Friday, September 5, 2008

Friday, September 5, 2008

Greetings from Sisters, Oregon.

My emotions are very mixed right now, and in a lot of ways, it is sad for me to report that I've decided to call off the rest of the hike on the Pacific Crest Trail for this year. I'm currently in the town of Sisters, Oregon, looking for a place to live and thinking about my future. Jokingly, I've told some people that I'm actually homeless right now, so one of my top priorities is to find a place to rent and get settled back into "Town Living." I'm not sure it will be an easy transition, considering that I've been on the road or on the trail since February 2008
!

There were a lot of factors for me to consider as I made the decision to leave the trail. I still have some work to do to complete my federal and state income taxes, and I really want to get them finished and submitted before my extension expires in the middle of October. I also had a very cold and wet night on a ridge on Mt. Hood last Saturday Evening.

So, for now, I'll resume a normal "city" life here in Sisters, Oregon. I'm already making my plans to finish the PCT in 2009 (I have about 800 miles of the trail to finish).

I'm not calling this endeavor a failure by any means. I did walk over 2,000 miles to get from Mexico to Sisters, and I rode my bike over 3,000 miles from Florida to California. Along the way, I lost over 50 pounds, and I discovered a lot about myself. I had a lot of time to think about important things, like a couple of books that I've written outlines for, what I want to do in the future, some projects I'd like to volunteer some time towards, and some other "self-improvement" activities I'd like to work on. I think I have enough to keep me very busy for at least the next 12 months anyway!

Sometime in the next week or two, I'll be adding a number of additional photos and stories to the blog, so do check back from time to time to see what I've added.

Thanks, also, for all the good thoughts and prayers that you've been sending my way. They made a big difference!

O. (Oscar) Ikem Sofar

8 comments:

Fred said...

Steve,

Wow!! There is now way you should even contemplate this journey being a failure. You're my hero!!

You may not remember, but my wife and I met you on NM28 between El Paso and Las Cruces. We were out for an afternoon ride on our bents.

I am glad to hear you are home and safe.

Fred

Stephen Fosdick, 100biketours.com said...

Thanks for your note. If I remember right, you helped me fix a flat tire ... I had a lot of those on the bike ride.

You are exactly right ... ending early is not a sign of failure, for I really did accomplish a lot on my journey! Now, I'm all packed up and ready to settle in the town of Sisters, Oregon, and I'm very excited about moving there. I hope you will come and visit there sometime!

So Far

Daniel Howard-Snyder said...

Dear SoFar,

I am a bit sad for you to see that you've ended your journey given your goals, but then so did I, but for very different reasons. More on that in a moment. Stay in touch: if you'd like some company on the trail when you return next summer, let me know. I want to complete my journey too. Perhaps we'll meet up again. I really appreciated your interest in talking about important things.

After you left Crater Lake, I got incredibly sick and had to go to a doc in Klamath Falls: giardia and a sinus infection. After three days, I returned to the trail on the day that storm blew in. Wet, wet, wet! After five days, blood started pouring out of my fifth limb. Freaked me out. I went into Eugene from Willamette Pass. "Yep," the doc said, "blood's pouring out; and your blood counts are low, etc, etc. Given that you're a cancer survivor, we want to run some more tests over the next week." I took the next flight out for home, Bellingham. Anyway, to make a long story short, my lymphoma is not back, but I'm seeing a urologist on Monday to find out what's going on.

I have a couple of photos of you on the trail, from somewhere between Pilot Rock and Devil's Peak. Let me know if you want them. Also, although I'm only a section hiker, I really want to complete Oregon from Willamette Pass to Cascade Locks. Let me know your plans nest summer. Maybe we can meet up.

You spoke of moving to Sisters. Good for you, man! I hope you'll be happy there.

I'm taking one of my boys this weekend up to Rainy Pass to do some trail angel work: I'll have my two-burner Coleman and some salmon fillets with all the trimmings available, and much more besides. Hope to see Wombat and EnviroPyro.

All the best,

Dan (oddly called, the Professor)

Stephen Fosdick, 100biketours.com said...

Professor Dan!

It's really good to hear from you, and I'm really sad to hear about your failing health! At least you made it home, and you are now on the road to full recovery!

The trail was good to me, and even though I did not complete the entire PCT in a single season, I far exceeded all my personal goals. I'm really loving being in a size 32 waist, having lost just about 50 pounds while biking across the USA and hiking on the PCT!

I've settled here in Sisters, Oregon, and I'm enjoying it. I found a nice little house that I'm renting, and I've decided NOT to buy a car, so my transportation will be WALKING or BIKING!

Please do get in contact with me if you are ever near by so we can meet again, and let's keep in touch regarding next year on the PCT!

O.(Oscar) Ikem Sofar

Higher Ground said...

Congratulations on a great hike. I'm proud to have met you on the trail. Thanks for the trail name.
Higher ground

Stephen Fosdick, 100biketours.com said...

Higher Ground ... it's really good to hear from you!

Life is really good here in Sisters. I'm really liking it. I finally have my internet connection at my house (it was just hooked up today), so I'm hoping to finally get my blog caught up.

Have you been back on the trail lately?

If you ever make it up this way, drop me a line to let me know.

O. Ikem Sofar

Carsten said...

Dear Sofar,

Alina and I finished our thruhike
on the 1st October and were always
asking other hikers to find out where you were.

Something there are more important things than just finishing.

Just remember all the good things that happened to you and the wonderful people you met along the way.

We enjoyed hiking with you and were happy to celebrate your birthday with you in Chester.

Cheers

Sauerkraut and Alina

P.S. Please keep in touch

Mary Bee said...

I hiked over 2000 miles in the Sierra Nevada. And that is just the part I kept track of because it was hikes I organized. But I started at 8. This summer at 62, for the first summer since I was 8, I did not go to the Sierras. Seasons come and go. But I have all my memories and my photos.

Congratulations on your accomplishments out there is what I call Heaven.