Day 28 (10 Miles) -- Finished!!

I woke up eager, and at the same time reluctant, to finish my hike. Today's hike would end at Cascade Locks, a small town nestled on the Columbia River, thereby completing my journey all the way across the state of Oregon. Entering civilization is always a mixed blessing, on the one hand you have the noisy smelly cars and pollution, on the other hand you have nice things, like immediate gratification for pretty much everything.

The final walk down Eagle Creek was filled with more waterfalls and cascades. For those people who are ever in this area, I cannot recommend the Eagle Creek Trail enough -- the grade is gentle and the views are outstanding.

Three hours into the hike I got my first sight of the Columbia River, quite a feeling of accomplishment. I also caught site of the Bridge of the Gods, the way that PCT hikers get to the other side of the river (without risking their life swimming its deadly currents). And soon enough I was upon the tiny town of Cascade Locks.

I got a room from the super-friendly people at the Bridge of the Gods Motel and proceeded to eat and entire pizza down at the Pacific Crest Pub (can you believe there is a place called the Pacific Crest Pub!). Now I get to spend a couple days relaxing, eating, and typing until Molly gets here for the start of our road trip.

I hoped you enjoyed my journal! Thanks to everyone, especially Molly, for all of their support along the way.

Day 27 (21 Miles)

The bugs were flat out terrible for the first ten miles today. It was their last hurrah. I knew that descending into the windy Columbia River Gorge would mean the end of bugs so they had to get there last attack in, and they did.

I opted to take a scenic alternate route in to the Columbia River Gorge called the Eagle Creek Trail and I ended up being very happy I did. I witnessed many beautiful creeks, creeklets, cascades, and waterfalls as I began my descent. The highlight of the day was the incomparable Tunnel falls -- an amazing 100 foot fall where a trail has been bored through a cliff behind the water. So you get to hike underneath the falls without getting soaked. Very cool.

Day 26 (19 Miles)

I woke up just in time be the first person in line for the Timberline Lodge's all-you-can-eat buffet: homemade waffles, pancakes, applewood smoked bacon, sausage. scrambled eggs, potatoes and gravy -- it was all good. However the real star of the show was the fresh-squeezed orange juice machine. The machine literally took whole oranges and squeezed them into your glass. Eight glasses of OJ later and I was sure impressed!

Although I made sure not to overeat as with last time it was a long day where miles came slow. Could it be the late start? Most definitely. The slow miles were exacerbated by the slow, tedious climb that the trail made around the west slopes of Mt. Hood. The views of the summit were virtually non-existent and other notable features of this volcano were bypassed in favor of a rolling forest walk.


As the day was winding down I entered the Bull Run Watershed which supplies water to the city of Portland. Every one hundred feet some idiotic law mandated that a sign be posted that, out here in the middle of nowhere, there could be be no trespassing onto this enormous and remote watershed. Since it was the end of the day and I was feeling brave, I carefully looked both ways, tresspassed an entire 20 feet off of the trail, and made camp for the night. How is that for utter lawlessness?

Day 25 (5 Miles)

Due to the oppressive heat wave, and the fact that I was ahead of schedule to get to the Columbia River (where I was scheduled to meet Molly), I decided to spend most of the day relaxing in town. I found a great cafe with comfy couches and over-stuffed sandwiches that met my needs perfectly.

When it came time to hitch a ride out of town I was picked up by none other than Bob and Scottie! They took my back to the PCT and we laughed at the series of events from the last night and today. I thanked them profusely for the ride and waved goodbye again.

My hiking goal for the day was modest in miles but big in consumer ambitions: the Timberline Lodge at the base of Mt. Hood. The lodge was built as a public works project during the Great Depression and is a magnificent place with a view that is second to none. The PCT comed within a hundred yards of this grand place, and being the opportunistic cheapskate that I am, I pitched my tent hidden in a stand of trees about a hundred yards from the lodge. The lodge is very spendy but I was able to get my room at the right price!

I was able to get a heaping bowl of fantastic mac n' cheese for dinner and washed it down with a pitcher of lemonade. As I wolfed down the meal I looked out the window and, in the distance, studied the now familiar profile of Mt. Jefferson, where I had been a few days prior. It's pretty satisfying to look as far as the eye can see and know you have walked that entire distance.

