Day 108

Today I hiked another scenic alternate and finished Oregon! The Eagle Creek had formed a steep canyon on its way to the Columbia River and has dozens of spectacular waterfalls, including tunnel falls where the trail goes behind a huge waterfall. The trail down to the falls is wide and smooth, going through a forest that is carpeted with ferns and moss. The falls themselves have created pools which are great for swimming in the clear blue water. After Eagle Creek, I followed a bike trail by the river into Cascade Locks and to the Bridge of the Gods that will take us into Washington.

Steps taken today/total: 52,355/4,456,637
Miles walked today/total: 28.24/2,144.36
Elevation gained today/total: 4,882/358,752
Elevation lost today/total: 8,143/364,483

Day 107

Buffets are a wonderful thing, especially when they offer a hiker discount. Today we got to Timberline Lodge, a ski resort on Mt. Hood that is recognizable as the Overlook Hotel from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. They provide an acclaimed buffet with many gourmet options, many using local products like the fresh huckleberry tarts. This was definitely the best meal I've had on trail, living up to the hype the southbound hikers were giving it. After eating (and some digesting) I got started hiking again, going around the west side of Mt. Hood and getting some spectacular views in the process. I completed the last two real climbs in Oregon and I'm looking forward to the Eagle Creek alternate tomorrow.

Steps taken today/total: 55,776/4,404,282
Miles walked today/total: 28.05/2,112.12
Elevation gained today/total: 5,555/353,870
Elevation lost today/total: 5,588/356,340

Day 106

The definite highlight of today was sinew excellent trail magic we received this afternoon. Whitewalker, a section hiker who did Oregon last year and northern California this year, brought a grill to a trailhead to celebrate finishing his section and to try to meet people he hiked with. He said he saw eight people he knew, which exceeded his expectations. Since he had been on the receiving end of trail magic before, he knew what people wanted and he put together a great setup of food and other things, like a phone charging station. Because of the allure of the magic, we had to hike past dark to get to our campsite at Wampanitia Pass.

Steps taken today/total: 59,742/4,348,506
Miles walked today/total: 31.61/2,084.07
Elevation gained today/total: 3,022/348,315
Elevation lost today/total: 4,273/350,752

Day 105

We continued around Mt. Jefferson through beautiful Jefferson Park. We were only there for a few miles, but there are dozens of side trails that would be fun to come back and explore. We then went up the biggest climb in Oregon and got a fantastic view of Mt. Hood. We dropped down into the forest and camped by a calm spring.

Steps taken today/total: 46,615/4,288,764
Miles walked today/total: 27.27/2,054.12
Elevation gained today/total: 5,260/345,293
Elevation lost today/total: 5,352/346,479

Day 104

We finally got out of Bend and back to the trailhead around 10. Today was spent hiking toward Mt. Jefferson, a snowcapped peak in central Oregon. I met three people today who are gunning for the PCT record books. First I met Daniel Boone, who is trying to become the youngest thru hiker ever on the PCT. A few miles later I ran into Flowers and Poptart who are going south in an effort to break Anish's fastest known time for an unsupported hike of 60 days.

Steps taken today/total: 50,122/4,242,149
Miles walked today/total: 26.45/2,024.85
Elevation gained today/total: 4,453/340,033
Elevation lost today/total: 4,598/341,127

Day 103

I don't know how, but we're still in Bend.

Steps taken today/total: 0/4,192,027
Miles walked today/total: 0/1,998.36
Elevation gained today/total: 0/335,580
Elevation lost today/total: 0/341,127

Day 102

After camping by the highway we hitched into Bend for a resupply and zero. We relaxed and got some great food at some of Bend's many great restaurants.

Steps taken today/total: 0/4,192,027
Miles walked today/total: 0/1,998.36
Elevation gained today/total: 0/335,580
Elevation lost today/total: 0/341,127

Day 101

This morning we went around the Sisters and through an area that was scattered with obsidian. The volcanic glass made the trail glitter all around. The trail was reminiscent of the Sierras including a sort of mini-pass up some more volcanic rocks. Around mile 22 for the day the trail hit a lava field. This is the roughest trail I've seen since it was composed entirely of fist-sized, sharp volcanic rocks. It was like this for about four miles until it got smoother which helped us go for the highway and our biggest day of 40 miles.

