Today was amazing. We walked alone all day, which meant we went at our own paces and had completely different experiences.
Mt Hood came into full view today as we walked close to it. It was
beautiful. Wildflowers blooming everywhere, glaciers high on the
mountain, and even skiers and snowboarders enjoying the year round
skiing offered at Timberline. I was motivated all day by the all you
can eat buffet at Timberline Lodge. I arrived at Timberline at noon and
went right for the buffet. It was everything I could hope for, plus
some. I ate my fill of steak, beef brisket, ham, watermelon, danishes,
cookies, salads, and soup. Lauren joined me, after looking around for me
outside for awhile. We both agreed that it was some of the best food on
the trail so far. I could barely walk when we left after spending two
full hours there.
I was really hoping to get a room at Timberline. It seems like a
really cool place. But it was completely full by the time we got there.
Another hiker, Memphis, showed us a secret shower in the sauna room. It
made our day, and we got clean!
We decided to hike out separately. Lauren had her tent sent to
Timberline so we could hike solo for a couple days. I left the lodge at
330 and walked another 10 miles. Did 25 miles today with a three hour
lunch break. Not too shabby. My goal is to hike another 37 tomorrow into
Cascade Locks, hopefully by 6 or 7 pm.
It is painful being away from Lauren. We have been nearly glued together the last 2 months. But this will be good for us.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
8/22/12
Coldest night so far on the trail. It was cold enough to put frost
on most of the plants that surrounded our tent. Its getting harder to
wake up early and even harder to get out of the tent in the morning.
The trail was easy walking all day. I have my first annoying blister of the trail right now. Popped it three times today. Its in between my big toe and pointer toe. I call it my 6th toe. Its not huge, but so annoying. Funny, after 1300 miles of this trail this year, and this is when the blisters come.
Though I did not have much trouble hiking 27 miles today, it may be extremely difficult for me to hike my planned 50 mile day on Friday. I will still probably try. And with any luck, my foot will be healed tomorrow. We are only hiking 14 tomorrow to Timberline Lodge. Maybe a little beyond, but not much.
Walking around Timothy Lake was a highlight for me today. It has crystal blue water. Many people were out enjoying the lake and its shores. I could smell Tide laundry detergent on a few people. Really reminded me how dirty I must be.
We saw only two other hikers all day. Both were older women. I think this fire really spread out an already very spread out group of hikers. We often wonder about all the hikers we have met along the way. Where are they? We will hopefully see some of them in Cascade Locks as we will take off 3 days or more. I am looking forward to it.
It is now 8:15 pm. I am exhausted.
The trail was easy walking all day. I have my first annoying blister of the trail right now. Popped it three times today. Its in between my big toe and pointer toe. I call it my 6th toe. Its not huge, but so annoying. Funny, after 1300 miles of this trail this year, and this is when the blisters come.
Though I did not have much trouble hiking 27 miles today, it may be extremely difficult for me to hike my planned 50 mile day on Friday. I will still probably try. And with any luck, my foot will be healed tomorrow. We are only hiking 14 tomorrow to Timberline Lodge. Maybe a little beyond, but not much.
Walking around Timothy Lake was a highlight for me today. It has crystal blue water. Many people were out enjoying the lake and its shores. I could smell Tide laundry detergent on a few people. Really reminded me how dirty I must be.
We saw only two other hikers all day. Both were older women. I think this fire really spread out an already very spread out group of hikers. We often wonder about all the hikers we have met along the way. Where are they? We will hopefully see some of them in Cascade Locks as we will take off 3 days or more. I am looking forward to it.
It is now 8:15 pm. I am exhausted.
8/21/12
Today was full of challenges. It really reminded me of the
Continental Divide Trail. We found out in Bend that a fire had closed 7
miles of trail in Jefferson Park. A detour was created which would add
19 miles and get a hiker 7 miles further down the trail using a couple
roads and a series of trails. This sounded fine to us, and we carried
extra food out of Bend.
