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 yards off the PCT. It is the ultimate hiker dream made manifest.
So I did not linger and was up and out at first light. I’d heard that the buffet ended at 9. I needed to make a 6-mile, 2000-foot climb to get there. Time to hustle.
Me charging up the sandy slope of Mt Hood. Photo courtesy of CatchUp
The first 4 miles went quickly enough — good trail, not too steep. The last two were a slog up a steep slope of fine gray volcanic sand. I pushed through it as best I could, churning sand with every step, determined not to be late.
I made it by 8:30, plenty of time to spare. More than plenty — the buffet actually is open until 11. Also it costs $30 now, quite a jump over last year’s price of $19.
And it was nothing special. I’d say the food was on a par with Denny’s. This is not a snark. I think Denny’s is pretty good. But just pretty good, not fabulous or life-changing. You have to be darned hungry to get excited about eating at Denny’s. Same goes for the TImberline buffet.
I shared a table with TipToe. He was fully satisfied with his buffet experience. But then he had just completed the 24-hour challenge, hiking 61 miles in one day to arrive here at breakfast time. I suspect he was more than a touch delirious at this point, and in no condition to offer up savvy culinary criticism.
Although the food was not spectacular, the setting was: a stone-and-timber lodge built in 1937, tall windows showcasing Mt. Hood to the north and the Cascades down to Mt. Jefferson and beyond to the south.
Each time I got up my knee felt more cranky. Also the front tendon on my left ankle now hurt, no doubt from over-extension while chugging up the sandy slope. I thought it best to take the rest of the day off. I had passed the hiker campground on the way in, but it was on an exposed ridge enveloped in wind-blown sand. No thanks.
A spot in the dorm room was available for only $240, which included a $50 food credit. The alternative to this price-gouging was the campground, or taking a bus to Government Camp and finding a motel. My priority was staying off my feet and icing my knee and ankle, so I paid up. No other hikers found the Lodge’s offer attractive, I had the dorm room to myself.
I spent the day much as you would imagine: showering, lounging, icing, drinking beer and eating an overpriced sandwich. There is a showing of “The Shining” (much of which was filmed here), but it is at 10pm. No way I can stay awake until the start, much less the ending. No movie is that scary.