Steps taken today/total: 78,211/4,192,027
Miles walked today/total: 40.61/1,998.36
Elevation gained today/total: 4,961/335,580
Elevation lost today/total: 6,060/341,127

Day 100

Since today was pretty flat we had a pretty good day. We went up in forest for a while and when we came out of the trees we had a great view of The Three Sisters. We slept with a great view of the South Sister.

Steps taken today/total: 64,770/4,113,816
Miles walked today/total: 35.07/1,957.75
Elevation gained today/total: 3,676/330,619
Elevation lost today/total: 3,337/341,127

Day 99

I finished the Oregon Skyline trail today into Shelter Cove by Odell Lake. The end of the trail follows a gorgeous stream through a forest. After a short climb the trail passed by a series of small lakes where we stopped to swim. After the lakes we hit a 100k ultramarathon that was on the PCT for a bit. This meant that there were aid stations for the runners who were eager to help out hikers as well. We got fruit and other snacks. We camped by a lake where there was a troop of boy scouts camping who offered us even more food.

Steps taken today/total: 58,733/4,049,076
Miles walked today/total: 30.46/1,922.68
Elevation gained today/total: 4,638/326,943
Elevation lost today/total: 4,109/331,730

Day 98

The PCT hit the highest altitude in Oregon or Washington today at 7,572 feet. A little bit later the trail joined the Oregon Skyline trail, another alternate that passes more lakes than the PCT. The OST goes by Crescent Lake which has beautiful sand beaches.

Steps taken today/total: 62,986/3,990,343
Miles walked today/total: 30.33/1,875.76
Elevation gained today/total: 2,424/322,305
Elevation lost today/total: 3,819/327,621

Day 97

I finished the rim today and rejoined the PCT. The trail flattened out as we left the park but the forest had more dead trees so there was less shade. I had a climb up around Mount Thielsen which has beautiful sculpted peaks.

Steps taken today/total: 50,262/3,927,357
Miles walked today/total: 26.92/1,855.94
Elevation gained today/total: 2,829/319,881
Elevation lost today/total: 2,496/323,802

Day 96

Today we got to the fifth National Park on trail, Crater Lake. After stopping at Mazama Village for a burger, I hiked on. The official PCT doesn't actually go close enough to the lake to see it, but there is a practically compulsory alternate that goes around the west side of the rim. The view after climbing up the side of the now dormant volcano is astounding. Over the years rainwater has filled the crater and since there are no other ways for water to enter, the water has very little particulate matter. Another reason it's so stunning is that the lake is the deepest in America which makes the water almost unbelievably blue due to the scattering of light. I got to the rim as the sun was setting, so the water that was in shade already took my breath away because of how blue it was. Seriously, I can't get over the blueness. If aliens came and I were tasked with defining the color blue to them I would just show them Crater Lake. As the sun set more, the opposite walls became pink and the reflection in the lake had an iridescent effect like an oil spill. As I rounded a corner, all of a sudden the full moon was visible above the peak opposite the lake.

Steps taken today/total: 51,727/3,878,095
Miles walked today/total: 27.83/1,820.53
Elevation gained today/total: 3,457/317,052
Elevation lost today/total: 3,160/321,306

Day 95

Today didn't have the volcanic rocks yesterday did, but it presented a new problem. We have encountered blown down trees before but today was on another level with trees across the trail every 50 feet. My long legs helped in stepping over some, but there were some trees other hikers could duck under that forced me to take off my pack so I didn't have to crawl. We climbed at the end of the day and I got potentially my last view of Mt. Shasta, which was first visible almost 500 miles ago.

Steps taken today/total: 46,193/3,826,368
Miles walked today/total: 27.31/1,798.20
Elevation gained today/total: 3,957/313,595
Elevation lost today/total: 2,674/320,996

Day 94

Today ruined the idea that Oregon was perfectly flat with the level, spongy trail we were promised. We actually had to walk uphill today and there were patches of volcanic rock that bit into your feet. On a positive note, we had two instances of trail magic today. Around lunch time we stopped at an old cabin for water and just as we were about to leave, a couple and their dogs came in with coolers full of soda and snacks. As we walked into our planned campsite there was a woman there with a grill making chili dogs. We talked with her for a while about how hiker season helps her restaurant out so this is her way of paying it forward.

