Miles Hiked: ZERO
This morning chewy was supposed to pick us up at 10am. She was actually supposed to come last night but decided to make the trip in the morning. I was glad because we got in so late last night and I needed as much time as possible to relax. Chewy ended up twisting her ankle so bad in the last 10 miles of Oregon that she had to call search and rescue to get help getting off the trail and carried out. She has been off trail for four days now. When she found out that we needed help getting back to Oregon, she offered to drive us as long as we paid for all the gas. Given how crazy our trail logistics are, she provided help to us in such a big way. She was able to drive Tuzi’s car. The guy who found my wallet on the trail near Belden. Chewy didn’t end up picking us up until 1pm which worked out perfectly. I ended up sleeping until 9:15 and only woke up because Trail Diva woke me up. I had a great hotel breakfast and took advantage of the hot tub. We were able to get a late check out at noon. I was so glad to stay in bed all morning. I was so tired somehow. At noon we walked to dollar tree across the street where we resupplied for the next four day stretch. We were hoping that Chewy could drive us to Ollalie Lake so we could hike 100 North miles into Trail Days. Dollar Tree was one of my best resupplies On the trail. I got about 20 different snacks all for very cheap. I love that they sell snacks in small quantities so I am able to buy a variety and keep my appetite up.
When chewy picked us up at 1pm, we went to REI first because it was three miles away. For the last section, I started with brand new trail runners. Within the first 15 miles the bottom half of my shoe started to peel off. It was crazy and I had no traction! I didn’t want to walk the last 500 miles like that. Luckily REI let me exchange them for a brand new pair. I also got a spiky ball for rolling out my feet, and both Diva and Midnight had to get new shoes as well. At least I don’t have to worry about them again on this trail! Chewy drove us about three hours towards Ollalie Lake. When we were one hour away we found out the road to get to the lake is closed over 16 miles away. We had to figure out a new plan.
We thought of all the possible ways to run the logistics of hiking as many miles as we could and getting back to Cascade Locks for Trail days. Unfortunately we had to settle on hiking southbound out of Cascade Locks, the lowest point on the PCT. This means we are making this section as hard as it could possibly be. We really wanted to avoid doing this but it just made the most sense. To be honest I have felt so thrown off my game and frustrated by all these logistics. I think next time I might just suck it up and hike on a road near the fires to continue North and not worry about driving in a car so much. The whole point of thru hiking is to get to hike long distances without having to worry about traveling outside of foot travel. It’s the simplicity of it that I really miss. Ultimately I am thankful to be hiking out here at all and I keep reminding myself of that.
We ended up staying at Cascade Locks for the night, camping at the PCT area in the park. We are at the Brewery and ran into Galleleio. It was great to see him again and know he will be hiking back south from trout lake for trail days!
Happy Trails!
-Early Bird
Des Hikes Thru 
Hi Des! Glad to see you’re back in Oregon. Good luck with the fire situation. Vicki and I just completed the final section in Washington to the monument, from Harts Pass! Yes, we cheated and skipped all that tedious trail north of Onion Valley – ha ha! Anyway, on the way back to our camp, about a half mile from the border, we found something on the trail and picked it up, thinking it was trash. But I immediately thought of you, and we carried it back to Harts Pass and left it in the new bear box next to the register, It’s in a baggie addressed to Early Bird. Take a selfie wearing it and email it to me if you want. If you’re feeling strong, carry it to the ammo box register at the monument and leave it there for other (deserving) hikers. Or throw it out at the ranger cabin.
NOTE that Harts Pass Road (20 miles!) was severely washed out and our car was stuck up there while we were hiking, but they opened it by the time we finished, and we were able to escape. You may want to pack some extra food as they aren’t letting cars back up and you may not be able to hitch down to Mazama.
You don’t have to approve this comment, but I posted it here because your email address is on my PC at home. Vicki and I are continuing south on a very flexible schedule visiting volcanos.
Have Fun!
Long John Silver and Nice Hat
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Ahhh I will be anticipating what the mystery you found on the trail is until I get there! Today I will start hiking North from Stevens Pass and hopefully tap the border on the 4th! And yes I did see about the unfortunate landslides! That’s crazy you were up there when it happened! I know a lot of people who got trapped. I have plans to exit via Robinson Creek if the road doesn’t clear! Have fun traveling south! If you happen to go through McKenzie Pass where the PCT crossed there is a really cool roadside observatory to check out! I’ll write about it after I catch up on a weeks worth of posts I have been way too tired to write!
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