We both slept pretty well last night though it rained off and on after midnight. Walked to the trail that would take us to our first road. It was beautiful. Not much smoke in the sky either.
The Brietenbush Trail was pretty, but not as easy to hike as the PCT. Lots of loose rocks and brush overgrown. At the road we found a sign showing us that the fire closure area had grown. The reroute would now add an additional 22 miles and involve walking 12+ miles of pavement on a mountain road. There was another alternate listed by a fellow with the name White Jeep. His route would add more roadwalking but get hikers further down the trail, making it more attractive to us. Three other hikers arrived, all with their own stubborn ideas. One planned to take the original reroute and poach the closed roads and trails. Another planned to walk the reroute as it would keep his continuous footpath going. The last was undecided when we left.
We walked the 6 miles to paved road, then began hitching. I have walked enough road to know I don't like walking paved roads. This worked well and we had a ride in no time. Ended up getting all the way to where the pavement ended by a nice lady and her dog. Thanks Karen! With a bushwhack and a little more road walking we were on the trail by 5, 17 miles past where we got off the trail.
Feels good to be back on. Kinda a stressful day, and I am exhausted.
We both slept pretty well last night though it rained off and on after midnight. Walked to the trail that would take us to our first road. It was beautiful. Not much smoke in the sky either.
The Brietenbush Trail was pretty, but not as easy to hike as the PCT. Lots of loose rocks and brush overgrown. At the road we found a sign showing us that the fire closure area had grown. The reroute would now add an additional 22 miles and involve walking 12+ miles of pavement on a mountain road. There was another alternate listed by a fellow with the name White Jeep. His route would add more roadwalking but get hikers further down the trail, making it more attractive to us. Three other hikers arrived, all with their own stubborn ideas. One planned to take the original reroute and poach the closed roads and trails. Another planned to walk the reroute as it would keep his continuous footpath going. The last was undecided when we left.
We walked the 6 miles to paved road, then began hitching. I have walked enough road to know I don't like walking paved roads. This worked well and we had a ride in no time. Ended up getting all the way to where the pavement ended by a nice lady and her dog. Thanks Karen! With a bushwhack and a little more road walking we were on the trail by 5, 17 miles past where we got off the trail.
Feels good to be back on. Kinda a stressful day, and I am exhausted.
8/20/12
I slept so well last night. It was so quiet and was the good night's
sleep we both needed. I was refreshed and for the first time in weeks,
we were hiking before seven this morning.
The trail was beautiful today. It followed a ridge that took us to the edge of Mt Jefferson. Along the way we passed lakes, glacial streams, and flowers of many varieties.
It seemed so quiet today. I hiked by myself in the afternoon and did not see a single person. It almost feels eerie. Maybe it feels that way because of the thousands of people we passed in Bend. Or maybe people are spread out few and far between on this trail right now. We saw only one other thru-hiker today. Even the birds seem quiet.
I also noticed a storm front moving in today. It is going to rain tomorrow and perhaps be a few degrees cooler.
We made 26 miles today and are set up well for three more 25 mile days into Timberline Lodge.
We saw the largest toad ever today! Also saw a few birds of prey.
The trail was beautiful today. It followed a ridge that took us to the edge of Mt Jefferson. Along the way we passed lakes, glacial streams, and flowers of many varieties.
It seemed so quiet today. I hiked by myself in the afternoon and did not see a single person. It almost feels eerie. Maybe it feels that way because of the thousands of people we passed in Bend. Or maybe people are spread out few and far between on this trail right now. We saw only one other thru-hiker today. Even the birds seem quiet.
I also noticed a storm front moving in today. It is going to rain tomorrow and perhaps be a few degrees cooler.
We made 26 miles today and are set up well for three more 25 mile days into Timberline Lodge.
We saw the largest toad ever today! Also saw a few birds of prey.
8/19/12
As usual, I did not get a chance to journal on town days. We got into
Bend on Friday the 17th. Walked 21 miles before 3 pm. Once again, the 3
Sisters Wilderness area amazed me. So beautiful with large mountains
everywhere, and wonderful wildflowers.
