September 8, 2011

Start: 2155 (Cascade Locks)
End: 2170

Today we began the journey anew, after sleeping in and eating breakfast, of course. We got back to the trail at 11:30am and proceeded to walk across the Bridge of the Gods. It was pretty cool to walk across (for free) and look up and down the gorge, and down through the steel grating of the bridge itself, high above the water below. Once on the other side we headed West along Hwy 14 toward Gillette Lake before eventually turning more northward and gaining elevation. With our packs loaded down with Washington gear (different tent and more warm clothes), as well as six days of food, we took the climb nice and easy, getting in a good 15 miles for the day.

Tomorrow it's on to Wind River Work Center (Forest Service) where some of my coworkers are going to be putting on a little lunch potluck in my honor! It's going to be fun to see them after more than four months! (although I'm pretty sure I'm going to be the one who looks the most different.)

Sent from the PCT

September 7, 2011

Zero day

Today, although a zero day, was nonetheless not all that relaxing. I spent the day swapping out gear for other stuff and buying, packaging, and mailing food boxes ahead for the rest of the trip. It's crazy to think I will be in Canada in three weeks... All the way from Mexico.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the trail in Washington up close and personal. I've only heard good things about the scenery (but the weather may be a different story).

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September 6, 2011

September 6, 2011

Start: ?? Dee
End: 2155 (about 30 miles to Cascade Locks)

Thank goodness the day is over, it was a rough one. It began nice and early, around 5:30am, which meant about 6 hours of sleep. Not enough for this thru-hiker.
We walked up the rest of the asphalt road, a couple miles, to where the road transitioned to gravel. From there we walked up the road about 10 miles to Rainy Lake where the gravel road turned into a rocky trail; although this did not happen without incident. During the gravel road walk we took one wrong fork and ended up walking an extra 3/4 mile past the correct fork to the end of the incorrect fork where we found ourselves at Black Lake. Since we were there and it seemed like a nice enough lake, we ate lunch and refilled our water before backtracking and going the right direction.

Once back on track we hiked up to a junction where there was a little shelter and, after a short break with a little iPhone research, we decided on a different route that was more direct to Cascade Locks. We took a side trail down to the Herman Creek Trail and followed that down the gorge where we caught a one mile connector trail to the PCT and then Cascade Locks. It was quite a nice hike down, but by the time we got within 5 miles I was ready to be done and eat some food as well as enjoy the next day without hiking. After the past four days I think that it was perfectly reasonable.

After eating a giant burger, onion rings, milkshake, and pie, my mom drove me back to Portland where I would spend the night. Aside from being tired, it was a strange feeling to be driving back to where the trip began. It felt almost as if the trip were over, even though I knew it wasn't. It certainly didn't feel quite right, whatever it was. Perhaps it's just tiredness.

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September 5, 2011

Start: 2007
End: ?? Dee (about 31 miles)

Today we started the Dollar Lake Fire Detour. From Timberline Lodge the detour took us back to the Timberline Trail, then East down and up three glacial river canyons to Gnarl Ridge, which, as anticipated from the name, was pretty gnarly looking. Along the way we also walked through Mt Hood Meadows ski area, which was pretty cool! At the Gnarl Ridge trail junction we ran into two day hikers, neither wearing shirts. They were an older couple from the Columbia River Gorge area, who enjoyed hiking around Hood. They were pretty into the fact that we were hiking the whole trail, and as usual they got a kick out of 12 Ounce's name. The husband of the couple said he was going to have a 12 oz can as soon as he got back home.

After that encounter, we took the ridge down to the Elk Meadows trail, following that down to Polallie TH. From there we had a 9 mile road walk along Hwy 35 to Parkdale, then turned onto Hwy 281 toward Dee for another few miles, and finally stopped hiking around 10:45pm when we found some fruit crates along the side of the road to hide behind while we slept. It was the first night on the trail that I felt like I was homeless, but the gravel pullout was surprising comfortable when you're tired. I also got blisters for the first time in 1600 miles due to walking so many detour miles on asphalt.

Not looking forward to waking up early and hiking more roads. Ugh.

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September 4, 2011

Start: 2094.5
End: 2007

I was stiff and sore this morning. Not all that surprising considering what I willingly put my body through yesterday. It didn't exactly feel good, but at the same time gave me a lasting feeling of my accomplishment.

After eating a quick poptart breakfast we hobbled onto the trail and made our way toward US Hwy 26 to the Frog Lake trailhead where my parents were meeting us with food! We arrived right on time and, as promised, they had all sorts of snacks.

After the delicious snack break, my mom joined us in hiking the remaining miles to Timberline Lodge. The first segment of the day took us 6 miles to Barlow Pass, just before the Hwy 35 crossing. There, my parents were hosting some trail magic that included homemade cookies, handrolled sushi, sodas, and beer. We also stopped here to eat some snacks before pushing the final miles up to Timberline Lodge. They went pretty easy, except for the last couple which were on sand. As you may have guessed by now, there also happened to be food at Timberline Lodge! There was a farmer's market lunch buffet which we took full advantage of, drinking some beer to wash it down.

While at Timberline Lodge we found out some unfortunate news. The trail on the North side of Mt Hood was closed due to a wildfire, so we would have to detour around the East side. We didn't worry too much about it at the time and headed down the mountain with my parents to relax the rest of the day and stay the night in Welches. It was just what we needed: to not wear packs, and get our feet up for a little while.

Thank you mom and dad!!

