Winter is Back
Day 134 (cont.)
After hanging out and having a drink in the famous Timberline Lodge - Jedi, Cosmo, and I set out to find the trail.
Cosmo and Jedi
The recent storm brought snow to Mt. Hood...a lot of snow. We post-holed through the snow on the hidden Pacific Crest Trail for about a mile before deciding to give in and walk the road.
We hiked 5 miles down the Timberline Highway and stuck our thumbs out. It took two hitches to get back to trail at Barlow Pass, a lower enough elevation where the trail again revealed itself.
We started hiking again around 6:00pm as we entered the Mt. