Back on the trail in Oregon: Mile 2194

Written 8/12/14

Posted 8/18/14

Oh boy it feels so good to be back in the Pacific Northwest! After being suddenly transported from Northern California, everything feels so moist, green, and lush. We've been hiking through dense forests for the past 4 days surrounded by ferns, rhododendrons, and trees dripping with moss.

We had a total of 5 days off since we left the trail in Belden and it was almost too much of a break. Luckily we hopped back on at the base of Mount Hood, which was a beautiful area to get back in the swing of things. We only got to spend two and a half days on the trail in Oregon before we crossed into Washington but it had to rank among the best that Oregon had to offer. We spent the first two days walking around Mount Hood with its peak in and out of sight. In contrast to the scarcity of water in Northern California, the Mount Hood Wildernees is full of glacier fed rivers that are raging. Right now is peak wildflower season so everything is in bloom and the forest floor is alive with color!

There are a lot of off-shoot trails in this section of Oregon that are all well worth taking. Ramona Falls and Eagle Creek are on two such diversions. Coming up to Ramona Falls was pretty spectacular because I think this was the biggest waterfall we've seen since we left Yosemite. The day after Ramona Falls we got to go through Eagle Creek, a 15.1 mile alternate route. Mike and I have both been there previously but we were excited about returning there together. The river-carved canyon has tons of great swimming spots and waterfalls, even one that you can walk behind!

Eagle Creek marked the end of our short visit to Oregon as we finished the day by getting to Cascade Locks. We walked straight to the local brewery, Thunder Island, where a very friendly gentleman bought each of us a beer! The brewery had a great outdoor seating area right on the Columbia River where we watched the sunset.

We heard there was a local trail angle in town that would let us sleep for free in his yard but one of the co-owners of the brewery kindly offered up his place to us so we decided to stay with him instead. Dave is an aspiring trail angle-to-be and we were the first lucky two to stay at his new house which is sure to be a hiker haven someday! He was very hospitable and we even got to make French Toast the next morning! If you're a hiker passing through Cascade Locks, be sure to go down to the brewery and introduce yourself. 

First thing yesterday morning we got to cross the infamous Bridge of the Gods and enter Washington state. It was bittersweet crossing the Bridge of the Gods which was supposed to be our finish line, but now it marks the start of a new adventure. It was fun but scary walking over the bridge because there's no walkway, you walk in the lane of oncoming traffic. Also it's an entirely grated bridge, so you can look down and see the Columbia River way below your feet.

It was 103 degrees in Cascade Locks when we left so the first few miles in Washington were not so awesome. After a quick climb we soon entered the iconic PNW woodlands. We've been surrounded by enormous pines that feel like they're 1,000 years old and create an enchanted forest like you'd imagine in fairy tales. 

With new surroundings come new faces, as we now have an entirely new batch of people to mingle with. Since we're no longer in the back of the pack, we're hiking with considerably more fit, motivated, and serious hikers. All of a sudden, we're not the fastest ones on the trail anymore. In fact, it's been quite the opposite. The only person that we've passed has been a 70 year old man, and even he's right on our tails. Everyone our age does 26 to 30 miles per day and walks insanely fast! It's not really disheartening getting passed because we're still doing 20 mile days which is plenty by our standards, especially since the elevation gains and losses are more reminiscent of the High Sierras. Everyone that's this far north at this point are easily going to finish before the snow hits Washington. Most of these hikers have very light weight packs and resist the temptation to carry luxury items, like a half liter of Cabernet Sauvignon.

So far Washington has lived up to its reputation as it's only our second day and we're already getting rained on. This is exciting since we finally get to test our tarp-tent's rain protection power, however we haven't seen rain since our 8-day stint in the Sierras so we're going to have to renew our tolerance. Everything is already damp here to start with because of the forest's ability to retain moisture so it never really feels like anything is completely dry. I think we're going to feel slightly sticky from now until the day we finish but that's okay. If we start growing mildew we'll hop off the trail to take a shower. 

For the past two days, most of our trail food contained some delicious chocolate treat because we received three different care packages in Cascade Locks. We had to bump some boxes that were sent to Chester so we ended up with a lot of extra goodies. My best friend (sister for all  intents and purposes) Pam shipped both me and Mike a pair of dirty girl gaiters! I've been so envious of everyone else on the trail who has these because they keep the rocks from getting stuck in your shoe. Now I get to be a part of the cool PCT hiker club and not get rocks in my shoes too! 

Mike's mom Barb sent us another box packed to the brim of homemade desserts, this time brownies!! His Aunt Tina sent us a plethora of goodies. We loved the S'mores treats and the crackers with assorted dipping sauces the most. Thanks so much again to everyone for supporting us, it feels so great to know that people are keeping up with the blog and that our friends and family are proud of us. :-)