The end is nigh! Of Oregon at least, that is. And on the PCT, that is signified by Timberline Lodge, the last notable stop before the border. A ski lodge and famously one of the locations where The Shining was filmed, hikers stop by and feast on the buffet offered at the lodge (probably to the detriment of the lodge’s profit margins). Perched on the slope of Mt Hood, the highest mountain in Oregon, we arrived there early in the morning.
The buffet was undoubtedly the best meal on trail. I almost felt uncomfortable being served in this fancy, wooden building in my grimy hiking outfit. Almost. We ate for a long time, stuffing ourselves as much as possible. Lots of other hikers poured in. None of which I knew, besides Big Oil’s group. I’m positive they all skipped up here and I had to fight the urge to tell them we actually hiked here.
The part after the lodge was part of the Timberline Trail, a popular trail running around the base of Mt Hood. The vegetation suddenly changed drastically and became a lot more subtropic and lush. Along with it, the amount of people on trail changed drastically too, as we had to share the path with a huge number of Timberline Trail hikers, easily recognized by the size of their packs.
The campsite that night was kind of shitty, but it was a beautiful day, so I didn’t care too much. And Bard wasn’t there.