Pacific Crest Trail - Von Mexiko nach Kanada, zu Fuss

Montag, den 6. August
We awoke at about 6:30am from another great night's sleep in a comfortable bed at the Motel 6. Tom and I took full advantage of our last time to oink out and we chowed down on bananas, yogurt, blueberries, Mutti's homemade raisin loaf, apple juice, and to top it all off, peanut butter fingers.
We loaded up the car and drove back to the trailhead at McKenzie Pass and Tom and I bid farewell to Clare and Mutti who were heading back to Seattle. As always, when we say our goodbyes to good company, there a sense of sadness as we watch them drive off. Alas, the trail doeseth beckon us.
We began the day by entering into the Mount Washington Wilderness with a view of the Three Sisters behind us and Mount Washington and Mount Jefferson in front of us. We were accompanied by numerous butterflies all day long and we munching all day on taffy that Lou and Teresa had kindly purchased for us as a trail treat (it was a hot item and we battled over the last few pieces). The trek began up the Belknap Crater basalt flows (approximately 1500 - 3000 years old) which was bare and rocky and a bit hard on the feet. Clare had brought down my third pair of trail shoes, so the trek on the lava did a thorough job of breaking them in. The terrain then changed to conifer forest with lush green undergrowth of ferns, huckleberries, and various grasses. We stopped for dinner at the Big Lake Youth Camp where we had access to faucet water and a picnic table which made the rest that much more enjoyable.
We completed our 20 mile day in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness along a windy high ridge (about 6000ft elevation) away from any potential mosquito visitors.

Dienstag, den 7. August
We awoke to the lovely sound of mosquitoes buzzing around our heads. As we packed up and began trekking at about 6:15am, they dispersed which pleased us both. The morning greeted us with a lovely sunrise of bright pink and orange and the trek began through conifer forest. By breakfast time, we had reached the saddle alongside the mountain named Three Finger Jack which is a reminent of an ancient volcano and it provided a scenic view for breakfast.
As we trekked on, the scenery became more spectacular and I think it was definitely one of the prettier days on the trail and the sun shone bright all day long. The trail followed ridgelines with views of the Three Sisters and Three Fingered Jack disappearing behind us as well as snowcapped and glacier covered Mount Jefferson growing closer in front of us, standing at 10497ft. The trail was surrounded by brightly coloured wildflowers and even the grass seemed a vibrant green. We stopped for a snack at Rockpile Lake which was surrounded by wildflowers and a ton of butterflies, making it feel almost like a dream. There were also dragonflies hovering above the lake and a salamander swimming about in the water who was curious enough to come closer to watch us filter water. Dinner was enjoyed alongside Shale Lake where we had, you guessed it, Lipton's Noodles and Sauce. We rounded to the northwest side of Mount Jefferson and trekked through dense forests which provided cool shade.
We completed our 29 mile day at Russell Creek perched on a rocky ridge just above the silty glacier river because we had difficulty finding a campsite as nighttime approached. The sunset was gorgeous and it turned the droopy lichen on the trees a bright golden colour. We drifted off to sleep to the sound of the roaring Russell River below us. One thing Tom and I have observed is that with the louder creeks and rivers, we begin to hear music coming from them. I'm not sure if this is common or just another sign of trail fatigue which leads to hallucinations (likely the latter).

Mittwoch, den 8. August
we awoke at 6am and didn't hit the trail until about 6:45am. The day did not begin in the best of ways. We crossed Russell Creek and trekked about 3 miles before realizing we had taken the wrong trail. Our roundtrip total non-PCT miles turned out to be about 7 miles and neither of us were none too pleased. The anguish, the agony, the frustration with these lost miles was hard to shake for the day.
Once we got on the correct trail (approximately 1 mile from where we had camped) the scenery was quite beautiful. We entered into Jefferson Park which was a multitude of lakes amongst fields of grasses and wildflowers and a great view of Mount Jefferson in the background. We climbed up to 7010ft to enter into Mount Hood Wilderness and from the saddle we could see Mount Jefferson to the south and Mount Hood which stands at 11235ft in to distance to the north. Descending from this height we had to make our was through something we never thought we would see again on this trip -- patches of snow!!! We actually slid our way down which seemed like second nature after dealing with the snow in the high sierras. The trail then descended through patches of shady forest and open ridges with views of the surrounding mountains.
We reached Olallie Lake which had a small store and we guzzled down about six cool beverages each. We cooked dinner and then trekked on about another 5 miles for a total of 20 miles for the day (27 miles for the day if you include the off trail miles, but I care not to chat about that). We rinsed off at Jude Lake and camped on a bit of a slopey ridge in a tiny spot we found just before dark. Needless to say, it was nice to crawl into the sleeping bags and reflect on our 27 mile ... oops, I mean 20 mile day.