Steps taken today/total: 54,942/3,780,175
Miles walked today/total: 29.10/1,770.89
Elevation gained today/total: 3,287/309,638
Elevation lost today/total: 3,410/318,322

Day 93

Today was relatively uneventful until we got to a road where we were able to hitch into Hyatt Lake Resort and get milkshakes. The trail was smooth and flat, so at least today Oregon is living up to the hype.

Steps taken today/total: 46,776/3,725,233
Miles walked today/total: 24.25/1,741.79
Elevation gained today/total: 4,620/306,351
Elevation lost today/total: 3,659/314,912

Day 92

Today was spent doing chores around town and eating as much as we could before getting back on trail. We did a couple miles and camped at the last spot on the map that looked like it would be big enough for all of us.

Steps taken today/total: 11,344/3,768,457
Miles walked today/total: 2.27/1,717.54
Elevation gained today/total: 253/301,731
Elevation lost today/total: 76/311,253

Day 91

I had a short day today into Ashland which was nice after pulling my longest day yet. When we got to town we immediately went to the Indian buffet which Ultralight had been looking forward to since Tehachapi. After filling up on curry and masala we spent the rest of the day in our hotel room relaxing and getting caught up on the Olympics.

Steps taken today/total: 29,512/3,667,113
Miles walked today/total: 12.93/1,715.17
Elevation gained today/total: 1,580/301,478
Elevation lost today/total: 3,567/311,177

Day 90

I'm finally in Oregon! Around 3:00 I hit mile 1,689, the border between California and Oregon. If you look at a map and draw a straight line between the southern terminus and the border crossing it would show you that there are only 740 miles between them. You can drive along the coast the length of the state and finish in 840 miles. It took me three months to get through, while Oregon will take less than three weeks. Right before the border there is a run-down cabin in a meadow where farmers used to stay when sorting cattle. Nowadays, it's being repaired and the people working on it bring out snacks and drinks for PCT hikers.

Steps taken today/total: 72,518/3,637,601
Miles walked today/total: 37.05/1,702.24
Elevation gained today/total: 6,989/299,898
Elevation lost today/total: 5,878/307,610

Day 89

Seiad Valley has a cafe where we ate breakfast this morning with some great seasonal dishes with locally picked blackberries. After breakfast the others I'm hiking with headed out to the trail and I stuck back to wait for the package with my new shoes. I'm happy to replace my old pair which have over 1,000 miles of hiking in them. Once my shoes got in I hit one of the toughest climbs of the trail coming out of the valley. It's the steepest sustained climb so far and it slowed me down quite a bit. This is the last night I plan on spending in California, with the border just 24 miles away.

Steps taken today/total: 26,669/3,565,083
Miles walked today/total: 11.26/1,665.19
Elevation gained today/total: 4,964/292,909
Elevation lost today/total: 743/301,732

Day 88

Remember after Agua Dulce when I said I hoped there weren't any more road walks? Well, that turned out to be wishful thinking. After dropping down 5,000 feet, the last six miles into Seiad Valley were on a road, with the last four on pavement. The frustrating thing about it is that you can see the town across the Klamath river  before the last four miles but there isn't a bridge until you walk all the way around to the highway. However, when I got into town things turned around. We heard about taco Tuesday at Indigo's Kitchen and when we got there Indigo was nice enough to let us camp in her yard and charge phones overnight.

Steps taken today/total: 62,351/3,538,414
Miles walked today/total: 30.95/1,653.93
Elevation gained today/total: 4,103/287,945
Elevation lost today/total: 8,694/300,989

Day 87

This morning we got off to a pretty lazy start, getting in trail around 7:00. This carried over to the day, as it seemed like none of us were as motivated as usual. The Marble Mountain Wilderness offered great scenery and a couple of good views of Mt. Shasta, which we have seen every day since we did the Hat Creek Rim. Today the peak was shrouded by clouds that gave it a very Olympian feel which is a little ironic because I'm unable to watch the Olympics due to being out in the middle of the wilderness.

Steps taken today/total: 50,240/3,476,063
Miles walked today/total: 23.55/1,622.98
Elevation gained today/total: 4,206/283,932
Elevation lost today/total: 4,731/292,295

Day 86

I did the last few miles into Etna this morning and waited about an hour for a hitch. When one finally came we were surprised to see dogs in the bed of the truck. For the ten miles down to town the dogs were running around between people to be petted. We then  found a nice restaurant with all day breakfast which is one of my favorite things to get in town. On the way back to the trailhead our second hitch also had dogs in the car, so we got to cuddle with them all the way back up. We did a few more miles to camp, where we were joined by Woodchuck.

