(OOPS, I ACCIDENTALLY UPLOADED THIS ENTRY AFTER MY ENTRY FOR SOUTHERN WA. ALSO, THIS ENTRY ORIGINALLY POSTED FROM MY ANDROID PHONE)
Well, I'm behind on updating my blog (like usual), so I figured I should get to it now that I am currently [when I started writing this post] halfway through WA. I downloaded the Blogger app for my phone, so we'll see how well blogging works when done in a tent using a micro-keyboard...
After cursing much of southern Oregon for its mosquitoes and lack of scenery, the section after Sisters was a pleasant surprise. My memory of the first few days is a bit sketchy, but I remember that everyone was pretty excited to be out of the (really bad) bugs and was looking forward to Timberline Lodge's All-You-Can-Eat breakfast. I also got to meet some new faces on this section by hiking with Annie, Data Muffin, and Topsy Turvy (I had seen them previously, but we never really talked extensively). The trail first started to get interesting as we approached Mt. Jefferson. Mt. Jefferson is one of the first major volcanoes that you encounter while traveling northwards through the Cascade range. Whereas the Sierras strike me as a fairly uniform range where the size of the mountains gradually changes, the Cascades are characterized by massive volcanoes dotting a landscape of comparably smaller mountains. From south to north you have: Shasta, Jefferson, Hood, Adams, St. Helens, Rainier, and Baker. I could see the crooked precipice of Mt. Jefferson from a day or two away, and it was fascinating to see the details of its glaciers as I got closer. At one point we had to cross a milky-white (as a result of fine sediment/silt particles produced by glacial ice grinding against the volcanic rocks above) glacial stream and couldn't help but laugh about how much things had changed since the Sierras. None of us would have thought twice about walking straight through that stream in the Sierras since keeping shoes dry was just a lost cause. Yet dry shoes have been a guarded luxury since escaping the Sierras, and we spent over 10 minutes trying to find a dry route before giving up and splashing through.
That evening we camped next to an alpine lake in the lush meadows of "Jefferson Park". For once I was actual able to enjoy a lakeside view since the temperature dropped low enough to keep the mosquitoes down. I somehow ended up being the first one out of camp the next morning (I'm usually kidding myself anytime I set an alarm earlier than 5:55 AM) and was quickly able to justify having lugged my microspikes from Crater Lake. There were still several large snowfields on the north-facing slopes that had to be traversed after climbing out of Jefferson Park and I hit them just after the sun came up. The snow was hard and icy as would be expected that early in the day, but they were no problem at all with the microspikes. I felt a bit sorry for Wet Smoke, the only other hiker out there at the time, as he gingerly made his way down the ice.
After Mt. Jefferson came Mt. Hood and Timberline Lodge. Annie, Data Muffin, Topsy Turvy, and I all camped at various points along the ridge that were above treeline and close to Timberline Lodge the night before heading in for breakfast. Although the night was probably the coldest that I've had all trip (woke up to frost on my tent and pack), it was worth it to see the sunset over Mt. Hood. As for the breakfast, things on the trail often get hyped up and we didn't want to get too optimistic about all the rumors describing an amazing spread. Fortunately Timberline Lodge lived up to the hype. Eggs, pancakes, seasoned potatoes, fresh fruit, make-your-own waffle bar with all sorts of toppings (berries, chocolate, nuts, whipped cream...), house-made toasted granola, milk, OJ, AND amazing coffee. It might have cost $15, but I'm pretty sure everyone ate more than their money's worth. I walked around the historic building to get a closer look at its craftsmanship as I digested. My understanding is that it was commissioned in the 1930's to make work for unemployed woodworkers, stone masons, and other craftsmen.
I left the lodge feeling sluggish from all the food, but I needed to push some miles for the day to set myself up for a quicker arrival at Cascade Locks. Cascade Locks would be my last town stop before entering Washington, and I wanted to get in on Friday before the post office closed for the weekend. As a result, I ended up popping a caffeine pill and hiking well after dark. I'm not a big fan of hiking at night since it's easy to stub my toes and it can get pretty creepy, but it's still fun to do once in a while. At one point I could look back through a break in the trees and an orange glow caught my eye on the horizon. I realized that I was staring at the flames of a forest fire (many miles away), and I later learned that I had narrowly escaped trail closures that forced hikers behind me to skip sections of the trail.
Well, I'm behind on updating my blog (like usual), so I figured I should get to it now that I am currently [when I started writing this post] halfway through WA. I downloaded the Blogger app for my phone, so we'll see how well blogging works when done in a tent using a micro-keyboard...