Donnerstag, den 9. August
We were trekking by 6:15am. The day was pretty much through forest, so not much in the way of views other than trees. The trail was smooth and soft and the ground cover was quite dense with rhododendrons and other various shrubbery and grasses. Some of the leaves of the rhododendrons were turning yellow which added some colour to the greenery. An interesting thing to observe when trekking through the forest is the different phases of decomposition the fallen trees pass through ... all things return from whence they came (too bad mosquitoes couldn't go through this process at a more rapid rate!).

In the later morning we heard some rustling in the trees and as we got closer, a herd of elk went bolting off in the opposite direction. We were unable to get a close look due to the dense forest, but there were about seven of them and it was an amazing sight to see.
We stopped for lunch at Warm Springs Creek and then trekked onwards. The trail became quite dusty, so we had different opinions over who got to walk behind who (the person walking in back got a cloud full of dust to walk through). We stopped at Timothy Lake for a refreshing and cleansing dip in the early evening and camped just outside of Little Crater Lake which was a spectacular sight. The lake was formed by a fault in the earth which resulted in an artesian spring. The lake is 45 feet deep and is a brilliant marine blue (similar to Crater Lake) and it maintains a cool temperature of approximately 1 degree celcius (approximately 34 degrees fahrenheit for the red white and blues in the crowd).
The trail was easy walking relative to the other days we've had on the trail, and we managed to stay on the Pacific Crest Trail the whole day which was an added bonus. We put approximately 32 miles behind us for the day and we had no difficulty dozing off underneath numerous tall fir trees to the sound of crickets.

Freitag, den 10. August
We were up and trekking by 6:30am. The morning began with a bit of a climb through forest which eventually brought us to a tree covered ridgeline where we could see glimpses of Mount Hood. We reached Highway 26 at Wapinitia Pass and Tom decided to hitch up to Timberline Lodge which was about 10 miles away. He had been experiencing alot of grief on the trail, both physically and mentally, and he needed a break.
I trekked on to the Timberline Lodge, gaining approximately 2000ft in elevation. The climb was in shady forest until about one mile from Timberline Lodge. At this point, the trail opened up into meadows of wildflowers and a sandy path, with an incredible close up view of Mount Hood. Behind me in the distance I could see Mount Jefferson. It was hard to believe that we had covered such a huge distance to put Mount Jefferson so far behind us in just two days.
When I arrived at Timberline Lodge, Tom was waiting for me and we went into the restaurant to splurge and eat something that didn't have "bring water to a boil and add contents" directions. Tom and I discussed the difficulties he was experiencing on the trail and he decided he needed a bit of a break from the trail to rest both his body and his mind. We would meet up again in Cascade Locks in two days and decide what to do from there.
After a difficult goodbye, I trekked on from Timberline Lodge another 9 miles for a total of 27 miles for the day. The scenery was beautiful with great views of Mount Hood. The trail passed through multiple gullies which were home to glacier creeks. The creeks were surrounded by numerous colourful wildflowers and just as many butterflies that fluttered about as I trekked past. The trail made a descent of approximately 2500ft to an elevation of 3400ft at Sandy Creek where I set up camp on a flat bench just above the creek. It felt good to settle in and hunker down into my sleeping bag, although it was strange to be alone. I was surprised at how comfortable I felt in the wilderness on my own because I had always imagined that when night came I would be terrified of all the creatures looming in the darkness ready to get me. I had a very peaceful evening and I was in the company of a night sky full of bright stars that I gazed at before falling asleep to the sound of the water in
the creek rushing by below me.

