Our first stop in Oregon was Char Burger where we got some delicious clam chowder and sandwiches. We also had a spectacular view of the Columbia River and the Washington shore. It's been a memorable visit old friend, but we are going to hang out with Oregon now! That night we camped behind the Thunder Island Brewery in a village of thru-hiker tents. We slept surprisingly soundly given that train goes by every half hour. I think earplugs are quickly becoming our favorite piece of gear. We got to the post office first thing in the morning to pick up a package from our friend Jami (thanks Jam Jam!)... yay for rice krispy treats, oreos, flaming' hot Cheetos, etc.!!
Our plan was to leave today but Ferd's knee has been bothering for the last day or two, so we decided to take a zero and hang out for the PCT Days festivities and hang out with friends. PCT Days is a small festival with vendors and other activities to celebrate the PCT. It was great fun seeing people we haven't seen since California-- especially Lobby and Trinket (Sue's official trail name). We had a taco dinner at the Pop Up Angels (Chef and Jerry Can) then enjoyed a fun dance party before heading to bed around 10pm.
We are definitely ready to leave mentally but Ferd's knee still hurts and we don't want to push it. No better place than PCT Days to enjoy another zero. :) We got breakfast at a small ice-cream shop and a milkshake! Best. Milkshakes. Ever! (we can't remember the name but it's at the end of town and has a ice-cream cone on the outside and reads hamburgers). They also sell soft serve which they pile in cake cone so comically high only a thru-hiker could attempt to eat it. At the festival, there were lots of fun vendors to visit... Ferd won a wind jacket from Berghaus (!!) and Dangit spent the day dreaming about Luna Sandals.
The next morning we packed up, made makeshift fajitas in our pot, spent time with our Leavenworth friends Jamie and Matt who came to the PCT Days and then headed back to the trail. Thanks Jamie and Matt for the ride! We chose to take the Eagle Creek Trail alternate where we saw tons and tons of waterfalls! We bathed in Punch Bowl Falls (brrrrr!) and continued walking towards the most epic waterfall we've ever seen -- Tunnel Falls! Which you walk through a cave blasted from the cliffs behind the falls. We ended the day doing about 10 miles and made camp with a couple section hikers. That night, while eating dinner, Ferd heard some noise next to him and turned to find a huge rat! It's definitely nice to have ear plugs when sleeping. haha
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| Jon! |
Ferd's knee is still a bother so we are taking it slow to Timberline Lodge. We did about 16 miles today and saw our first awesome view of Mt. Hood! It's getting cooler and the leaves are starting to turn shades of yellow, orange, and red. It's been amazing watching the seasons change. We camped that night in a small campsite area with Jon who is hiking around Oregon and Washington, and 4 car campers who spent the night recalling outrageous lovemaking tales we couldn't help but overhear... Earplugs: worth their weight in gold.
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| Hood! |
The next day was a cold day... breezy and overcast. We decided to take the hiker only alternate to Ramona Falls, another spectacular waterfall. Not far from the falls we navigated Sandy Creek, which can be a very dangerous ford at times. In fact, a hiker was swept away and killed almost exactly one month ago there. Luckily, for us the creek was mostly tame and there was a log crossing so we didn't even have to ford! Later in the day, the weather cleared up so we had a dinner on trail then continued on to Timberline Lodge at twilight (Ferd's favorite time to hike). Mt. Hood was basked in the pink light of the setting sun and we could see Mt. Jefferson (?) peaking above a sea of pink clouds to the south. It was one of the most breath taking moments on the trail!
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| Ramona Falls |
Other than a few stragglers, I don't think we will see any more northbound (NOBO) PCTers. We decided this is probably a good thing since it's very difficult to "hike your own hike". It's so easy to make our decisions based on what other people are doing... "Oh, you're not taking a zero... Cool! We won't either."; "You did 30's through Oregon... we can definitely do that too." It's exhilarating to feel like we are actually in charge of our adventure. With that in mind, we decided to stay 2 nights at Timberline Lodge in hopes that the rest will be good for Ferd's knee.
The lodge is beautiful! The lower lobby has awesome stone masonry and massive hand hewn wood beams that support the upper floors. A huge stone fireplace with a chimney extends from the bottom of the structure up through a hole in the second and third floors all the way to the top of the lodge. However, it's expensive to stay here for sure. Luckily, we were able to cut a deal and get a room with bunk beds. It was supposed to be a small room with one bunk bed but they were out so.... it's just been the two of us in a room with 8 beds. haha. We took showers and got comfy in the room. Ferd passed out while icing his knee while Dangit stayed up late doing laundry before dragging two twin mattresses down to make a "king sized bed".
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| Mt. Hood |
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The next morning consisted of sleeping in, packing as much food into our stomachs during the allotted 3 hour lunch buffet (which is delish), and socializing with other south-bounders. We also took the shuttle into Govy to get groceries before hitching back to the lodge with Angela (we were her first hitch in the area-- thanks Angela!). Just before bed we relaxed in the hot tub. It was a good day. Timberline Lodge is a great place to relax... especially if you have money, which we don't. :) Really the only downside is the computer they offer. We had issues logging on because they didn't know the password, then when we did get on the computer to update the blog... they don't allow guests to upload photos! So.. no awesome photos from the camera. We have been trying out the Blogger app on our phone and taking a few pictures on that... we'll see how that goes.
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| Our hitch- Angela! |
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| Our giant room |
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| Timberline Lodge |
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