It Started with a Miss

When my resupply box did not show up at Shelter Cove as scheduled, I found myself feeling grateful which caught me somewhat by surprise. I was going to use the resupply to get me to Santiam Pass 4 days later so that I could meet up with my good friend Dan who was going to join me for the stretch to Cascade Locks. 

Thanks to the UPS driver, I was now sipping my coffee and wondering what my options were for resupply and questioning if I could in fact hike the distance to Santiam Pass in time to meet my friend on Sunday afternoon. 

As luck would have it, a fellow hiker was getting off trail for the day to visit with a friend he met while thru hiking the AT. His friend offered me a ride to town, but I had to decide in 5 min if I wanted to take it. I took the ride. I needed a resupply.

As I sat in the backseat looking for resupply options on FarOut for the town, an inner voice whispered to me – ‘take a break.’  With a deep breath and a long exhale, I realized what I really needed was a couple of days off the trail.

I would only realize later while at the trail angel’s house in Bend just how tired my body was. My feet ached. My legs were fatigued. I was hungry for non trail food. I wanted to sit on something comfortable. I wanted to just chill for a bit. I was tired. I need a break from the PCT. Physically and emotionally.

I had always heard of Bend Oregon and had wanted to visit, but I had never found myself in central Oregon. Sitting in that car, I realized I was just a short drive away.  With the help of FarOut, I had a place to stay and a bus ride booked before I got out of the car. 

When Emma picked me up at the bus station, she warned me that she had 3 dogs at her house. She knew immediately from my smile that I am a dog person so there was no reason to explain anything to me. I needed some doggie time anyway as I had not seen my lab since April. 

I spent 2 days exploring Bend. I ate great food, drank delicious coffee, watched movies with Emma and other hikers at her house, played with the dogs, watched people float the river in town, and just relaxed. For once it was great to have a couple of zeros that were not focused on laundry and resupply. Bend was just what I had needed. Time there was like a resupply box for my soul. 

After I got re-energized in Bend, I caught a ride just up the road to Sisters to meet my friend Dan who was coming in from Portland via bus. My day in Sisters was my trail resupply day, but I was ready to hang out when my friend Dan arrived that afternoon. 

I have met some amazing people while on the PCT, but there is something special when you catch up with a true friend. We grabbed a bite to eat and then sat and talked while enjoying an Oregon Pinot Noir. When in Oregon…

Back on Trail

Dan and I got back on the trail at Santiam Pass. It took us 4 days to hike the 100 miles to Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood. Those 4 days turned out to be classic PCT days which I was glad that Dan got to experience. 

Day 1 was a hike through burn scars with a good climb. We camped on the south side of Jefferson and then spent Day 2 hiking around Jefferson and descending to Olallie Lake. Day 2 was dusty and very hot. Enjoying a cold lemonade from the store at Olallie Lake was a great way to end the day. 

Day 3 saw us hiking through lush forest along beautiful trails. It was cooler and the shade from the trees was welcome after the 2 previous days in burn scars. Just before we got to camp, we saw an awning through the trees. Dan got to experience his first trail magic. Carbs was nice enough to make us grilled toast with egg in the middle. We both ate 4 pieces while sitting in the chairs that Carbs had provided.

When we got to the horse camp just a mile down the trail, we sat up camp next to a picnic table. I cannot stress enough how luxurious a picnic table, a pit toilet, and a water spigot are after 4 months on the PCT.

Day 4 was the beautiful hike and climb up to Timberline lodge. 

At Timberline, we decided to get off trail to deal with an injury. While this meant that I would not be hiking to Cascade Locks, it was an easy decision for me as I wanted to maximize the time with my friend. Plus I know we will come back to finish this section at some point in the future. Besides it will give me an excuse to climb Mt Hood which has always been on my bucket list. 

Time with Family

Since early July, I had Aug 5th on my calendar as that was the day my parents were flying into Portland to spend a few days with me. After hanging with Dan for a few days in town, I met my folks at the airport. Over the next few days, it was magical to hang out with them. I would like to say that we did a ton of tourist things in Portland, but that would not be true. We ate well, visited Powell’s bookstore and relaxed a lot at the Airbnb. 

