I carried this rock for +700 miles!

Written By: Flip-Flop

If you ask PCT thru-hikers what they thought about the lava rock sections in Oregon… most will tell you how bad their feet hurt. I however, loved every single step. For us, technical trail is super exciting and by far our favorite. After all the roots and rocks on the Appalachian Trail that went on for days, a few miles of lava rocks was nothing but a new challenge to crush!

The coolest part was environment around us. Walking around active volcanoes and seeing the aftermath of their lava flows years later was mind blowing. You can even see the flow of the lava down the mountain and how it had destroyed everything in its path. The landscape was so resilient and there were so many vibrant colors.

Now onto the rock story!

Obsidian is an igneous rock that is formed when lava is rapidly cooled by water; forming a natural glass.

A long time ago, obsidian was commonly chiseled into arrowheads for hunting and self protection; and even the first mirrors were formed using this natural glass.

Walking through this environment really captured my interest, I had never seen a volcano before. I was fascinated by the natural destruction that was surrounded in beauty. So when we came across this beautiful waterfall and I saw obsidian for the first time, I fell in love!

This is what I picked up!

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So, I picked up a half pound chunk of obsidian, and put it in my pack.

Caveman and Tramp thought I was crazy when I told them I’d be keeping this one. To carry such a large rock seemed absurd, but I couldn’t resist. This rock was different; one corner had a dimpled like texture that stood out from all the rest. It was going to be my souvenir, and my reminder that volcanoes do in fact exist.

So I picked it up, put it in my pack, and carried it with me the whole rest of the way to Canada; 700+ miles! Not only because I liked the rock, but I guess because everyone thought I was so crazy in doing so made me want to keep it even more.

The hidden meaning behind it all

UPDATE: After getting home from completing the PCT, I set out my rock collection and decided to see if obsidian had any special meaning.

I discovered that obsidian is a protection stone, that shields negativity and boosts decision making.

Now it makes even more sense why I felt so inclined to carried with me for 700+ miles. <3

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CAVEMAN & FLIP-FLOP