the hills southwest and down the Smith River valley. these hills i took slow of course, stopping to drink water and pick berries, and they were not overwhelming.
i had my first blackcaps of the trip on that second hill. at the top of the third i enjoyed my first salal berries! in these couple days i feasted a few times on very sweet blackberries.
when i entered the forest i was keeping my eyes and ears tuned to any sign of a clean water source, which would be a small streamlet coming down the slope on my left. a stream flowed on my right, but i wouldn't trust it to be safe drinking. soon i heard the sound of trickling water and when i ducked through the thick brush i was able to access the water coming down through a cluster of alder roots, like a mat of thick hair. i set my water bottle there and let it fill slowly while i enjoyed the magic of this spot. nature provides. the source was probably a spring uphill from the road.
along the way down the smith river the next day i saw many of these little waterfalls coming down over the rock faces, where beautiful ferns thrived on the moisture.
the first night i camped on a little pullout where i saw a flat, mossy spot. the second night i slept on the smith river in a spot where a big section of worn rock bed was dry. there i spent the second half of the day sunbathing and relaxing with some little projects. i drew a crayfish skeleton i found. i made sun tea with lemon balm i found growing there! in the morning i found mint too and took some of both with me.
the mosquitoes were not bad in either spot! i thought they were likely to be a nuisance on the river, but when i lay down to sleep i noticed many bats flitting about and understood that it was all taken care of by them, the birds, and dragonflies.
i kept my food close at hand and there was no sign of any animals being attracted to it. later i heard that there are lots of bears in the area right now. a rad hillbilly i talked to at the 'smith river grocery and pub' told me he sees a bear almost every day now from a lookout spot he frequents that overlooks some huge blackberry thickets by the river. he said they are so abundant you can shoot two bears on one tag (hunting license). he also spoke of the excellent blackberry wine folks make in the area. his shirt said 'i have a CRABBY attitude' around an image of a crab. there's a lot of crabbing around the mouth of the smith river i guess.
another topic i brought up was the ranching i noticed dominating the bottom lands of this valley. he said there are four or five big ranchers and their cows are sold at 6 months to slaughter houses in eugene. they are not consumed locally. i thought this a pity. he said they use a fertilizer on the pasture that is safe for the river, animals, plants, and people. sounds like marketing mumbo jumbo to me.
overall a really great couple days of camping and solitude for me.
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