Before I retired back to my hillside accomodations for the night I ran into, you guessed it, Bob and Scottie, who were amazed that I was already at the lodge only a couple of hours after they dropped me off. In reality it was only a five mile uphill hike but it is neat to see how people respond to the day to day accomplishments of a PCT hiker.

Day 24 (13 Miles)

I woke up to find that Little Crater Spring, that spring whose purity was the stuff of legends, was infested by a large number of cows. The elaborate fencing system that was also the stuff of legends was obviously a failure of legendary proportions. Those were some happy cows drinking that water!!!

My hike was cut short today by my arrival at Highway 35, where I was able to score a hitch into the resupply town of Government Camp, at the base of Mt. Hood. The town was sweltering hot and I immediately ducked into diner to grab a burger and milkshake. On the television I saw that northern Oregon was under a record-breaking heat wave. Even though I had been relatively cool in the high-altitude forest covered mountain, I could see that things were going to be different in the low country. I opted to rent a room for the night, only to discover after I rented the room that it had no air-conditioning!

The town of Government Camp is infested with a plague of pests. These pests are not the locusts of which are spoken in the Bible. No, these pests are the severely over-priviledged children of wealthy families who send them here for snowboard camp during the summer. Since Mt. Hood is able to sustain skiable snowpack year round, this is where kids come to "train" during the offseason. Imagine if you will a town full of visiting kids who have styled themselves completely in the over-marketed image of the X-Games, MTV, Mountain Dew commercials etc. Although unlike normal kids who at some point are forced to get job flipping burgers, thereby getting a little face time with reality, these kids are given mommy and daddy's credit card to enable their own delusion of becoming the next Tony Hawk. I made Molly promise that if, God forbid, I should ever been forced by aliens to choose one community in America that had to be liquidated, that I should be reminded to choose this place for termination.


For dinner I ate a fanastic salad and pizza and the Ice Axe Cafe in town. Since the outside patio was packed I asked two people, Bob and his wife Scottie, if I could share a table with them and they graciously accepted. I learned over the course of dinner that they were visiting from North Carolina on vacation and had a big list of things to see in Oregon during their trip. I wished them well on journey and we said farewell to each other.

Day 23 (27 Miles)

Today was all systems go. I felt strong and the trail was in great shape the entire day. The mosquitoes were the least obnoxious they had been in three weeks. The miles came fast and easy and the only reason I stopped when I did is that I had no reason to push further. This was the elusive "breakout" day I had wanted to have, where you know your body and mind are peaking and anything is now possible.

Before I get to carried away with saying what a perfect day it was I need to offer one cautionary tale. While was taking a snack break I accidentally knocked over my 2-liter water bottle. All of the sudden, I went from being two liters up to being two liters down with seven miles to the next water source. Funny how everything can change in an instant.

My final destination of the day was a visit to Little Crater Spring and Campground. The spring was billed in the guidebook as being one unmatched for purity and taste, due to the fact that an elaborate fence had been build on all sides to keep livestock away. When I arrived at the spring I did notice the elaborate fence. I also noticed a family taking a picnic nearby and stopped by to say hello. In return they offered me some chicken, banana, and kiwi. Score!

Tonight was the first night in three weeks that was completely devoid of mosquitoes. I had to convince myself at the campsite that I could actually relax. It took a lot of getting used to.

One other tidbit about today. As I crossed the Warm Springs River mid-day I crossed my halfway point for mileage on the Pacific Crest Trail. The trail is approximately 2,660 miles, and I had just completed 1,330! Only 1,330 to go! Yahoo! Even more interesting is that the Warm Springs River crossing happened to reside exactly at the 45th parallel -- that would be halfway between the Equator and the North Pole. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Day 22 (23 Miles)

I opted to get a later start today due to the snowfields that I would need to navigate a few miles out of camp. The optimal time to hike on snow is late in the morning when the sun has been on the face for a few hours. At this time the snow is no longer icy and slippery, and neither is it so soft that one punches through or "post-holes" the top layer of snow. Park Ridge was the snowbound section of trail that I crossed, and it was beautiful even though it required a lot of effort to cross.