Steps taken today/total: 27,982/3,425,823
Miles walked today/total: 11.10/1599.43
Elevation gained today/total: 1,899/279,730
Elevation lost today/total: 2,311/287,564

Day 85

Today was a pretty long day with a decent amount of climbing so it was pretty tough. We started off in the Trinity Wilderness for a while then entered the Russian Wilderness, which had beautiful sculpted mountains that we walked through. As I went to bed I could hear a thunderstorm rolling in the distance.

Steps taken today/total: 63,672/3,397,841
Miles walked today/total: 30.58/1,588.32
Elevation gained today/total: 6,616/277,831
Elevation lost today/total: 5,100/285,253

Day 84

It rained today! This was the first rain I've been in for eighty days on trail, so it was a nice change from the dry heat we've been having. Right before the rain started I met Purple Rain and her five week old son, Sunny. Purple Rain hiked the AT a few years ago and was out doing trail magic while taking Sunny on his first hike. At the end of the day we camped at a highway with even more trail magic, this time in the form of five coolers filled with all sorts of snacks and cold drinks.

Steps taken today/total: 62,940/3,397,841
Miles walked today/total: 28.93/1,557.74
Elevation gained today/total: 2,054/271,215
Elevation lost today/total: 3,651/280,153

Day 83

Today we walked through some cool scenery to get to Porcupine Lake for camp. The lake reminded me of the lakes in the Sierras because of the granite mountains around it and how still it was. We got to camp pretty early so when we were sitting around someone had the idea to have a rock skipping contest on the lake. The rocks we found were not ideal, but Steve and I tied for first with eight skips each.

Steps taken today/total: 52,061/3,334,901
Miles walked today/total: 24.12/1,528.81
Elevation gained today/total: 6,171/269,161
Elevation lost today/total: 1,886/276,502

Day 82

We spent the first half of the day in town making the most of the hotel room we had. After getting a hot meal we started hitching back to the trailhead and met Rob, who took us to his house and gave us some home brewed root beer. After a few hours of conversation and playing with his dog he drove us to the trail to start going. We walked by Castle Crags, a large granite formation.

Steps taken today/total: 14,823/3,282,840
Miles walked today/total: 6.01/1,504.71
Elevation gained today/total: 1,467/262,990
Elevation lost today/total: 912/274,616

Day 81

This morning we woke up in Dunsmuir and learned that some hikers we knew were in Shasta City so we hitched up there. The city is right under Mt. Shasta so we had a nice view from our hotel room. We relaxed and watched TV in air conditioning, a welcome respite from the heat.

Steps taken today/total: 0/3,268,017
Miles walked today/total: 0/1,498.70
Elevation gained today/total: 0/261,523
Elevation lost today/total: 0/273,704

Day 80

This morning we planned on stopping short of interstate 5 and going into town tomorrow, but today went more easily than anticipated, even with a couple of tough climbs. We got to the interstate and got a hitch into Dunsmuir, where we plan on zeroing tomorrow.

Steps taken today/total: 60,596/3,268,017
Miles walked today/total: 30.28/1,498.70
Elevation gained today/total: 8,484/261,523
Elevation lost today/total: 8,873/273,704

Day 78

Early this morning we crossed a bridge over a bone dry, rocky creek bed. A mile later, that creek bed turned into a huge waterfall 129 feet tall and nearly as wide. Burney Falls is a spring-fed waterfall that has hundreds of thousands of gallons of water flow over it every day, even when the creek upstream is completely dry. After the falls we walked over the Lake Britton Dam and then had a 2,500 foot climb. It was hot again today so we took our first siesta in 800 miles to avoid the sun.