We got a ride into Sisters from the trailhead in no time from two trail angels, Pochahantas and Legasoreus. Then we got a ride all the way to Bend from another nice lady coming home from a business trip. She drove us right to a store, right across from Tree's home.
We spent two nights there. It was so good to see Tree and d=rt. We also got to meet Sage, Tree's awesome dog. She has trained him to do tons of tricks. Sage can give hugs on command, can say "I Love You", and can even get a beer can out of the fridge. If thats not enough, he can also recycle the can once it is empty. Tree and d=rt are headed to the Tahoe Rim Trail next weekend. So good to see them both. Also enjoyed a brew festival and a lot of festival food. Thank you Tree for your hospitality!
This morning Tree drove us back to the trail. We were hiking just after 9 am. I was really dragging all day. I dont sleep well in towns, and our sleep schedules are always thrown off. I also felt a bit down today. Not sure why. Maybe my body feels the seasons changing. We dragged ourselves through the day.
At Santium pass we found trail magic. A cooler from CatDog with pepsi and beer. A nice touch. Then across the highway we found beer in a bag from Scarecrow. At the trailhead we found Garylecth and the tall Scarecrow with another cooler of beer and snacks. It was a real mood improver and good to see those guys! Before that we were considering hitching to town for another night off. Innstead we hiked another 4 miles and ended with over 21 miles under our belts. Not bad. We will do better tomorrow. Its dark now and not even 9 pm. Summer is coming to an end.
We got a ride into Sisters from the trailhead in no time from two trail angels, Pochahantas and Legasoreus. Then we got a ride all the way to Bend from another nice lady coming home from a business trip. She drove us right to a store, right across from Tree's home.
We spent two nights there. It was so good to see Tree and d=rt. We also got to meet Sage, Tree's awesome dog. She has trained him to do tons of tricks. Sage can give hugs on command, can say "I Love You", and can even get a beer can out of the fridge. If thats not enough, he can also recycle the can once it is empty. Tree and d=rt are headed to the Tahoe Rim Trail next weekend. So good to see them both. Also enjoyed a brew festival and a lot of festival food. Thank you Tree for your hospitality!
This morning Tree drove us back to the trail. We were hiking just after 9 am. I was really dragging all day. I dont sleep well in towns, and our sleep schedules are always thrown off. I also felt a bit down today. Not sure why. Maybe my body feels the seasons changing. We dragged ourselves through the day.
At Santium pass we found trail magic. A cooler from CatDog with pepsi and beer. A nice touch. Then across the highway we found beer in a bag from Scarecrow. At the trailhead we found Garylecth and the tall Scarecrow with another cooler of beer and snacks. It was a real mood improver and good to see those guys! Before that we were considering hitching to town for another night off. Innstead we hiked another 4 miles and ended with over 21 miles under our belts. Not bad. We will do better tomorrow. Its dark now and not even 9 pm. Summer is coming to an end.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
8/2/12
We slept for nearly another 10 hours last night. When we awoke, we
felt energized and Lauren even felt hungry! Both very good signs. I woke
and instantly had to poop, not a good sign. But we were both willing to
try to hike. At this point we decided we either had to hike onward down
the trail towards Etna, or turn around and hike back to the interstate.
Though neither one of us was feeling 100%, neither of us wanted to give
up either.
We hiked onward, northward, towards Canada. But after a mile, it no longer felt good. We both felt weak and a bit sick as well. We talked about our options... We could try to make it to Etna, some 85 miles away. That could take us awhile though, and if we do need a doctor, we were not even sure that Etna had one. But turning around is not an easy task, not for 2 stubborn Northbound PCT hikers. We eventually decided it was the best thing to do though.
So we hiked back to the interstate, 13 miles south of where we were 2 days ago. It was hard to do, but I felt exhausted and had a loss of appetite. We got a ride to Dunsmuir in no time, Gail a really friendly woman gave us a ride.
