Daily Miles: 21.9, Total Miles: 2155.0 I smelled smoke first thing in the morning and suspected it’s from the Dalles fire east of here. Hiking along Waucoma Ridge, a great panorama of Mts St Helens, Adams and now Rainier. Ate quite a few thimbleberries on this stretch. I dropped to Indian Springs on the steepest two miles downhill I have experienced so far. My legs were quivering a bit at the finish. I then connected to Eagle Creek Trail which…
Daily Miles: 25.8, Total Miles: 2133.1 I got a second shot at the breakfast buffet – a repeat of yesterday except I skipped the biscuits and gravy. What restraint on a hiking day! I passed under the ski lift shortly after leaving the lodge. Still a fair number of skiers up on the glacier. Great views back toward Mt Jefferson and even to Three Sisters. I descended the side of Mt Hood and crossed Sandy River, appropriately named. Took the…
Daily Miles: 3.6, Total Miles: 2107.3 Only four miles uphill to Timberline Lodge with close views of Mt Hood. Timberline Lodge was built by the WPA in the 1930’s and is quite the rustic lodge. The exterior of Timberline was used in the movie, The Shining. Of all the entry doors to choose from, I somehow chose the one straight into the buffet, joined Prophet, Cleats and Side Project who had already started. The first plate was eggs, potatoes, sausage,…
Daily Miles: 35.0, Total Miles: 2103.7 Nearly the entire day was spent under a forest canopy. Although a bright, sunny day, I didn’t even put on my sunglasses. Relatively flat, gentle terrain today heading north, crossing Warm Springs River and traversing around Timothy Lake. Just prior to the lake, I met trail angels who had set up a nice spread of snacks and fruit. Thanks Kelly, that was wonderful! Took a side trip to Little Crater Lake, a large artesian…
Daily Miles: 27.7, Total Miles: 2068.7 I was almost asleep last night when I heard something snuffling around outside my tent. I yelled “Get out!” and whatever it was took off and clipped the end of Prophet’s tent, sending one of his stakes flying and collapsing his tent. We did find the missing stake in the morning. Woke up to clear skies and sunrise on Mt Jefferson and Scout Lake – absolutely beautiful! The glaciers were clearly visible on the…
Daily Miles: 29.5, Total Miles: 2041.0 Wow, what a sunrise this morning from my campsite on Three Fingered Jack! I continued to climb up and around the west slope of Three Fingered Jack and then got on the Cascade Divide. I passed Shale Lake and descended to Mill Creek, a silty, glacial stream. Climbed up Woodpecker Ridge, grazing on huckleberries, and views of upcoming Mt. Jefferson. I made a treacherous crossing of very fast flowing Russell Creek – heavy flows…
Daily Miles: 22.0, Total Miles: 2011.5 Not much traffic this morning so a fairly difficult hitch out Highway 242 – back on the trail at 10:30am. The trail immediately entered Mt Washington Wilderness and crossed a lengthy basalt flow towards Mt Washington, eventually climbing up the northwest side with good views of the steep walled peak. I crossed the Santiam Highway 20 and stocked up at a water cache. Met a few trail angels leaving some candy treats and I…
Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 1989.5 I had a good rest in Sisters, a nice, friendly little town. I replaced some worn socks and got a few other supplies. Couldn’t pass up a blackberry milkshake before walking back to the motel. I bought a roast beef sandwich and potato salad at the grocery store deli across the street and had a little picnic on the balcony of my motel room.
Daily Miles: 20.3, Total Miles: 1989.5 On the trail early so saw the sunrise over the Three Sisters. Two old forces at work here, firstly, volcanic, and secondly, glacial. I passed by Middle Sister, just over 10,000 ft, and then The Husband, an old volcanic plug to the west. 50 ft high Obsidian Falls was beautiful. The trail was littered with obsidian chips and then walked by hills and outcrops of pure obsidian. I got water at Minnie Scott Spring,…
Daily Miles: 29.6, Total Miles: 1969.2 I got an early start because I was thinking of a side trip to Elk Lake Resort for a late lunch if I can get some early miles in. I passed a number of stagnant ponds and small lakes, most not having much of an outlet. Had to get water from some of the less cloudy ponds. I had hiked nearly 20 miles by 2pm so headed down to Elk Lake off the Island…