When I dropped my parents at the airport for their flight home, I found myself ready an excited to get back on the trail. I am on the home stretch now and have some beautiful sections of WA ahead of me. I also have more friends joining me on trail shortly. 

Looking back at the time since I left Shelter Cove, I am happy that I got off trail for an extended period of time. I was way more tired that I realized – physically and emotionally. I also realize just how much I treasure my friends and my family. The 4 days on trail with Dan are 4 of my favorite days on the PCT. And spending time with my mom and dad was precious. 

Now that I am back on trail, I am looking forward to everything that Washington will be serving up. I have climbed Mt Adams and Mt Rainier multiple times so hiking past them will  give me a new perspective of places that I love. I am also certain I will find parts of Washington I want to explore again in the future. 

Until next time. Happy Trails!

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• Hiked Today: 20.5 miles

  • Appalachian Trail (2,083.8 – 2,104.3)

• Total Hiked: 4,037.5 miles
• Total Paddled: 99.5 miles

Weather: 55-77°F, sunny, with just a few clouds. No wind. Nice.

Elevation: 575 – 2,670 feet

ME Route 15 & Shaw’s Hiker Hostel to Barren Mtn Spot

At 5:40 am I unzipped and crawled out of the tent and then headed into the hiker lounge. I wanted to have all my devices 100% charged and was close, but not quite there yet. Sitting in a cozy chair, a hiker soon walked by with a steaming ceramic mug in hand. That was my cue to go fetch my own cup of joe.

After a while I got myself motivated to start packing up. My tent was pretty soaked with condensation, so I was strategic about setting that out to dry and shoving everything else in first. Inside the house again, the tables had all been set and most hikers gathered a little before 7:00 am for Shaw’s famous hiker breakfast.

It was a wonderful experience. Great conversation, lots of laughs and stories about our silly life on trail, and some of the best victuals (this is a word my dad uses and he’s the only one I know that does) of the entire journey. I devoured it all… crispy bacon, fried potatoes with onions, 3 perfectly fried eggs, and best of all, blueberry pancakes

I sat with Potter, Oatmeal, Jodie (I think), Shorts from Canada and Pooh Bear from Belgium. With folks seated it was a little easier to guestimate how many of us there were and I’d say in the 25-30 range, maybe more. More than a few were hikers I met earlier on trail at various points.

Shaw’s is an incredible place and I had such a wonderful experience staying. On my 2019 hike of the PCT I was fortunate to get the chance to stay with some of the legendary trail angel hosts of that trail, Scout and Frodo’s near the southern terminus and also the Saufley’s “Hiker Heaven.” This felt like those stays… out of the ordinary warmth, kindness, hospitality, and a haven for weary hikers. It’s also been around since the 1970’s I believe, so there’s a ton of character and history that goes along with it. I was happy to have it be part of my ECT experience.

I wanted to get on the first shuttle back to trail if possible. Hoping for a full day of hiking, that early-ish start would be needed. And it worked out. I got myself all packed up, was one of the first to settle up my tab, and didn’t even have to throw any elbows to get a ride in that first vehicle leaving, which was driven by our host, Poet.

In my shuttle were Baby Talk and Rocket, Early Bird, Fire Tower, and Double Take (I think). We were all northbound for Katahdin except Double Take. At the trailhead, Poet gave us some last minute tips for side trail views and such and then left us with a haiku he came up with on his own AT journey. It was silly but thought provoking and heartfelt.

The others shot right on trail, but I stretched out and backtracked some to actually tie my walk together haha. I’m a semi-purist, I guess. Then, I hit it. The air was still and it became quiet quickly getting away from the road. As I passed Fire Tower, we both agreed it already felt like the trail, by offering up the peace and quiet, was suggesting we ruminate about the journey we’ve been on and it becoming nearer to its end. The ponds were near “glass” too furthering this idea of serenity and contemplation.

