Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Bend, OR via McKensie Pass, mile 1989.5
Just completed the longest stretch without a shower thus far: 270 miles. Total showers total since we left the Mexican border: 13. I think we might hold the record?
Deuter sent Keith the wrong replacement backpack - they sent him a ladies pack that was too small. Lance, from a local outfitter in Ashland was so awesome & with his & REI's help, we were able to finagle a plan to get Keith back on the trail on the day we planned on leaving town with a working pack. Unfortunately, though, the pack Keith ended up with is now ripping at some of the seams & so after another conversation with Deuter, they're sending him a new pack again! But hopefully the right one this time! Before leaving Ashland, we stopped to get some (amazing) gourmet pizza (where the waiter gave us drinks on the house because we were PCT'ers) & while scarfing the food down, we met a local woman named Heather (originally from the Toledo, OH area & had asked Keith about his shirt that says Toledo, OH on it) who offered us a ride back to the trail head. When we hopped in her vehicle she mentioned that she was headed that way anyway to go to a local blueberry patch & invited us along. So we spent the afternoon chatting with her while picking two quarts of blueberries to take back to the trail with us.
I haven't had enough time or energy to write out every instance where we have met great people who have in some way or another helped us out. There's been far too many. This trail has again (like the A.T.) reminded us that people are good. People want to help, they just sometimes don't know how to & when they are able to, it's a beautiful thing.
Walking through the diverse landscapes we've seen so far in Oregon has blown us away...we weren't prepared for the beauty & wildness Oregon has to offer. Maybe that's what's made it so good. Deep, old-growth forests with moss hanging off of every branch. Crater Lake, which is not even possible to put into words - you have to see it for yourself. We had hopes of taking a boat out to Wizard Island, the main island in Crater Lake, & spending the afternoon exploring the island, but the price was too high. So we will have to come back another time...we will have to come back to a lot of these places. The PCT seems to take us within range of so many amazing things...but there's just not enough time to veer off to see them all on this trip. Most recently, we walked through the Three Sisters area, which has three very beautiful volcanoes surrounded by volcanic lava fields. The North & Middle Sister are connected to each other & although while we were walking through, the mountains were covered in clouds, we got a peak at Collier Glacier & that got Keith's wheels turning. A huge mass of ice & snow & we wonder what these mountains might look like on a higher snow year, considering this has been a pretty dry year. Again, another place we will have to come back to.
We've gone through a few more storms & are grateful we got our cold weather gear back. We are loving the cold weather, reminds us of Michigan. This is prime hiking for us.
Bend is lovely & has everything we could dream of. Food, food & more food. Plus locally brewed beer. We just spent the night at Mill Inn, a B&B that has a backpacker bunk room & has the most AMAZING all you can eat breakfast in the morning - gourmet foods - quiche, eggs, waffles, potatoes, fruit, OJ, etc. etc. A thru-hikers dream...or anyone's dream really, but especially a thru-hikers since it's all you can eat! To save money, though, we plan on crashing on the floor of No Knees & Stinkbug's floor tonight. We met them back in Independence while they were still on trail but unfortunately they had to get off in Yosemite because Stinkbug got a stress fracture of some sort (we've just learned). Since they live in Bend, they've been enjoying hosting hikers at their home whenever they get a chance & we look forward to seeing them again. It's odd how you meet people out here & sometimes you never know if you'll ever hear from or see them again. Sometimes they pop back into your life, sometimes not.
We are loving the simplicity of this life as well as the freedoms that come along with it. No alarm clock, we wake up when the sun wakes us up. Eat, walk, collect water, drink, sleep. And read. We've been doing a lot of reading. Under 700 miles to go. Still planning on a finish date somewhere around October 1st-ish. No official deadline until we have to book our train tickets. The trail just seems to get better and better every day. Next town stop will be Cascade Locks, OR - which is just on this side of the OR/WA border. Until then...we'll just keep walking.
Much love,
Scat Tracker & Unicroc
Monday, August 12, 2013
Mile 1,727...Ashland, OREGON!!!
Just realized there's a laptop where we're staying here at the Ashland Hostel (which is lovely, by the way) & it'll let me post some pictures! We've made it safe & sound to Ashland, Oregon & we are happy to be here...just in Oregon in general. This is the first time we've ever set foot in Oregon & we have heard so many wonderful things & so far, so good.
Let me start where I last left off: We walked out of Etna, into smoke from the nearby wildfires & it made for some rough breathing, but overall, it was lovely trail. So beautiful. Glad we didn't have to skip it (as some others did). Unicroc spotted a bear in a tree after hearing some shuffling about from something clearly larger than a squirrel. He saw it right before it dropped to the ground & ran in the other direction...I didn't get to see it, but I heard it...