After cursing much of southern Oregon for its mosquitoes and lack of scenery, the section after Sisters was a pleasant surprise. My memory of the first few days is a bit sketchy, but I remember that everyone was pretty excited to be out of the (really bad) bugs and was looking forward to Timberline Lodge's All-You-Can-Eat breakfast. I also got to meet some new faces on this section by hiking with Annie, Data Muffin, and Topsy Turvy (I had seen them previously, but we never really talked extensively). The trail first started to get interesting as we approached Mt. Jefferson. Mt. Jefferson is one of the first major volcanoes that you encounter while traveling northwards through the Cascade range. Whereas the Sierras strike me as a fairly uniform range where the size of the mountains gradually changes, the Cascades are characterized by massive volcanoes dotting a landscape of comparably smaller mountains. From south to north you have: Shasta, Jefferson, Hood, Adams, St. Helens, Rainier, and Baker. I could see the crooked precipice of Mt. Jefferson from a day or two away, and it was fascinating to see the details of its glaciers as I got closer. At one point we had to cross a milky-white (as a result of fine sediment/silt particles produced by glacial ice grinding against the volcanic rocks above) glacial stream and couldn't help but laugh about how much things had changed since the Sierras. None of us would have thought twice about walking straight through that stream in the Sierras since keeping shoes dry was just a lost cause. Yet dry shoes have been a guarded luxury since escaping the Sierras, and we spent over 10 minutes trying to find a dry route before giving up and splashing through.
That evening we camped next to an alpine lake in the lush meadows of "Jefferson Park". For once I was actual able to enjoy a lakeside view since the temperature dropped low enough to keep the mosquitoes down. I somehow ended up being the first one out of camp the next morning (I'm usually kidding myself anytime I set an alarm earlier than 5:55 AM) and was quickly able to justify having lugged my microspikes from Crater Lake. There were still several large snowfields on the north-facing slopes that had to be traversed after climbing out of Jefferson Park and I hit them just after the sun came up. The snow was hard and icy as would be expected that early in the day, but they were no problem at all with the microspikes. I felt a bit sorry for Wet Smoke, the only other hiker out there at the time, as he gingerly made his way down the ice.
After Mt. Jefferson came Mt. Hood and Timberline Lodge. Annie, Data Muffin, Topsy Turvy, and I all camped at various points along the ridge that were above treeline and close to Timberline Lodge the night before heading in for breakfast. Although the night was probably the coldest that I've had all trip (woke up to frost on my tent and pack), it was worth it to see the sunset over Mt. Hood. As for the breakfast, things on the trail often get hyped up and we didn't want to get too optimistic about all the rumors describing an amazing spread. Fortunately Timberline Lodge lived up to the hype. Eggs, pancakes, seasoned potatoes, fresh fruit, make-your-own waffle bar with all sorts of toppings (berries, chocolate, nuts, whipped cream...), house-made toasted granola, milk, OJ, AND amazing coffee. It might have cost $15, but I'm pretty sure everyone ate more than their money's worth. I walked around the historic building to get a closer look at its craftsmanship as I digested. My understanding is that it was commissioned in the 1930's to make work for unemployed woodworkers, stone masons, and other craftsmen.
I left the lodge feeling sluggish from all the food, but I needed to push some miles for the day to set myself up for a quicker arrival at Cascade Locks. Cascade Locks would be my last town stop before entering Washington, and I wanted to get in on Friday before the post office closed for the weekend. As a result, I ended up popping a caffeine pill and hiking well after dark. I'm not a big fan of hiking at night since it's easy to stub my toes and it can get pretty creepy, but it's still fun to do once in a while. At one point I could look back through a break in the trees and an orange glow caught my eye on the horizon. I realized that I was staring at the flames of a forest fire (many miles away), and I later learned that I had narrowly escaped trail closures that forced hikers behind me to skip sections of the trail.
Although I overslept my alarm, I still got up early enough to take the Eagle Creek alternate route (a more interesting trail, but too narrow and crowded with day hikers for equestrians on the PCT) and grab my packages from the post office. In addition to five more days of food, I got new shoes AND new socks! My feet were very happy thereafter. I decided to camp for two nights so that I could catch a true zero-day, and I timed it perfectly to coincide with PCT Days. PCT Days is an annual event for the trail community that draws together past and present thru-hikers, trail angels, gear vendors, and anyone else with an interest in the trail. There was a gear demo/sale, raffle to benefit the PCTA, and screening of the documentary Six Million Steps. It was also a good time to catch up with hikers that I hadn't seen for a while. Wired was there on account of taking a few days off to go into Portland, Balls and Sunshine were there after taking six days off for a badly-infected blister on Sunshine's foot, and Thumper (now off-trail) was there with his wife Stumbling Goat (got off-trail partway through the Sierras, it's a long story) to serve up lots of burgers and breakfast burritos. Oh, and it all took place on "Thunder Island" in the Columbia River. Thunder Island was separated from the "mainland" about 100 years ago when Cascade Locks was constructed to facilitate commerce up and down the river. Back then, long before dams along the the river calmed things down, there was an impassable series of rapids that had to be portaged around. Now of course the lock/canal is a historic footnote, but the town is still alive with tourists. The next morning (actually, it was after noon by the time I had finished two breakfasts), I walked across The Bridge of the Gods with Cricket into the final frontier: Washington!
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