At the completion of the crossing I opted to give Molly a call to let her know I was okay and to check in on her. Cell phone coverage was spotty but I tried to call her anyway. After a couple of minutes I finally got a ring tone, but a few seconds later the call was dropped. I tried in vain to call again. I decided to leave my phone on while I hiked in the hopes that coverage would improve down trail. A couple of miles later I heard a message beep and discovered I had gotten a text messsage from her saying that she was concerned that I was in trouble.

At that moment I realized that calling her had been a mistake, because a dropped call could be interpreted any number of ways. If, like Molly, I was keeping track of someone in the backcountry I would also be prone to thinking that any dropped call was made in a time of duress. A much smarter strategy with dodgy coverage is to send a text message first, saying that you are safe, and then try and make a call after that, so if it is dropped there is no worry. After 40 minutes of trying I was able to finally get a reply message back to Molly saying I was okay, but at that point I would have rather talked to her, only I couldn't make a call!!! In the end I realized the folly of my ways and decided to change communication strategy downtrail.

Today was a tiring day due to the later start. I am starting to be convinced that a late start almost always results in more fatigue later in the day, due to the fact that psychologically one feels pressure to get more done in less time.

Day 21 (22 Miles)

I woke up feeling parched and knew that my quest to rehydrate from the day before was not yet complete. Its tough to catch-up when you are always moving under sometimes extreme conditions. Nevertheless, I was feeling better and confident that things would continue to improve if I just kept drinking -- and they did.

The big task for the day was the approach to magificent Mt. Jefferson, the second highest volcanoe in Oregon. Talk about a stunner, this mountain is enrobed with some amazing glacier and the summit's glacier-worn look is truly beautiful from all sides.

The crux of the day's hike was a fording of Russell Creek, a "creek" that receives an enormous volume of water off of Jefferson's melting glacier. I arrived at the creek at about 6pm, one of the worst times to cross, since the snowmelt was in full effect and creek volume way up under the blazing afternoon sun. After a ford that was a little to dicey for my own taste I made it to the other side, only to discover that my pack had gotten wet in the process. So I put the blazing afternoon sun to some good work and dried my things out.

At the end of the day I arrived in Jefferson Park, a beautiful high mountain meadow perched below Jefferson's glaciers. This has to rank up there with the prettiest places I have ever seen.

Day 20 (16 Miles)

The first order of business today was to use the camp's free laundry service, a great perk. While my clothes washed, I went on to eat a huge breakfast in the dining hall. There I met other camp counselors and volunteers--a friendly group of folks.

Hiking away from the camp that day I noticed my stomach wasn't feeling right. The volume of food that I consumed turned out to be too much. I tried to hold it down but ultimately it wanted to be free. Of course this is a terrible feeling, but in the backcountry it also means a day devoted to playing catch-up with respect to dehydration.

Almost the minute after my vomiting spell was complete, Jordan, the hiker I had walked with before Bend, came up the trail. Neither of us could believe that we had met up again -- with my taking 4 unexpected days in Bend, and his taking 4 days in Portland. Having been discouraged by my stomach issues, I was immediately glad to have someone to talk with on the trail.

About an hour after we started walking we came across a trailside miracle: a large cache of ice cold water, soda, beer, apples, snickers, and cookies. Turns out a trail angel by the name of "Irish" replenishes this cache every day at McKenzie Pass, just so hikers have a little unexpected treat to help their morale. Given my stomach woes, this was a godsend. I drank some soda and ate some apples in my attempt to make up lost calories.

The lionshare of hiking today was up and over the mountain known as Three Fingered Jack. This is an incredibly cool-looking peak. If I had climbing equipment with me I would have loved to bag the peak. But alas, it looked a little too exposed for unprotected climbing.

A short while after desceding the mountain we met a SOBO named "No Map" who had just walked through Washington without, you guessed it, a map. He claimed to be the true frontrunner of the SOBOs, since the hiker I had met two days prior had apparently skipped larger sections of Washington on the way. I couldn't believe this guy had successfully navigated large snowfield without a map!!!

As the afternoon progressed it was obvious to me that my stomach issues from earlier in the days were going to force me to cut the day shorter than I had originally planned. I decided to descend to Wasco Lake for the evening, and it meant a farewell to Jordan, who needed to make more miles to reach his own goals. Both of us regretted not having someone to chat with on the trail, but what can you do?