Before I share this story, let me say that on this trail, we have experienced SO many lovely, sunshiny, blue-sky days. At some point, I'd stopped really thinking about weather because the sun just always seems to shine out here. The night before we arrived in Seiad Valley, though, we hiked through a VERY powerful storm - a ton of big fat rain, hail, lightning & thunder - but thankfully we were already headed down a long descent so we were well protected in the woods. We just continued hiking & did 4 miles as quickly as our feet would take us. There was a rustic campground at the end of that 4 miles where we were able to seek shelter under the roof of an outhouse, which is where we found Jon, Bryce & Hannah & then Katie eventually showed up as well. Inside the outhouse was warm & surprisingly clean & we all considered sleeping in there, but all decided eventually that that was just too weird. Eventually we all built up the courage to brave the rain & set up our tents & by this time we were all soaked & cold. Unicroc & I made our dinner under the roof of the outhouse & shared a Bud-Light given to us by a fellow car-camper.
60 miles after Etna, the trail then went directly through the small town of Seiad Valley, CA which had a Post Office, a hiker-friendly RV park & a cute little restaurant. We discovered on our way hiking into Seiad that we weren't actually in California anymore...we were in "The State of Jefferson," or at least that's what the locals called it.
Seiad Valley was our last stop in California...next would be Ashland...in OREGON.
The climb out of Seiad Valley was one of the PCT's last super large climbs but to be honest, it just felt good to be climbing. The trail has hugely mellowed out & has been physically less demanding lately & so when it gives us challenges, we get excited. We were warned as we were leaving town that more storms were on the way, but a group of us left anyway because that's just the name of the game out here. You can't hide from it - you just gotta make sure you're as prepared as possible. But, no storms came - we just watched as they floated around in the distance & we had a lovely, nice & cool evening hike.
Two days later, we were 30 miles before the Oregon border & I woke up thirsty for the border - I realized I wanted to see it that night! We had told ourselves we would never hike a 30-mile day because it's just too freaking fast...but my mind was made up that morning that I wanted to see Oregon. So we did. At this point, our bodies are basically in what we call "Auto Pilot," we can walk & walk & then hours later we'll eventually remember that we're walking but we still get pretty tired after 22+ mile days. But on this day, we kicked it into gear & went for it...& we arrived at the border just before dark, where we found Hot Tub & Sweet Tooth celebrating. My full dream was to SLEEP on the border of CA & OR...& we did that, too, even though there wasn't exactly a comfy place to sleep. We threw out our mattress pads & sleeping bags & slept with our heads in Oregon & our feet in California. We didn't get the best night's sleep but it was well worth it & as people came to the border first thing in the morning, we got to celebrate with them, too.
On this trail, we have become the dirtiest, stinkiest people we've ever been in our lives. It's a lot of fun to see the dirt go down the drains as we shower. Our last shower before this was Mt. Shasta - over 200 miles ago. And we still love each other. And our trail friends still hug us. These are good people.
Today is our zero day & we'll be leaving town on Wednesday. Unicroc has a new pack coming because his frame broke & he's been walking with it that way for almost 80 miles! Deuter is sending him a new one for free & he's super pumped to receive it. Hope the package makes it here by then so we can head on to Crater Lake!!!!!!
Randy & Vicky, here is a back-up place where you can send that package in case it won't make it to Crater Lake in time! ETA for Sisters would be Monday 8/26 & they ask that you write that on the box:
c/o Sisters Inn
525 US Hwy 20 West
Sisters, OR 97759
Thank you! Much, much love.
Let me start where I last left off: We walked out of Etna, into smoke from the nearby wildfires & it made for some rough breathing, but overall, it was lovely trail. So beautiful. Glad we didn't have to skip it (as some others did). Unicroc spotted a bear in a tree after hearing some shuffling about from something clearly larger than a squirrel. He saw it right before it dropped to the ground & ran in the other direction...I didn't get to see it, but I heard it...
Before I share this story, let me say that on this trail, we have experienced SO many lovely, sunshiny, blue-sky days. At some point, I'd stopped really thinking about weather because the sun just always seems to shine out here. The night before we arrived in Seiad Valley, though, we hiked through a VERY powerful storm - a ton of big fat rain, hail, lightning & thunder - but thankfully we were already headed down a long descent so we were well protected in the woods. We just continued hiking & did 4 miles as quickly as our feet would take us. There was a rustic campground at the end of that 4 miles where we were able to seek shelter under the roof of an outhouse, which is where we found Jon, Bryce & Hannah & then Katie eventually showed up as well. Inside the outhouse was warm & surprisingly clean & we all considered sleeping in there, but all decided eventually that that was just too weird. Eventually we all built up the courage to brave the rain & set up our tents & by this time we were all soaked & cold. Unicroc & I made our dinner under the roof of the outhouse & shared a Bud-Light given to us by a fellow car-camper.