Steps taken today/total: 52,272/3,144,491
Miles walked today/total: 25.52/1,437.95
Elevation gained today/total: 4,611/248,176
Elevation lost today/total: 3,680/257,456

Day 77

Last night on the rim was the hottest I've had all trip. Due to this heat wave we got up early to try to get to Burney before the heat of the day started. We had 17 miles to town that we wanted to do by noon. However, just before the highway we needed to hitch on we ran into trail magic! The daughter of a hiker named Phantom was there to surprise him so she and some friends brought pulled pork sandwiches, chips, and homemade desserts out for hikers. The pulled pork blew the McDonald's I was anticipating out of the water. When Phantom for there he and his daughter embraced, crying. I'm lucky I got to share such a special moment (and food) with him.
After the trail magic we went into Burney for food and to beat the heat. Coming out of town, we didn't even have to walk a mile before running into more trail magic in the form of a shaded picnic table and cooler full of drinks and snacks. The couple who stocks it was there, so we were able to thank them personally and sign in to their register.

Steps taken today/total: 43,452/3,092,219
Miles walked today/total: 21.40/1,412.43
Elevation gained today/total: 679/243,565
Elevation lost today/total: 2,316/254,076

Day 75

After a short climb we entered Lassen Volcanic National Park. One of the first trail junctions took us to Terminal Geyser, which isn't really a geyser, but a steam vent. We could smell the sulfur from a mile away, but couldn't see it until we came around a corner. The vent heated up the water so much it was still steaming 500 yards downstream. After the geyser, we came across Boiling Springs Lake, a noxious looking green lake with mudpots around the edge. The mudpots were bubbling fiercely from the volcanic gasses escaping the ground. After the lake the hike was pretty standard, if not a bit easier than normal. It was mostly level for the rest of the day, with one small climb and descent. Tomorrow we will enter the dreaded Hat Creek Rim, the second longest dry stretch of the PCT.

Steps taken today/total: 55,749/2,996,961
Miles walked today/total: 29.02/1,367.18
Elevation gained today/total: 3,531/241,300
Elevation lost today/total: 3,768/250,017

Day 73

I am finally closer to Canada than Mexico! I hit the halfway point this morning on my way to Chester to resupply. When we got to town we went to a pizza buffet where I met Steve, who had hiked with the other guys before he had to go home for a week. The six of us, Sam, Babu, Ultralight, Brian, Steve, and I, got a hotel room for the night and we had a relaxing evening including huge one-quart milkshakes from a burger stand. When I went out to get snacks I ran into French Fry and he came back to our room.

Steps taken today/total: 32,389/2,921,193
Miles walked today/total: 13.72/1,328.80
Elevation gained today/total: 2,543/236,553
Elevation lost today/total: 3,975/245,017

Day 79

We started off with a small climb this morning but after that it was level and downhill the rest of the day. The trail went down into a beautiful canyon that had dense trees which provided nice shade from the heatwave we're in now. We got to the bottom of the canyon and camped by the river.

Steps taken today/total: 62,930/3,207,421
Miles walked today/total: 30.47/1,468.42
Elevation gained today/total: 4,863/253,039
Elevation lost today/total: 7,375/264,831

Day 76

Before we got to the waterless stretch today, we ran into some caves left by volcanic activity. One was a collapsed lava tube that the trail goes over, so we scrambled down into it for some impromptu spelunking. A mile later, we went off trail to see Subway Cave, a large lava tube left when the surface of a river of lava solidified and the inside didn't. It kept flowing until the source ran out, leaving a tube that can be walked through. The trailhead at the tube was the last reliable water source for 30 miles, so we came away with heavy packs. Once we got up on Hat Creek Rim we had a great view of Mt. Lassen behind us and Mt. Shasta in front. It was about 95 degrees today and the lack of trees on the rim made the hiking feel a lot like the desert. After six hours and plenty of breaks under bushes, we found a water cache that will make tomorrow much more comfortable since we were carrying the bare minimum amount of water we need to close out the last dry miles.

Steps taken today/total: 51,806/3,048,767
Miles walked today/total: 24.35/1,391.03
Elevation gained today/total: 1,586/242,886
Elevation lost today/total: 1,743/251,760

Day 74

We took a chill day today and didn't get back on trail for awhile so we only did 9 miles. French Fry decided to zero, so hopefully he catches up and we can see him again. We camped by the north fork of the Feather River, the river we swam in a few days ago. Tomorrow we will enter the fourth National Park on trail, Lassen Volcanic.

Steps taken today/total: 20,019/2,941,212
Miles walked today/total: 9.36/1,338.16
Elevation gained today/total: 1,216/237,769
Elevation lost today/total: 1,232/246,249