Early in the morning, Fitz, Mash and me surreptitiously left Thunder Island and trail days behind. In Cascade Locks, on the way to Bridge of the Gods, Turtle was stumbling through the streets, two open sleeping bags strapped to his back, resembling an oversized cape. I don’t think his glassy stare noticed us passing by. It was …
If there is one thing I don’t like to do on trail, it is planning. Conversations about daily mileage, campsites and elevation bore the living crap out of me. They are necessary, but I just want to hike, without all the faff. So it is no surprise that I have tried to minimize the number of resupply …
Oregon ended a lot faster than I anticipated. In the morning humidity, we went down the last miles (with a long blackberry break) to Bridge of the Gods, the bridge separating Oregon and Washington. On our side of the bridge lay Cascade Locks, a sleepy little town that, tomorrow, would be flooded with hikers from …
Only one highlight today: Tunnel Falls, a waterfall with a hewn out tunnel behind it that the trail goes through. As a FarOut comment aptly put it: this is the stuff people think thru hikers see every day. The trail followed Eagle Creek, the river into which Tunnel Falls flowed and the humidity in this stretch …
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 …
Weird omens plagued us! And by us I mean Lucky Charm, I wanted nothing to do with it. It started in the morning, when Lucky Charm, in mid pee, had to jump out of the way of a falling tree branch. Pants haphazardly pulled up, I saw the aftermath of the event. Gnarly, such bad …
Getting back on trail came with an additional difficulty: the Lionshead closure meant that roads that were used in the past to get back on were now unusable. Instead, we had to find someone willing to drive us along a dirt road all the way to Ollalie Lake, which was just after the closure. Lavalamp …
We had plans for Bend. Big plans. There would be bowling, axe throwing and strolls along the river. None of that happened and instead, we collectively lay in bed for most of the day. The one thing we managed to do was laundry and buying temporary poop tattoos. Nothing to sniff at, if you ask me. …
Almost time for town again, but first, a stop I’d been very much looking forward to. Perched next to the titular lake, was Big Lake Youth Camp. I’d been dying of curiosity to see what a Christian youth camp looked like. Would they sing Jesus songs? Bible quotes adorning every building? Group leaders teaching kids …
Another solitary day in Three Sisters. I can’t believe so many people chose to skip this section as it is so far the absolute highlight of Oregon. A kind of humble, inviting nature that is more suited to humans than the rugged Sierra’s or Northern California. For our late lunch, we picked South Mathieu Lake. When Fitz, …