60 miles after Etna, the trail then went directly through the small town of Seiad Valley, CA which had a Post Office, a hiker-friendly RV park & a cute little restaurant. We discovered on our way hiking into Seiad that we weren't actually in California anymore...we were in "The State of Jefferson," or at least that's what the locals called it.
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| As we were leaving Seiad Valley, one last reminder that we were not really in "California" |
The climb out of Seiad Valley was one of the PCT's last super large climbs but to be honest, it just felt good to be climbing. The trail has hugely mellowed out & has been physically less demanding lately & so when it gives us challenges, we get excited. We were warned as we were leaving town that more storms were on the way, but a group of us left anyway because that's just the name of the game out here. You can't hide from it - you just gotta make sure you're as prepared as possible. But, no storms came - we just watched as they floated around in the distance & we had a lovely, nice & cool evening hike.
Two days later, we were 30 miles before the Oregon border & I woke up thirsty for the border - I realized I wanted to see it that night! We had told ourselves we would never hike a 30-mile day because it's just too freaking fast...but my mind was made up that morning that I wanted to see Oregon. So we did. At this point, our bodies are basically in what we call "Auto Pilot," we can walk & walk & then hours later we'll eventually remember that we're walking but we still get pretty tired after 22+ mile days. But on this day, we kicked it into gear & went for it...& we arrived at the border just before dark, where we found Hot Tub & Sweet Tooth celebrating. My full dream was to SLEEP on the border of CA & OR...& we did that, too, even though there wasn't exactly a comfy place to sleep. We threw out our mattress pads & sleeping bags & slept with our heads in Oregon & our feet in California. We didn't get the best night's sleep but it was well worth it & as people came to the border first thing in the morning, we got to celebrate with them, too.
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| Terminal Geyser in Lassen Volcanic National Park |
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| Burney Falls at Burney Falls State Park - absolutely blew us away |
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| I got my second pair of $140 shoes (on bottom) & Unicroc got new $2 insoles (on top) in Mt. Shasta |
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| Mt. Shasta - the most beautiful mountain I have ever seen with my own eyes - a 14,000+ ft. volcano that we will someday come back & climb (apparently much more challenging to climb than Mt. Whitney - the highest peak in the continental U.S.) |
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| Sunset in the wildfire smoke |
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| Marble Mountain Marvel at the Soda Fountain in Etna |
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| Our campsite on the border of California & Oregon |
On this trail, we have become the dirtiest, stinkiest people we've ever been in our lives. It's a lot of fun to see the dirt go down the drains as we shower. Our last shower before this was Mt. Shasta - over 200 miles ago. And we still love each other. And our trail friends still hug us. These are good people.
Today is our zero day & we'll be leaving town on Wednesday. Unicroc has a new pack coming because his frame broke & he's been walking with it that way for almost 80 miles! Deuter is sending him a new one for free & he's super pumped to receive it. Hope the package makes it here by then so we can head on to Crater Lake!!!!!!
Randy & Vicky, here is a back-up place where you can send that package in case it won't make it to Crater Lake in time! ETA for Sisters would be Monday 8/26 & they ask that you write that on the box:
c/o Sisters Inn
525 US Hwy 20 West
Sisters, OR 97759
Thank you! Much, much love.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Mile 1606 or something...Etna, CA
Less than 100 miles until Oregon, which is pretty unbelievable. We are really excited to finally be saying hello to another state & farewell to California for a while. California is a looong state!
Sorry we weren't able to get to a computer while staying in Mt. Shasta so I wasn't able to post our next maildrop address, as promised. But our ETA for that box will be about August 17th, so there is still time if you'd like to send something our way. Make sure to put the ETA on it as well as "Hold for PCT hikers!"
Here is the address:
c/o Crater Lake Camp Store
Mazama Village
Crater Lake, OR 97604
Crater Lake National Park has long been on my list of places to visit so we are super pumped to get there & we hope to spend some time there swimming/exploring/staring in awe at the beauty. We have been walking through smoke from nearby wildfires for the past 120+ miles & apparently that will continue until we reach Crater Lake, in 200 miles. Some of the smoke traveled from as far up as Oregon. There has been rumor that parts of the trail might close but as of this morning, the trail is open & we will continue on until we hear otherwise. It's nice to have other hikers around so we can all keep each other informed & keep an eye out for each other.
