Day 119-121
Mile 2003.5-2113.0
Old Santiam Wagon Road to below Mt. Hood
Day 118-Mt.Jefferson
We have been pretty bad about waking up on time this last week. Today was our best attempt in awhile. We only hit the snooze button for two hours instead of three, and we got hiking by 8:30 instead of 9:00. Very proud of ourselves for that. Part of the problem is that it has been pretty cold in the mornings so we want to stay snuggled up in our cozy sleeping bags. We also have motivation to get up because we need to get to cascade locks by the fifth in order to meet our friend Annie. We got hiking today and almost immediately met a southbounder named Leslie. She chatted with us and gave us each a yummy cookie. trail magic from another hiker! We crossed over highway 20 at Santiam pass and met some new hikers and an old hiking friend that we haven't seen since Kennedy Meadows North.
The hike today had a few big uphill climbs but most of the day was also through burnt sections of forest. We hiked beneath the mountain Three Fingered Jack
and had amazing views of Mt.Jefferson all day. At lunch we did the usual drying out our gear routine from the previous nights condensation. It was a beautiful day with no clouds to be seen.
Except those two little clouds above Mt.Jefferson. It is getting colder at nights but we have not been too cold yet. We have plenty of clothes and cold temperature gear and could make it through much colder nights than we've had. Later in the day we saw our good friend Jim again. We walked and chatted with him for awhile and then hiked on ahead. At dinner I ate a yummy Velvetta Mac & Cheese I got from the hiker box and Jenna had potatoes. It was a great night and we sadly have less than a week left in Oregon. Washington has a reputation of being cold and wet. Washington can destroy even the most dedicated thru hikers spirits and desire to go on. However, we are so excited for Washington as some day it is the prettiest section of the entire trail!
Day 119-Boot Skis
We got hiking today at our new normal time, 8:30. It was one of the snowiest days we have had the whole trip. There has been way more snow in Oregon than California. The walk today was mainly around the mighty Mt. Jefferson and then a straight shot for Ollalie lake store. The miles were slow today because there were some steep uphill climbs and the trail was somewhat rocky.
There was one crossing of snow that was actually dangerous. The snow had not melted in a narrow canyon and a river was raging beneath the thick snow covering. It was safe to cross now but it may not be in a few weeks.
When we got over one ridge there was a hill completely covered in snow. We could have looked for the real trail but we wanted to boot ski!
We could see smoke from the fire in Mt. Jefferson wilderness nearby. Luckily we did not have to detour around this area.
We did quick miles through forest into Ollalie Lake. We made it to the small store they have there before they closed. They had some yummy snacks and soda and we sat outside and chatted with Uhaul, Tangent, Holstein, lunchbox, and Ninja. I accidentally spilled some chips on the ground and of course ate them.
We hiked on a little from the store and camped on the side of the trail. It was a great day and we have had nothing but great views lately.
Day 120- Cruising!
Today we woke up at 5 and actually got hiking by 6:30. There is such a thing as miracles! We had the mindset of trying to accomplish a 40 mile day. The reasoning behind this was to challenge ourselves and see what our bodies could do. Also, the terrain was easy and perfect for speed hiking. Most of our morning walk was through the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.
We had some breakfast sodas that we carried out of Ollalie and did 20 miles by 1pm where we ate dinner. We don't usually eat dinner at lunch like some hikers because it takes extra time and we just don't like doing it. However, the advantage is that you get some good calories for the rest of the day which is what we needed. We hiked on and continued to tack on the miles. We took one water break and sat a few minutes with other hikers. The terrain was mostly flat and forested with a few lakes here and there. After the water break we hiked with Ninja. We took one more tiny break and still kept pushing. Once we hit 40 miles our bodies suddenly started to hurt. Also, once we hit 40 miles for the day there were no campspots, but some great views of Mt.hood.
Just had to keep walking till there was a flat spot. At 41.4 miles of walking for the day we finally found an semi-okay spot to put the tent. We set up and instantly went to bed. We were so tired and exhausted we could barely move. Our feet and knees hurt for awhile so it was kind of hard to fall asleep. The current speed record for the PCT is about an average of 42 miles per day. That's just the average, these speedy guys often do more than that! It is hard to imagine doing that many miles day after day. It is amazing though! We went to bed happy with our accomplishment and sore.
Day 121-Redrum
After our long day yesterday we slept in a little bit. Actually, we got hiking a little before 9 which isn't too bad for us lately. The miles were easy and we crossed over highway 26. It was only 12 miles from where we camped to Timberline Lodge, so we did the miles pretty quickly in order to get to a meal. The last part of the push into Timberline was sandy and steep which made for some slow going. We couldn't be too frustrated though because we had some amazing views of Mt. Hood.
We got to Timberline lodge just in time for the 75th anniversary of the lodge. The lodge was used in some of the beginning scenes in the movie the Shining as well as several other movies.
We looked at some of the booths and went and got all you can eat lunch at the Cascadia Dining room. It was a bit pricy but it was very yummy and we got our money's worth. We sat around the lodge for a bit and got hiking again by 4. There were a lot of people so we were both feeling a bit discombobulated/overwhelmed and were happy to be back on trail. We stopped after a few miles down the trail and had a great view of Mt. Hood from our tent.
Also, we walked to a nearby ridge where we could see Mt. St Helen's and Mt. Rainer.
It was a very pretty walk today and we are so happy to be out here in the wild.
-Natey
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