Sent from the PCT

September 3, 2011

Start: 2044.5
End: 2094.5

Last night was not exactly as restful as one would hope. Strong winds started up around midnight, tearing a tent stake out of the ground, and leaving the tent falling and flapping on our faces. We tried to sleep a little longer, and at 3:30am we got up, ate breakfast, packed up, and were on the trail at 4:15am to begin our attempt at a 44 mile day.

The stars were amazing, brightest of the trail, and we tried to enjoy them while simultaneously using our headlamps to see the trail ahead, so as not to trip. After about 8 miles we got to Ollalie Lake and attempted to go to the store, which said opened at 7am, but apparently not on Labor Day Weekend. Strange. It was a little bit of a bummer since I was hoping to pick up a couple more candy bars for the day.

After Ollalie we got back on the trail and continued on, mostly through forest for the rest of the day, including a section through the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. We took a 30 minute "lunch" break after 22 miles, while on the Reservation before continuing on.

About 38 miles into our day, we reached Clackamas Lake. It was 5:45pm, and we both had the same thought: what if we go for 50 miles instead of 44? We both liked the idea, and planned out where we would now be heading for that night. By the time we got to Timothy Lake, we were both starting to drag a bit; everything was stiff and a little sore, but we were determined. We continued on to where we originally planned to camp (mile 44) and had a snack before starting an 800 foot climb over the final 6 miles. The last part we didn't speak much, just trudged up the trail. Once we accomplished the goal, we set up camp and proceeded to pass out. It was one of those days when you are sore before you even wake up the next morning. But we triumphed! And the pain we feel is only temporary compared to the memories that will last a lifetime.

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September 2, 2011

Start: 2022
End: 2044.5

What a glorious day! Since we only planned to do 22 miles today, we slept in until 7:30 before getting moving, and finally made it to the trail around 8:30.

We had views of Mt Jefferson for the majority of the day as we passed along it's West flank. Along the way we also ran into many groups of weekend hikers. Not all that surprising since it is the beginning of Labor Day Weekend.

We stopped by a little lakelet for lunch, and while there we talked with a smokejumper for a little bit. He and his crew had parachuted in last night around 6pm and took care of a small fire burning a little ways north of where we were. When I asked him how close the fire was to the PCT, he said about 100 feet. So I guess my post from yesterday was incorrect, but in my defense, the fire was only a few meters in diameter.

Just before the end of hiking for the day we crossed over a ridge, saying goodbye to the panoramic view of Mt Jefferson and getting our first good view of Mt Hood. We could even just make out the silhouette of Mt St Helens in the distance! It would have been a better view had there not been smoke from some other fire obscuring the view with its haze. The good thing about the smoke is that it makes for some amazing sunsets!

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September 1, 2011

Start: 2007
End: 2022

Today started in a similar manner to yesterday, but finished in a more productive way. Yesterday, a friend of 12 Ounce, Hilary, came over to Bend to visit, and the three of us slept in and went out to breakfast before going back to Mat's house to pack up our gear. Hilary was kind enough to give us a ride back to the trail on her way back to Newport. She even hiked a few miles with us! Thanks Hilary!

After we parted ways, 12 Ounce and I continued up the trail past Three Finger Jack, and on to Rockpile Mountain. Since we got a bit of a late start, we camped at Rockpile Lake after only 15 miles. It is really nice to get to camp early and just hang out for a bit before getting bundled in the tent. There are also much fewer bothersome bugs here, which makes it possible to hang out outside of the tent!

Along the hike today we caught glimpses of the Three Sisters, Mt Washington and Mt Jefferson, as well as a wildfire that is burning NE of Mt Washington. We also heard there is a wildfire burning in the Mt Jefferson Wilderness (our current location) but not near the PCT.

Tomorrow we expect to get in a few more miles than today and set ourselves up for an attempt at a 44 mile day. Should be interesting!

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August 31, 2011

Zero day in Bend

Usually zero days in town are spent doing various things, like buying food for the next leg, uploading pictures, and similar tasks. This was not the usual zero day. The goal for today was to do as little as possible, and I think we did a pretty good job in accomplishing that goal. Aside from eating our way through Bend, we hung out in a park by the river, went to the farmer's market, and watched part of a movie before falling asleep around 10:30pm. It was great, and I could easily do it again tomorrow, but the trail calls me back into the wild.

Thanks to Mat for hosting us while in Bend! The break from the trail was just what we needed!

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August 30, 2011

Start: 1982
End: 2007

Today we woke up, and much to our surprise, the liquid water near where we camped had frozen! It didn't feel all that cold, but apparently the temps are beginning to drop. We got an early start at 6:15 and headed down to Lava Lake CG/TH where we heard there was trail magic. There we came across a mesh net tent setup with sodas, beer, and snacks. We enjoyed some of the offerings and talked with the trail angel Lost-and-Found.

We continued on through a large lava field with views of Mt Washington to the North, and the Three Sisters to the South. We made our way toward Mt Washington, where we ate lunch at the bottom of a downhill trail section. After lunch we cruised through the rest of the miles to get to Hwy 20 where we planned to meet our ride.

Mat Barnett, a fellow engineer for the Forest Service, picked us up and drove us into town where we stopped in at REI before heading to dinner at BBC (Bend Brewing Company). It was great to have food prepared for us, instead of using our one-pot, alcohol-stove cooking methods. We then went back to Mat's place where we got cleaned up and did some laundry before falling asleep... In a bed! Great way to start the short break in Bend! Thank Mat!

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