July 6-14, days 98-106
PCT: 3,375 km, total kilometers hiked: 1,660 km
We've been underway to Bend since July 6. Spent last night at Timberline Lodge (where the outside shots were filmed for "The Shining"), located just below Mt Hood, Oregon’s highest peak (altitude: 3,245 meters) and an active volcano. It’s the world’s most climbed glacial summit, with 12 glaciers, according to Wikipedia; according to the ranger, though, there are only 10 now, “Yes, global warming exists!" Mt Hood is surrounded by a vast skiing area.
Factoid: Built in 1937, Timberline Lodge is the only 20th century building of its size constructed manually: wood, iron, textiles, tiles, mosaics, etc. were handcrafted by local artisans, many in the Art Deco style. Many paintings date from the year of its construction; Expressionistism abounds. The lodge’s snowgoose logo harks back to Native American symbols representing the moons of the year. The most famous moon is April’s, or the wild goose or snowgoose moon, which adorns the weathervane atop the main house’s roof. Since 1987, when Timberline Lodge celebrated its 50th anniversary, the snowgoose has served as its logo.
In three days we hope to reach Cascade Locks, on the border to Washington State. This is also where the Bridge of the Gods is, which crosses the Columbia River – and the place where Cheryl Strayed, portrayed by Reese Witherspoon in the movie "Wild," ended her PCT hike and met the man who would eventually become her future husband.
En route to Timberline Lodge, we had to slog through snow to overcome Mt. Jefferson, the second highest mountain in Oregon. But since there were enough footprints in the snow in the meantime, it was easier going than expected, and the mosquitos slacked off as well. We're done with snow for now – what a great feeling! Meanwhile, we camped at Olallie Lake, practically on the PCT, where there was a small store rumored to offer decent coffee. For vacationers, the spot can only be reached via dirt road. The tiny resort boasts a few very cute cabins, which need to be booked way in advance. Solar modules provide power. Nearby: a few campsites with picnic tables, good fire places and a spacious, very clean pit toilet. Outside the store we found a water spigot for drinking water. And for PCT hikers, the campsites are free! The store was well stocked, the coffee excellent, but they would only take cash – rare in the USA – and we only had $13. At $2.50 per cup, $1.50 per refill, and the desire to drink coffee in the morning, plus 2-3 other small items, our cash reserves weren't enough. As the couple who runs the place explained with a grin, the lack of reliable "electricity" was to blame, and they also didn't want to rely on credit cards: "That makes us different. We are sure in Timberline they accept credit cards." A small trail register revealed that Scratch and Gourmet (the Canadian couple we interviewed in Hiker Heaven/Agua Dulce, CA) had passed through here nearly 2 weeks ago, which meant they flipped the sierra like us. Skittels and Beast (what happened to Saviour?), who left helpful tracks in Devils Peak, OR, and whom we'd interviewed in Manzama Village, had also passed through a week before us.
Some people are unbelievably fast and consistent hikers ...
We met our first one, a "real" southbounder, just before closing time: Pavel, from Russia, visibly pleased about the coffee ("I love coffee!") and danish awaiting him. He started off on June 1 in Canada, heading south in order to encounter as few hikers as possible en route. Normally, hikers are advised not to start before July if they're going southbound. We had a great and funny interview with Pavel. He spoke of a difficult winter in Washington State, lots of snow and freezing temperatures, which he's used to, being Russian. He’s hiking the PCT to commemorate his deceased father. A few years earlier, he climbed the highest peak in his Russian homeland – in order to be closer to his mother! In the end he gifted us $5 and Beetle, a hiker who'd been trekking with Skipper. Skipper, in turn, had already headed off, gifting us another $10. Thus our expenses for coffee and groceries were covered.
