Day 109 - 128

Day 109: PCT miles 2007 to 2030

I was amazed at how easy it was to hitch in and out of Bend. On the way there it was just a matter of talking up a couple guys at the trailhead. DC and I had no idea how we were going to get back to the trail. We were walking with our packs this morning, looking for a place to hitch from, when a random guy asks us if we were hiking the PCT. After answering that we were he asked "Do you need a ride?". He couldn't take us all the way but he took us the 20 miles to Sisters. After getting huckleberry smoothies (totally awesome!), we didn't have to wait more than 5 minutes to get picked up. Jen, from Jen's Garden restaurant took us the next 22 miles, going totally out of her way to do so.

The air is pretty thick with smoke from wildfires. None in the immediate area and the PCT is open to the north of us. There are a number of fires to our south and it sounds like many hikers have to skip from Etna to Ashland. Just hoping to keep ahead of the fires.

Day 110: PCT miles 2030 to 2058

DC and I passed by Mt Jefferson today. It was cool to see the glaciers and there were some nice river crossings. Reminded me a bit of the Sierras. We stopped at the Ollalie Lake store, which just recently reopened after the fires in the area were contained. After that begins a 21 mile detour (road walk) to avoid the area still closed.

Mt. Jefferson in the distance

Road Walking

Day 111: PCT miles 2058 to 2086

The road walk today was not bad. Despite how much thru-hikers hate road walks, this one was OK. There were many kinds of berries to taste along the way and the walking was fast. We only have 21 miles until Timberline Lodge and our next resupply. After that, it is just a couple days until Cascade Locks and the end of Oregon. If we play our cards right, DC and I can hit up the last day of the Portland International Beer Festival which is happening this weekend. That would fit perfectly with our brew-hiking goals.

Yum!

Day 112: PCT miles 2086 to 2107

The 21 miles went really fast into Timberline Lodge. Nice place with lots of people. We are camped out nearby, looking forward to an all you can eat breakfast buffet tomorrow. 

Timberline Lodge

Day 113: PCT miles 2107 to 2132

The breakfast buffet was amaaaazing! I stuffed myself silly and it was glorious. We got off to a late start but still managed to put in a decent day. I have also learned that my recent change in body odor is due to not eating enough. Apparently I have burnt through all my reserves and now my body is starting to use my muscle as fuel. This causes an odd ammonia smell. The good news is that it will go away when I eat enough. The bad news is that it is really hard to eat 5000 calories a day. I think this is about what I am burning on the average day and I have trouble eating that much. But it is a good excuse to take a day in Portland and visit the food trucks, as well as the beer festival.

DC doing a river crossing

Day 114: PCT miles 2132 to 2155

DC and I cruised down the eagle creek alternate route and into Cascade Locks. The waterfalls were impressive, especially tunnel falls, that was cool! There were so many people it was a bit overwhelming. I thought that would mean an easy hitch into Portland but alas we had to suffer a bit. It seems that our magic PCT powers to get rides right away do not work everywhere. After standing by the side of the road for a bit and getting some dirty looks we changed locations. On the way I texted Red, who is in Portland for the weekend if he would come get us. I was mostly joking but partly hoping, and he says OK! Cool, we were saved and so we celebrated with a beer (or two) at the new and only brewery that is actually on the trail, Thunder Island Brewery.

Tunnel Falls

After that, Red picked us up in his red pickup and we are now in Portland. Staying with DC's brother-in-law's sister, I don't know if there is a word for that relation, but she is very nice to let us dirty thru-hikers stay in her place. Thanks Cari!

Tomorrow is the last day of the Portland Beer Festival and the Mecca of all hipster brew-hikers. I think I am going to get people overloaded.

Day 115: PCT miles (0)

I really like Portland, it has cool neighborhoods, interesting shops and places to eat as well as great people watching. The International Brew Fest was not spectacular but was enjoyable and a must-do on any brew-hike. I got a little overwhelmed by the choices but my favorite was probably one of he sour beers I tried.

Afterwards, we rested for a while and then out to the food carts for dinner. I got an excellent cardamom milkshake to go with my crepe. Temperatures are hot, sweating it out in the apartment tonight.

Day 116: PCT miles 2155 to 2168

Cari dropped DC, Red and I off at Cascade Locks. We finalized our resupplies and had a last beer at the brewery. Thunder Island Brewery is very hiker friendly and is a great spot to chill for a while. The day was hot as we crossed over the Bridge of the Gods into Washington. There is no pedestrian walkway on the bridge so we had to walk against traffic to cross. My pack felt quite heavy with 6 days of food (about 20lbs of food) and I think this is the heaviest the pack has been on the entire trip. We were all sweating profusely as we climbed the hill in the afternoon, seemed like the most I sweated on the entire trip as well. Fortunately, we only planned on hiking 13 miles.