The first half of the day the hike was characterized by short bursts of up and down, but generally mellow. It was primarily a forest walk and I walked by several more ponds. There was a pretty stellar waterfall at Little Wilson Falls. And later on, the trail went up slightly higher in elevation to some ledges which offered some views.

I found a nice lunch spot around 12:30 pm.

I went into swim mode first, but came up against two challenges when I tried to take my quick dip. First, the boulders were all super slippery being covered with algae. I overcame this obstacle by being slow and careful and doing a kind of crab walk out to the deeper waters where I could finally plop in. The next dilemma, however caused me to retreat… horse flies! Huge ones that were biting my bare back and legs. I was slapping and stunning several, but this was yet another ambush. I retreated to shore, but they were relentless. I was thinking of getting the shoes on and running for my life, but they started to thin. Some lay at my feet and maybe I scared the others off. Maybe their natural habitat is closer to the water and they had to return? Whatever the reason, the onslaught ended and I was safe to enjoy my lunch in peace.

The first few hours of post-lunch were similar to pre-lunch, forestry stuff with some streamside walking. A little before 4:00 pm though, I started up the days bigger climb from around 600 feet elevation up to the 2,670 feet Barren Mountain. There was a first chunk and then it leveled out some before the second chunk sky rocketed up again.

After Barren Mountain, I got some flat-ish woods. See here’s what the trail looked like.

And this is what the woods would look like if I were to just be going cross country and no trail had been made.

I was very tired and considered stoping earlier than my picked out camp spot. The water ahead wasn’t reported to be great and maybe even non-existent at this point since the last report was “trickling” and about a week ago. But the closer camp spot was 0.3 miles off a side trail that was reportedly steep. There was a pond there. It shows how much I dislike going off trail that I kept going.

Once ahead at the water source, it wasn’t great. But, I’d gotten myself into a desperate situation and so made it work. The stream was not flowing anymore, but I found a pool, a.k.a., a puddle to fill up from. The water had a heavy brownish tan tint, but I cared not. Water is water, right? At least that’s what I was trying to convince myself. And so I continued 0.1 miles to a little tentsite and was happy it all worked out!

I got my first chance eating the super SPAM by dicing it up into my mac and cheese. I used one third of it, which was a lot! Pretty good combo though in my opinion. I did not get another loon lullaby this night, but instead was sung to sleep by the swarm of skeeters outside my tent!

It is such an incredible privilege to be on this journey backpacking across the eastern U.S. and I have so much gratitude for the opportunity. As I make the push to finish the Appalachian Trail, I’m also making a push to reach my goal in raising funds for Outdoors Empowered Network (OEN)! I’m trying to raise $2 for every mile I hike and am falling behind! Any amount helps… $2, $5, etc… it all adds up

The sad reality is that so many never come to know the benefits of connecting with nature. I want others to experience this relationship that has been so important in my life. Imagine a kid staring in wonder at a bright and colorful butterfly, laughing at a frog hopping away from them, being curious why the leaves are changing colors with the season. By donating, these are the things you’d be making happen!

So thank you for joining on the journey! It means a lot that you took the time to read up on these adventures. And if you want to help ALL kids get access to the outdoors, please help me in supporting OEN! The “Tip Author” button is a direct link to my fundraising page. Y’all are truly amazing. Thank you!

Podcast of the Day:

“Engines of  Outrage: Parts 1-4” – Landslide

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To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.

We are all tired.

At a certain point, hiking 15+ miles a day every day for five months wears on you. On top of the physical aspects that are causing more persistent foot pain and weariness, there have been growing mental and emotional battles.

Less than a week after Cheese left, Fail announced he was going to leave the trail too. Cheese I was already missing, but I had weeks to prepare mentally for his departure, and we left knowing we would be able to stay friends after the trail. Fail’s departure was less of a slow preparation to leave the trail in favor of something else (law school, for Cheese), and more of a snapping of a over-tightened elastic band. Fail has been struggling with pain and rotating injuries for months, and he has said repeatedly that he is really only still on the trail because he likes hanging out with us. Otherwise, he doesn’t like the hiking and he wants to be home. Despite his protestations and complaining week after week, I’m not sure any of us really believed he would quit.