Just before we met Pavel, a hiker named Battle Plan popped in. We'd seen her in Hikertown and Downhill Mike had heard of her. Nomen est omen: her daily quota is 25 miles a day ... She showed us how to fill a thermal mat with air using a trash bag and a hair tie. She's got everything mapped out perfectly. Blowing air into the sleeping mat every evening can be a pain in the neck, leaving you a bit woozy depending on how the day's hike went; on the other hand, it also strengthens your diaphragmatic breathing (maybe not a bad idea for Sabine's future singing ambitions?).
Met Rebecca and Symbria, two American hikers, in the evening at the campsite. Plus brothers Jonathan and Daniel (hiking southbound through Oregon). And Santa, en route in a car with his wife, for which reason he had a lots of beer cans, which he generously shared with everyone. A fun time was had by all with beer and chips by the campfire. In the morning, we met French siblings Christian and Isabel while having excellent coffee from the store. Christian is a cartoonist and works in Hollywood’s animation sector! He lives in Los Angeles; Isabel was visiting him from Lille, France.
We discovered one of the most beautiful spots at Timothy Lake, a tent site by a small bay, entirely private. We swam, enjoyed the sunset, made a campfire, cooked a delicious meal. Once again, we remember why we're doing this: these are the unexpected rewards. A favorite food is tasteless if you eat it every day ... The last two weeks in Oregon have reconciled us once again with this state and the trail. As have our encounters, of course! ♥️.
We’d planned to take a bus from the lodge to Government Camp to buy groceries, then return an hour later. But we missed the bus because we couldn't withdraw cash from the ATM at the lodge and the
bus only takes cash! The manager gave us $5, but by then the bus had already left. Without further ado, we stopped a car at the parking lot and hitched a ride with a father-and-son pair who'd
gone climbing. Spent rather a lot of money. Purchased cherries from a street vendor. Took the bus back up. Surprise: the bus was free that weekend! Several couples in the bus wore elegant evening
attire – a funny contrast. There was a wedding at the lodge, which we experienced vicariously most of the night. Before dinner, we enjoyed a dip in the pool, a visit to the spa, and a short stint
in the sauna.
The food at Timberline, by the way, is outstanding – the best we've eaten in the US to date – regional, fair, and with pizzazz. Many of the ingredients are produced in Oregon and Washington. The
chefs, on the other hand, are rumored to be Austrian/German. Sabine ordered "Alpine Spaetzle" with cauliflower and Oregon lamb. The Spätzle were little spaetzle buttons with a touch of cheese,
bacon bits, Dijon mustard seeds sprinkled around the plate, and slivers of fresh apple. Fantastic. Olli had "Danish Pork" with fennel. Rarely eaten such delicious pork. Of course, it has its
price. With two glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon, bread and butter, appetizers, and a shared dessert, all in generous portions, beautifully arranged, excellent service, we dropped $117, but it was
well worth the price. In the US, it’s customary to leave a 10-25 % tips because hourly wages are low. We usually leave a tip somewhere in the middle, with a few exceptions. The breakfast buffet
at the lodge is rumored by PCT hikers to be legendary; it’s a rich topic of conversation miles before arriving there. We met Rebecca and Symbria again at the bar that night; although we assumed
they'd arrived before us, they had only arrived that evening. They too had tarried at Timothy Lake. The French siblings had already left. Rebecca and Symbria had originally planned to hike to
Cascades Locks, but are spending their last days in Portland instead. Because her backpack is too heavy, Rebecca’s ankle is swollen and she needs to return to her job as a chemist with a
petroleum company in Alaska soon. Her job involves some lab work, but also taking samples, etc. Symbria, a psychology student who plans to work in the wildlife sector, wants to write up her PCT
hike for her dissertation. We were on our way to bed when we were joyfully approached by Nicolai, a Russian who lives in the Mt Hood area, and Catherine: he’d proposed to her on the mountain
today - and she accepted. They were dying to tell someone ...
Due to such stops at Crater Lake Lodge, Timberline Lodge, and several other zero days with good foot, our PCT budget is dwindling noticeably! We'll probably only stay for one day at Cascade Locks
...
Link to photos:
July 7
July 8
July 9
July 10
July 11
July 12
July 13
July 14