Our Ongoing Struggle

---For those of you who have not been to the top of Pyramid Mt. or just don't remember why we did all of this in the first place I have taken the time to tell you all about why we put the camera atop of the mountain. There is also a lot ofbonus material on our adventures of getting the camera up there. ---It started in the late summer of 2000 when Danny and I were hiking in Oregon with our Boy Scout troop. We hiked to the top of a mountain called Eagle Cap and found an ammo canister with notes from everyone who had visited. We found this to be a great idea so we planned to do the same on a mountain near where we live so that we can visit frequently and read the notes. One of us (I do not know who) later came up with the idea to put a camera in the canister and a self adressed package so it coud be sent home. ---Around came the summer of 2001 when we were going to the mountain to place our package. The trip went fine until we were a quarter mile from the trail head when our car got a flat tire. No problem we thought, until we found that we did not have a sufficiant tire iron to put on the spare. So we left a note and went hiking. When we returned the tire was fixed and all was well (a belated thanks to our guardian angel). So we drove home at the recommended speed of 55 M.P.H. ---The next summer after I had received the camera in the mail I called up Danny and another friend Roger and we quickly planned another trip. By this time my old car had blown up into a blazing inferno, and I had bought a new car (which was totaled 2 months after I got it). My new car was not sufficiant for gravel roads so Danny and I planned to take my mom's car, and we did. We made it the first 3 hours just fine, then 3 miles off the main road onto the gravel road, the car broke down leaving us at a junction. We had the option to go up the big hill road where we knew where we where going, or down the mystery road to who knows where. We did know that the mystery road ended up .5 miles up the mountainside from another road, but there was no trail connecting them. So we decided to take the mystery road and cut through the woods to another trail head. After 2 hours of walking and 7 miles of road which we thought would be no more than 3-4 miles we came to the end. We cut through the woods and got to the trail head. We had planned to do a 8 mile day to the "Good Camp" at the junction. When we ariived at "Good Camp" Danny and Roger convinced me to go to Fern lake. It is a nice place (I suggest you go there) but the trail is extremely steep. After the 9.5 miles down the mystery road, trees, and wrong trail, 3 miles on the planned route, and then the extra to Fern Lake we went about 16 miles. The next day we took the original planned route to the mountain. We cut off some length by going straight up the side which was well worth it. We were extremely relieved when we arrived at the top, we ate then went to sleep. After a restless night's sleep we woke up and ate what little food we had then started walking the 19 miles to the car. Over the whole trip we had only brought enough food for 2 dinners, a lunch and 2 breakfasts. Two of us brought snacks but Danny had not. Because of the extra milage and time it took us we had to stretch out our 5 meals to make an extra 2. When we arived at where the car should have been we were thirsty (the last water was 12-14 miles back)and hungry. We soon found a note on the tree that told us while we were gone the car had been picked up and taken home. We were luckily bailed out of hitch hiking by my father who was on his way home from Eastern Washington. Over all we did about 46 miles in 3 days, and we are planning on going back.

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