And then he did.

The loss of Fail came at a shit time for me, personally. He was one of my first trail friends, and he and Cheese and Stoker were my original tramily since  Hot Springs, NC. That’s about 1300 miles of hiking together, and 4.5 months of knowing each other, which on the trail, is a long time. I never expected him to leave, and after Cheese was gone I told the remaining tramily I would be taking some time alone, skipping the next zero to go my own pace for a week, intending to reset mentally and process over some other frustrations that come with spending 24/7 with the same people for weeks on end.

Over the last few weeks as we prepared to send Cheese off, the tramily dynamics got a little tense, and communication wasn’t flowing in the normal way. What was once easy and fun hiking with friends day in and day out became more and more alone time, which isn’t always a bad thing, and I got to spend more time with Mountain Dew in the process, which was a great thing! Taking time alone in the woods can quickly change from giving yourself space to think and process to spinning in circles without resolution, creating imaginary scenarios where everything goes wrong. It’s important to bounce ideas off other people and get feedback for those crazy thoughts loops when you have the chance, and I’m grateful for Mountain Dew for hearing me talk through a lot of the same thoughts for the last week.

Mountain Dew was also taking some time alone after losing her last original tramily member herself. We grieved together for our loss of Cheese, and when Fail told us he was leaving, we cried together and squeezed each other tight as we felt guilt for our friend leaving as soon as we went our own way on the trail.

It turns out that the trail is just like the rest of life. We have entered the era of friend drama and emotional difficulties. The trail is just the background to our everyday lives out here together, and it’s just as easy to create problems here as it is anywhere. Sadly, not everyone finds the strenuous walks through the woods and over hills everyday to be calming, joyful, or worth it in any sense. For Fail, he stuck it out for longer than he ever wanted to, and now we will stick it out the rest of the way without him.

Mountain Dew and I did a rainy slack pack southbound into Manchester, Vermont on Fail’s last day. We met him at a restaurant in town with Gaslight and Roadhog, shaking from the cold of our damp clothes after we had been out in the wet day and accidentally tromped through a beaver bog off trail trying to take a short cut. We video called Cheese, who Fail would be seeing soon since they will be temporary roommates until Cheese finds a place for himself in his new city.

When Becky arrived to pick Fail up and take him home, it was all I could do to hold back my tears. We hugged each other and he reassured me that we would see each other again. Of course, knowing that I really will be able to hang out with him in the future helps with the sadness, but in the moment of losing one of my oldest trail friends while already feeling the mental pressures of being on the trail for so long myself… Well, I was sad. Real bummer, knowing I won’t have my long-term hiking friends with me at the end of this journey.

But we move on. Roadhog and Gaslight choosing to continue their hike together at a slower pace, planning to finish the trail in late September. Mountain Dew and I are blazing our own trail together now, heading off through the last of Vermont and into New Hampshire soon enough. While we moved forward alone, we decided to take it easy and give ourselves the time and space to relax for a moment. After warming up and cleaning off at a local hostel for the night, we caught a ride up to a trail head that would be only a 2 mile hike to a lake. There, we would spend the afternoon and night, trying to soothe our exhausted hearts and minds while we also allowed our bodies more time to rest.

The lake was beautiful, and it was indeed soothing to be able to set up camp in the early afternoon and. Just. Chill. I took a nap, we enjoyed dinner with some new friends (somehow even though we have been on the trail for 4.5 months and keep going the same direction at roughly the same pace, we keep meeting new NOBO hikers!), and I journaled about my mix of emotions flooding my brain from the last few weeks.

After weeks of 15+ miles a day (when we weren’t zeroing in towns), I was indeed tired of the feeling that the trail was just a path to walk on and that the trail itself wasn’t offering much that was worth slowing down for, not that we gave ourselves the time to slow down for much when we had places to be. In these last few weeks, most people I talk to have the same opinion: let’s slow down. Let’s enjoy the ride. Let’s do a 2 mile day to a lake and actually relax while we’re on the trail.

And so we did.

We will make it to Katahdin eventually, even if it’s not with the people we expected.

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