Day 117: PCT miles 2168 to 2191

Today was muggy as we hiked through really lush vegetation. Really starting to feel like the Pacific Northwest. A light rain cooled things off and was very nice.

Day 118: PCT miles 2191 to 2214

The weather has finally cooled off. We hiked through clouds and mist which I really enjoy, it adds a mysterious feeling to the forest, it is also much more pleasant to hike. I met Scott Williamson today, he is a legend among thru-hikers. He has hiked the PCT at least 15 times and was the first person to yo-yo the trail (hike the entire trail, then turn around and hike it again in one season). This year he is attempting to beat Anish's unsupported record and is headed southbound.

Scott Williamson

Day 119: PCT miles 2214 to 2243

Today started out cool and misty. Sometime in the afternoon, a gentle rain began to fall. My combination of umbrella and rain wrap kept me dry and was perfect for the conditions. Excepting my shoes, which would get wet no matter what I did. I love the weather, it reminds me of my time living in British Columbia.

Day 120: PCT miles 2243 to 2266

Another overcast and cool day, perfect for hiking.

I thought I would share a little bit of what I have been listening to while hiking the trail. In the past I have not brought music or any audio device on my hikes but I thought I would appreciate having something on this hike. I use my phone as my mp3 player and music really helps to motivate on difficult days or during difficult sections. But what I have found most entertaining is audiobooks and podcasts. For the first half of the hike I listened to all 5 books of the Game of Thrones, which was fantastic (except book 4 which was a little off). I think each book was around 30 hours and really helped keep my mind occupied. After that was over, I was turned on to a podcast called Hardcore History by Dan Carlin, totally awesome! I highly recommend this podcast if you have any interest in history and especially if you are interested in military history. If you like the zombie apocalypse genre, then I recommend We're Alive, very well done and entertaining. I also have been listening to The Nerdist, This American Life, a number of science podcasts and other more mainstream stuff. Although the purist part of me thinks I should not listen to anything while hiking, the rest of me really appreciates the mental stimulation.

Glacial silt in the river

Day 121: PCT miles 2266 to 2291

We entered the Goat Rocks Wilderness today. I have been looking forward to this section since the beginning of the hike. It did not disappoint, I even saw some wild goats.

This is the trail...

The Knife Edge

Day 122: PCT miles 2291 to 2303

DC and I cruised into White Pass by 11:00. We were able to take showers (Thanks Red!), eat some food, drink beer and organize our resupply boxes while waiting for Kerry to pick us up. She is a friend from Davis who now lives in Yakima and is a winemaker. She took us to a brewery and then headed back to her place for dinner and some excellent wine.

Mt. Rainier

Day 123: PCT miles (0)

Kerry took us to her family vinyard and winery (Du Brul) for a little tour and wine tasting. This was a great zero day for DC and I, a chance to get some calories back in us. We drank more wine and had a great time.

Kerry at the winery

Day 124: PCT miles 2303 to 2317

Kerry dropped us off at the trailhead around 11:30. Thanks again Kerry! We did a half day and camped next to a nice river.

Day 125: PCT miles 2317 to 2343

Today was a great day, cloudy and cool.

Marmot in the Mist

Day 126: PCT miles 2343 to 2365

Today went by in a blur of clearcuts and huckleberries. The weather has been fantastic and DC and I are camped on a  ridge with a nice view of Mt. Rainier. I have almost 900 miles on my current pair of shoes, impressive but the cushioning is totally gone and my feet and legs get sore quickly.

Day 127: PCT miles 2365 to 2391

This is the last full day that DC and I will be hiking and camping together. I need to take a week off for my sister's wedding and DC has some time constraints and must keep hiking. It has been a great 1200 miles hiking together, much more enjoyable when shared with someone. I did not expect to hike for so long with anyone and it has been really cool. I think it will feel strange to continue hiking solo again but that is the way it goes sometimes. Good luck DC, I'll see you in Mendo!

Day 128 PCT miles 2391 to 2402

We hiked towards Snoqualmie Pass in the morning and met my Dad and Stepmom with some of their friends at Beaver Lake. We had a nice little lunch there before hiking to the trailhead. I am looking forward to seeing my family and participating in the wedding. It is very rare for so much of the family to be together in one place, we are spread out over two countries and this is a great opportunity to catch up. I am also very excited to get some more calorie reserves built up (fooood!) before the final push.

This is probably the last blog post until I finish the trail. There are only two more stops before the border and I don't think I will have time to find a computer at either of them. So, it will be a few weeks before the final blog post and no need to worry about me.

I have also updated my weekly selfie page as well as the Portraits from the PCT page, so check them out too.

Day 97 to 108

Day 97: PCT miles 1727 to 1738

Our last morning in Ashland. We had an excellent breakfast at Morning Glory, by far the best breakfast place for the PCT. A quick stop at Safeway for the resupply and we were done. We had a ride arranged for 1:00 so with time to kill we hit up Standing Stone Brewery again for lunch and libations.