Day 19 (23 Miles)

Today was a very tough day. I was sore upon waking as my body was eager to let me know that it had forgotten how to hike after my four day vacation in Bend. Perhaps the toughest segment of the day was a hike up and over the Belknap Crater. In this section the trail was lava bed, typically tennis ball sized rocks (known by thru-hikers as "ankle-breakers") stacked on top of one another for many hot, treeless, miles. In addition these lava rocks are incredibly abrasive, I could feel the precious soles of my New Balance 875s wearing down with each step.

I met my first southbound PCT hiker from Canada today (know as a SOBO). He looked about as I expected a SOBO to look, that is like he had been through a heck of a lot. Most PCT thru-hikers are "NOBOs" and start at the Mexican border and hike northbound through California, Oregon, and Washington on their way to Canada. This is done because, if timed right and with a little luck, it can minimize the amount of time that a hiker must spend hiking on snow, which can be a terrible ordeal. SOBOs, a much smaller group of people, essentially do things backwards, starting in Canada and finishing in Mexico. The crux of this route is Washington, which can be snowbound until late in the summer. This means that a SOBO has typically faced the toughest part of their trip right out of the gates, while NOBOs have a lot more time to get in good shape before tackling their toughest challenges. Anyway, I congratulated this first SOBO for having gotten through Washington and wished him safe travels.

Later in the day I got a good look at Mt. Washington, one of the most photogenic peaks on the trail. However, because my progress had been slowed so much by the Belknap Crater, I was unable to enjoy the view. My goal for the day was to get to the Big Lake Youth Camp by nightfall, so that I could pick up a resupply package that I had mailed to them. With the end of day approaching I bascially started running to the camp.

Running with a pack on is generally not a good idea. Even if your muscles can take it, your feet and socks get torn up easily. Foot health is tantamount to a successful long distance hike, as wounds do not have time to recover since they are pressured day after day. Anyway I was able to make good progress by running. I approached the camp only to find a byzantine system of spur trails with no signs steering me to the right destination. So I got lost. I bushwhacked. I cursed. I got extremely frustrated. And then I came into a clearing...

All of the sudden, I see hundreds of adolescent youths running around a large open area in an apparent mega-sized game of capture the flag. It was surreal. I walked through the chaos to the camp office and proceeded to get my package from a 20-something camp counselor. When I told him I needed my package he smiled and his eyes lit up with a strange glow, as if he had just discovered some hidden truth about the universe. Not to be delayed by his strange expression, I dove into my package to get out my five days worth of snacks that would sustain me on the next section of my hike.

As I packed up my things to find a campsite for the night, the counselor announced that I should camp in "The Coves" near their site. When I thanked him for the recommendation he turned to me with the same bewildering expression as before and said, "you will like The Coves, and The Coves are no longer underwater." Not to be deterred by his creepiness I said, "I am happy The Coves are no longer underwater, the best camping is always done above water." At that point I tried my best to summon a strange look for the counselor, not sure if he noticed.

Day 18 (21 Miles)

Sue Stanley is a saint. Sue put me up in her home for a few days, lent me her car to run errands, and did everything possible to make me feel at home. In addition to being very generous, have I mentioned how hard working Sue is? Sue typically wakes up at 4:30am to teach fitness classes at a local gym, then heads to work during the day as a nurse, sometimes working until later than 8pm at night. Then when Sue gets home, she practices new techniques for the fitness class she will teach the next morning. Whenever I start feeling sorry for myself with respect to how many miles I have to walk in a day, all I need to do is think of Sue's typical day and I know I've got it easy!

I began taking the antibiotics prescribed to me by the doctor. My throat just hurt too much and I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. Hopefully they will work as it stinks to have a sore throat and to be attacked by mosquitoes at the same time!

After breakfast, Sue gave me a ride to the trailhead at Elk Lake. After saying goodbye to her, I hit the trail at about 11am. Of course I felt strong with four days of rest. After about a hour of hiking something happened that had not happened since Crater Lake, the sky opened up! That is to say, I finally the forest canopy finally gave way to fantastic views of the Three Sisters, three magnificent volcanoes that dominate the skyline for miles.

In spite of the late start, I was able to get some good miles done today.