Month: August 2023

It was hard to sleep last night as it was uncomfortably warm. The low altitude (around 2000 feet) has something to do with this, but I suspect that another “heat dome” has moved in to plague the Pacific Northwest again. A half mile or so of walking brought me to the bottom of the gorge Read More …

A mostly uneventful hike through forest toward the Columbia Gorge. There were occasional views of Mt Hood behind me, and Mt Adams in Washington to the north. But mostly it was just tedious walking through an undistinguished forest. So, in true hiker fashion, I complained about it even though it was not difficult or in Read More …

A day of lounging around the Timberline Lodge was not enough to restore my ankle and knee to full health. But they were better. My ankle hurt only when extended. I just had to walk more slowly and not push off on it. My knee was sore but not that sore. Liberal doses of diclofenac Read More …

Just about any account of hiking the PCT waxes ecstatic in its description of the breakfast buffet at the Timberline Lodge. Calorie-deprived hikers who have been living on ramen and instant oatmeal gorge themselves on unlimited amounts of 5-star breakfast food for a very reasonable price, at a location that is just a couple hundred Read More …

I am 0/2 so far on cowboy camping on this trip. Once again I went to bed with blue skies and then stars. Once again I woke up around 3 to clouds and the smell of rain. I avoided getting up for as long as I could but a few drops in my face spurred Read More …

Possibly the easiest 20 miles I’ve ever hiked. The trail was clear and even and mostly slightly downhill. The forest was rich, the trees were large and graceful. Most of the route is through the Warm Springs Reservation. There were occasional views of Mt Hood, but mostly it was just a forest walk, one so Read More …

I slept in until the shockingly late hour of 7am. I am getting more used to sleeping on a thin foam pad on the ground. This is an important step in attaining the feral state that is so helpful in long distance hiking. There had been a few sprinkles and it was still cloudy so Read More …

Today was the inverse of yesterday – a terrible start and fine finish. Although it did not rain much more last night, a wet foggy wind swept through the camp, ensuring that every wet thing stayed wet. That included my clothes which were very much still cold and soggy in the morning. I considered hiking Read More …

This was a day that went from perfect to perfectly awful. Got a somewhat late start after eating breakfast at the BLYC, and it was near lunchtime by the time I made the 5 mile climb through the forest to Santiam Pass (US 20). The pass is a popular trailhead and at the junction with Read More …

I cowboy camped at McKenzie Pass last night under clear skies. Around 3 I woke up. It was cloudy and smelled like rain. I hopped up and pitched the tent and an hour later it commenced raining. Catastrophe averted. The rain was pretty much done by the time I finished my coffee, so it was Read More …