In Dunsmuir we looked at our options at the library. We came to the conclusion that we should take a bus to Yreka, about 40 miles north of where we were. From there, we would take another night off, and on Friday take a bus to Siead Valley where we would meet the trail again. This would jump us up the trail 150 miles. Certainly not an ideal thing to do, but with our finish date of September, 25th, we don't have much choice. Being sick on trail is hard. It can take a week or 2 to feel strong enough to do big miles again.
So we took the bus to Yreka. Very strange being in a non-trail town. We have backpacks, no one else around does. No hikers in site. We got a cheap hotel room and went and watched the new batman for $5 each. Still feel very glad to have a toilet and unlimited toilet paper...
We hiked onward, northward, towards Canada. But after a mile, it no longer felt good. We both felt weak and a bit sick as well. We talked about our options... We could try to make it to Etna, some 85 miles away. That could take us awhile though, and if we do need a doctor, we were not even sure that Etna had one. But turning around is not an easy task, not for 2 stubborn Northbound PCT hikers. We eventually decided it was the best thing to do though.
So we hiked back to the interstate, 13 miles south of where we were 2 days ago. It was hard to do, but I felt exhausted and had a loss of appetite. We got a ride to Dunsmuir in no time, Gail a really friendly woman gave us a ride.
In Dunsmuir we looked at our options at the library. We came to the conclusion that we should take a bus to Yreka, about 40 miles north of where we were. From there, we would take another night off, and on Friday take a bus to Siead Valley where we would meet the trail again. This would jump us up the trail 150 miles. Certainly not an ideal thing to do, but with our finish date of September, 25th, we don't have much choice. Being sick on trail is hard. It can take a week or 2 to feel strong enough to do big miles again.
So we took the bus to Yreka. Very strange being in a non-trail town. We have backpacks, no one else around does. No hikers in site. We got a cheap hotel room and went and watched the new batman for $5 each. Still feel very glad to have a toilet and unlimited toilet paper...
8/16/12
It was so quiet last night. Completely peaceful and relaxing. This
made for excellent sleeping conditions! The plan today was to hike our
first 30+ mile day. So we woke up early and were on the trail just after
630. It feels so good to be on the trail that early. Birds are chipper
and the air is still nice and cool.
The day seemed to fly by though and around noon, it was just plain hot! It was a rather uneventful day really. Just walked a bunch. The first part of the day was characterized by lakes in the Mink Lakes Basin. It was pretty, but too many mosquitoes. We hiked the last 8 miles by ourselves, always good to have alone time. This evening we began seeing the three large volcanic mountains known as the three sisters. They are so beautiful. Lupine is growing everywhere here right now, and the smell of them is intoxicating.
My feet honestly hurt after 31 miles today. But we have also hiked 140 in the last 5 days, so it may not be the 30 mile days' fault. We finished hiking around 630. With 2 hours of breaks, it took us under 10 hours to go 31 miles. Not shabby at all!
Next Friday, I am going to attempt to hike a 50 mile day. It will likely take me 16-20 hours, but I really want to try. Me and Lauren will hike solo for that period, good for us to have a night apart for once. Looking forward to a day off in Bend. We have so much we want to do though.
The day seemed to fly by though and around noon, it was just plain hot! It was a rather uneventful day really. Just walked a bunch. The first part of the day was characterized by lakes in the Mink Lakes Basin. It was pretty, but too many mosquitoes. We hiked the last 8 miles by ourselves, always good to have alone time. This evening we began seeing the three large volcanic mountains known as the three sisters. They are so beautiful. Lupine is growing everywhere here right now, and the smell of them is intoxicating.
My feet honestly hurt after 31 miles today. But we have also hiked 140 in the last 5 days, so it may not be the 30 mile days' fault. We finished hiking around 630. With 2 hours of breaks, it took us under 10 hours to go 31 miles. Not shabby at all!
Next Friday, I am going to attempt to hike a 50 mile day. It will likely take me 16-20 hours, but I really want to try. Me and Lauren will hike solo for that period, good for us to have a night apart for once. Looking forward to a day off in Bend. We have so much we want to do though.
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