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.