Samstag, den 11. August
I awoke at about 5:45am and began trekking by 6:15am. I managed to survive the night in the wilderness which was a bonus. The day was sunny and hot, and thankfully for the majority of the day the trail was through shady forest.
The morning was spent doing alot of bushwacking because alot of the trail had become overgrown with low lying shrubbery, grasses, and wildflowers. By early afternoon, the trail opened up briefly along a high ridge line and there was an incredible view. I could see Mount Saint Helens (8364ft), Mount Rainier (14410ft), and Mount Adams (12276ft). It was hard to believe that the Mount Rainier that I was looking at was the same Mount Rainier that you could see out of Tom and Ed's (Tom's younger brother and roommate) apartment window in Seattle ... is that crazy, or what?!? Can we really be this close?!?
I stopped for a short lunch break at Indian Springs and then trekked on through one of the prettier and more unique sections of the trek so far en route to the Columbia Gorge. The trail followed along Eagle Creek and there were huge oak trees, thick and lush green undergrowth of various annuals, and a number of unique waterfalls. The most remarkable of these was the 150ft high Tunnel Falls which had a wet tunnel blasted behind the fall about midway up it which the trail passed through. It was a spectacular sight and an awing sensation. In sections, the trail was extremely narrow with a huge overhanging wall covered with moss and ferns on one side and a shear vertical cliff on the other side. Because of the narrowness of the trail, the trail crew installed cables along these stretches for safety.
I had planned to camp alongside Eagle Creek, but because the trail was so high above the creek, I continued on until I had water access because I had to fill up on water and I wanted to rinse off a bit (not that that made any difference in my stench, but psychologically it did me some good). I was unable to access water for about 4 miles and by then it was about 6pm. Once I had refilled my water bottle and rinsed off I decided that I would settle into the first acceptable camping spot that I could find. Unfortunately the trail continued along the cliffs and the heavy undergrowth made it impossible for camping even when there were flat sections. I continued to trek on and by 7pm I calculated that I was only about 5 miles from Cascade Locks, so I decided to trek it on in. I arrived at the Cascade Locks Marina Campground alongside the Columbia Gorge by about 8:45pm and I was greeted by a happily surprised Tom who hadn't anticipated my arrival until tomorrow morning.
We calculated that I had trekked approximately 36 miles for the day and as a result, I decided that Tom should fund a full body massage for me, but unfortunately he was not in full agreement. It was great to see each other again and Tom was very relieved that I had not been eaten by a mountainlion or fallen down a cliff or attacked by some wierdo. Tom had decided that he was determined to complete a full state, and Washington was the winner, so onward together we shall trek ... yipee, yahoo!!!
We settled down for the night after I had a shower that for some reason Tom had adamently insisted upon. We had a bit of a rough night's sleep due to the minor interruption of trains blowing horns and chugging by about 30 yards from our heads. Oh well ... at least we could suffer through it together.

Sonntag, den 12. August
We were awake at 6:30am and as much as we wanted to fall back to sleep, it didn't happen. We were awoken at about 1am by the local trains close to our heads which made the regular train sounds along with the louder "bangs" that trains make when they connect the cars to each other. We both sported lovely bags underneath our eyes for the remainder of the morning. I suppose we shouldn't complain because Pacific Crest Thru hikers are allowed to camp for free at the Cascade Locks Marina Campground which has picnic tables and showers with a huge grassy camping area overlooking the Columbia River. As well, the camp host, Ray, was kind and friendly and chatted with us for a bit about the life of leisure that he leads throughout the year.
We walked up to a local restaurant and had a usual town day pig out and then did some chatting on the phone. We lounged at the campground for a bit and Clare and Tom's dad (Topbob) arrived from Seattle at about high noon with our resupply box and a load of yummy food (is there any other kind if it's not trail food?!?).
We sat on the picnic table and spread out the wide selection of food that Clare and Mutti had spent time selecting and packing and had a delicious picnic lunch. We then hopped in the car and did a bit of sightseeing in the area. We began by crossing over the Bridge of the Gods which spans the Columbia Gorge. We stopped at the local Interpretive Center and then drove over to Beacon Rock which is the largest monolith rock in the United States. We drove along the Historic Columbia River Highway which offerred views of a number of magnificent waterfalls and the last stop was up to Crown Point Viewpoint which gave a panoramic view of the gorge and surrounding area.
We arrived back at the campsite at about 5pm and once again spread out the food and oinked out again. We went over the schedule for the remainder of the trip (which is only about 3 1/2 weeks!) and from here on in we will be meeting a member of Tom's family at each layover day who will either bring us our resupply box or chauffeur us home for the layover day ... is that not wonderful or what?!?
Clare and Topbob departed at about 7:30pm. Tom and I showered and organized our packs and then lounged for the remainder of the evening. The Marina Park has an open band night in the park on Sundays so we had some great background music to hum to (and even sing to) for the evening.
Tom and I just recently began to entertain the scenerio of trekking on in to Manning Park, BC and completing our Pacific Crest Trail thru hike. Going through the numbers and mileage we concluded that there were 21 days of actual hiking left if all goes as planned and our estimated date of arrival at Manning Park is on September 5th. The scenerio goes as follows: we arrive at the monument, toss our packs onto the ground, sign the register at the monument, take a few pictures, do the "I'm finished this crazy hike" dance, kiss the ground, and leave our packs behind us for anyone's taking (maybe even our hiking shoes too depending on what kind of mood we're in). Yep, we're pretty much ready to finish up this trekking stuff and indulge in lounging at home.
One more state to go ... here we come, Washington!!!