Good-Bye Oregon, Hello Washington!

We certainly took our time in Oregon compared to most other thru hikers, but we finally made it to Cascade Locks after 29 days.  Doing the math, Anish could have gone up, down and back up Oregon in less time!

Last I wrote we had left BLYC.  We then made our way around 3 Fingered Jack and the stunning Mt Jefferson.  On the west side of Jefferson, we had to ford our first glacial creek with the dogs.  We got to Russell Creek at the wrong time of day, right when the creek is running at its highest from the heat of the day melting the snow above.  The creek was loud, silty and strong.  Midnight Chocolate found a place to ford the creek after about 10 minutes of searching for a safe spot.  The dogs were not too keen to follow, but being on leashes they eventually stepped into and across at the lowest point we could find, only getting water up to their bellies.

Mt Jefferson from the South

Mt Jefferson from the North

The next day we had trail magic from the "Hiker Haus."  They were thru hikers from last year all living in Portland.  There were cardboard signs posted on trees leading us to where they were at which was a campground about a 1/4 mile off trail.  We figured this would be a great place for a break.  When we got there at 10am, we were the only hikers at that time, so they fed us blueberry pancakes, french press coffee, cinnamon rolls and beer. What a great combination for a brunch!  It was great talking to them about their experiences from last year.  One question I asked was how long it took them to adjust to life after the trail.  The answer was "we haven't yet."  Hmmm, sounds like only a part-time job may be calling my name after all :0)

Hiker Haus trail magic at a campground

It was hard to leave the Hiker Haus, but we had plans to meet our friends, Shannon and Beth, in the afternoon at Olallie Lake so we hiked on around noon.  When we got to Olallie Lake, there was just a small "store" with only some staples like chips, beer and peanut butter.  The lady running the place, Trapper Keeper, brought us a fresh pineapple, cutting board and knife and the dogs each got a foot long pepperoni stick.  Oh my, we were all happy campers!  We hung out at the picnic table outside the store for a few hours waiting for the girls and talking with other hikers as they came in and out.  Finally we saw the girls pull up and it was screams and hugs all around!!  The one thing we asked for was for them to bring 2 liters of wine.  The dillema was they could only find a 1.5 or 3 liter bag of wine.  They made the obvious decision an opted for the 3 liter bag which we had no problem all drinking over the 3 nights they were with us.

Beth, Shannon and Katie

Our PCT friends, Muppet, Stilts, Baxter, Wildcat with me and Katie

Make-shift camp spot right next to the trail...it will work!

We set off with them Sunday night.  We had such a great time with them, it was a nice change of pace and I felt like I was on a typical backpacking trip and not hiking the PCT.  We played Password, caught up on life, swam in Timothy Lake and laughed A LOT.  By the time we reached Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood, they had both easily earned their trail names.  Beth is now TLC and Shannon goes by Road Runner. 

Lexi enjoying the view of Mt Hood

They took us into Goverment Camp so we could get food for our last 2.5 day stretch to Cascade Locks.  We also hit the Mt Hood Brewery for a tasty beverage and nachos! Then they drove us back up to the lodge, we said our good-byes and Midnight Chocolate, Wiggles (Lexi), Sleeping Dragon (Xena) and I set back off to get a few more miles in before the end of the day.

An easier creek crossing with the dogs on Mt Hood

We hiked around the west-side of Mt Hood, had another glacier river crossing with the dogs and made our way north towards the OR/WA border.  We had one night where it rained all night long, but thankfully we were all sleeping away in the tent before it started.  By the time we started hiking in the morning the rain had subsided, but the tent was soaked and we hiked in a cloud all morning.  Once we dropped down low enough we hit sunshine and were able to take a long break to dry out some of our gear. 

Hiking in a cloud after a night of rain

Heading down to Cascase Locks and the Columbia River

Yesterday we arrived in Cascade Locks!  My sister hiked in and met us on the trail which was fun.  It is a good feeling to see a familiar face hiking towards you.  After getting shakes in town, we drove to Portland, dropped of Katie and Xena and then my sister and I hit a brewery on our way to St Helens. First thing after I got home was to give my dirty dog a bath and then get myself clean.  Then I did my laundry...twice! I caught up with my parents, sister, bro-in-law, nieces and nephews that night and had a tasty home-cooked meal. It feels good to be back home, although a little strange knowing that we will be back on the trail in just over a day; our journey is not quite over just yet!