It felt good to be back on the trail and even better because we only had to go eleven miles. The cloud cover was low and as it got dark they descended all around the campsite. Had to set up shelters to stay dry.


Day 98: PCT miles 1738 to 1766

A beautiful morning thick with low clouds. The vegetation along the trail was damp and the air was cool. I am really enjoying a break from the heat.

The trail was mostly wooded with a few open grassy areas. Not much to look at but easy to walk. Despite this, my feet were hurting by mile 20. I struggled a bit for the last six miles but this is nothing new. My feet and legs hurt every day, it just comes with the territory I guess.

Day 99: PCT miles 1766 to 1792

Today was the first day of huckleberries, I am very excited for more. DC and I also took a four mile side trip for lunch at Fish Lake Resort. The mosquitoes have suddenly become quite ferocious. There were warnings that this next section would be bad and they are true. DC escaped to his tent quickly and I put on long pants, long sleeves and a headnet.

DC pumping water

Cool ski hut

Day 100: PCT miles 1792 top 1818

Today went by quickly. There was a 20 mile section without water, however due to my lack of food, the extra weight was fine. Heading into Crater Lake tomorrow and I am curious to see what it looks like.

Day 101: PCT miles 1818 to 1842

The morning started out great with some trail magic before the side trail down to Crater Lake. Lighting Rod, who had to quit the trail earlier this year due to foot problems, was doing trail magic. We were in heaven with local craft beers and lawn chairs in the parking lot. Afterwards, he drove us to the restaurant in Crater Lake and bought us lunch! This is what really helps me to have renewed faith in human kindness.

Crater Lake

DC and I got our resupply boxes at the store in Crater Lake, did laundry and took showers. We had a 27 mile stretch coming with no water and we wanted to make a start that evening. After getting water and making dinner we hiked the rim of Crater Lake until after dark. Despite the shower and laundry, I was reminded of that scene from Star Wars where the heroes are in the trash compactor. Han Solo says "What an incredible smell you've discovered", yeah that smell was from me.

The rim at sunset was awesome and we really enjoyed the hike.

Day 102: PCT miles 1842 to 1867

Finished the waterless stretch and then filled up for another 16 mile waterless section. The landscape was pretty dramatic, especially with thick clouds in the sky. Had thunder a few times but no rain or lighting nearby. Camped at 7500 feet, the highest point on the trail for Oregon and Washington.

Mt. Thielson

Day 103: PCT miles 1867 to 1890

Actually got rained on today which was a nice change. It only lasted a short tome but was quite enjoyable. The trail has been very flat and this makes it much easier to hike. Unfortunately, my feet do not agree and are protesting. DC and I are camped next to Crescent Lake tonight.

One of the original PCT trail markers

Crescent Lake

Day 104: PCT miles 1890 to 1920

We got into Shelter Cove Resort for our resupply before noon. It seems that the resorts in Oregon are similar to California, crappy. They did have frozen pizzas and pot pies though. After recharging the phone and picking up resupply boxes, we headed back to the trail. There has been thunder for the last few afternoons and this continued. We got hail and rain to keep things interesting. We are staying in a ski cabin for the night where it is warm and dry.

Diamond Peak

DC making a tuna can stove

Playing chess at Maiden Peak ski hut

Maiden Peak ski hut

Day 105: PCT miles 1920 to 1950

A long day today with many mosquitoes. They seem to be in patches, but some patches are 20 miles long. There are cool lichens hanging from the trees.

Day 106: PCT miles 1950 to 1982

Today was a long day and we didn't finish hiking until dark but the Three Sisters Wilderness is pretty cool. We passed through an obsidian field as well as other volcanic areas. Water was plentiful and the mosquitoes were only slightly annoying. All in all, a good day.

sunset

Day 107: PCT miles 1982 to 2007

We rolled into Big Lake Youth camp to pick up our resupply boxes today. Although it was tempting to stay for dinner, we had a mission: get to Bend to continue the brew-hike. Bend has a huge number of breweries and we wanted to check some of them out. So, after resupplying we hiked to Santiam Pass and I managed to get us a ride to Bend from some day hikers at the trailhead. It is 40 miles to Bend, so not a short hitch. But the guys were really nice, they even gave us beers to drink for the ride. DC had a friend in Bend who let us stay at his place (Thanks Ian!) while he was out of town.

sunrise

walking through lava fields with the Sisters in the distance

We hit up 10 Barrels brewery but couldn't continue with our brew-hike due to low tolerance for alcohol. After one flight of 10 tastings, we were both done and ready to sleep.

Day 108: PCT miles (0)

Another zero day, how awesome is that? This was not planned but we are having a great time in Bend and it is hard to leave. We are trying to get a ride back to the trailhead tomorrow but may end up just standing on the side of the road and hitching. Time to get back on the trail.