The road coming down to Etna was open but going in the other direction is closed due to the wildfires. We met Zero Gravity & Marshall last night, section-hiking southbound & after a short conversation, they decided they trusted us enough to give us the key to their car to take down to Etna! They needed the car dropped off here anyway & we needed a ride so it worked out beautifully for both of us. A Subaru Outback, just like ours, but this one was a stick shift. Unicroc felt he had enough experience from driving a stick-shift dumptruck at his last job as a landscaper & luckily, he remembered how to do it, so we made it safely to town. So amazing to meet someone so trusting of strangers to do such a thing - yet another reminder of how we can all help each other out, if we are willing.
Last night, we also met the first in the pack of thru-hiking southbounders, Bobcat, who started at the Canadian border on June 24th. He plans to get to Mexico at the same time we'll hopefully be arriving in Canada. He must be going faaaast. He was enthusiastic to talk to us & surprisingly not sick of talking to passing northbounders yet!
So this town of Etna is adorable, it actually quite reminds us of parts of Virginia we've traveled to, near Shenandoah National Park. The land is really starting to change as we travel north. Unfortunately, though, they've been dealing with these crazy wildfires & as we were eating the most delicious breakfast at Bob's this morning, we learned that one of the oldest houses right downtown burnt down in the middle of the night as well & a man & his cat died in the fire. This has been quite devastating to the town & you can just feel the vibes of sadness floating around. It's a very small town, it seems everybody knows everybody. Yet they are still smiling & super friendly toward us hikers. As soon as we arrived in town, I started to fall in love but now my heart is a little broken for what they are going through. But people are resilient & it's amazing how life always continues on.
Much love to all y'all!
Sorry we weren't able to get to a computer while staying in Mt. Shasta so I wasn't able to post our next maildrop address, as promised. But our ETA for that box will be about August 17th, so there is still time if you'd like to send something our way. Make sure to put the ETA on it as well as "Hold for PCT hikers!"
Here is the address:
c/o Crater Lake Camp Store
Mazama Village
Crater Lake, OR 97604
Crater Lake National Park has long been on my list of places to visit so we are super pumped to get there & we hope to spend some time there swimming/exploring/staring in awe at the beauty. We have been walking through smoke from nearby wildfires for the past 120+ miles & apparently that will continue until we reach Crater Lake, in 200 miles. Some of the smoke traveled from as far up as Oregon. There has been rumor that parts of the trail might close but as of this morning, the trail is open & we will continue on until we hear otherwise. It's nice to have other hikers around so we can all keep each other informed & keep an eye out for each other.
The road coming down to Etna was open but going in the other direction is closed due to the wildfires. We met Zero Gravity & Marshall last night, section-hiking southbound & after a short conversation, they decided they trusted us enough to give us the key to their car to take down to Etna! They needed the car dropped off here anyway & we needed a ride so it worked out beautifully for both of us. A Subaru Outback, just like ours, but this one was a stick shift. Unicroc felt he had enough experience from driving a stick-shift dumptruck at his last job as a landscaper & luckily, he remembered how to do it, so we made it safely to town. So amazing to meet someone so trusting of strangers to do such a thing - yet another reminder of how we can all help each other out, if we are willing.
Last night, we also met the first in the pack of thru-hiking southbounders, Bobcat, who started at the Canadian border on June 24th. He plans to get to Mexico at the same time we'll hopefully be arriving in Canada. He must be going faaaast. He was enthusiastic to talk to us & surprisingly not sick of talking to passing northbounders yet!
So this town of Etna is adorable, it actually quite reminds us of parts of Virginia we've traveled to, near Shenandoah National Park. The land is really starting to change as we travel north. Unfortunately, though, they've been dealing with these crazy wildfires & as we were eating the most delicious breakfast at Bob's this morning, we learned that one of the oldest houses right downtown burnt down in the middle of the night as well & a man & his cat died in the fire. This has been quite devastating to the town & you can just feel the vibes of sadness floating around. It's a very small town, it seems everybody knows everybody. Yet they are still smiling & super friendly toward us hikers. As soon as we arrived in town, I started to fall in love but now my heart is a little broken for what they are going through. But people are resilient & it's amazing how life always continues on.
| Trail Angel Lyndi very kindly took our picture (& emailed it to us so I could post it on here) after dropping us off from Mt. Shasta: Belgian Red (from Belgium), Simon (from England) & Us |
Much love to all y'all!
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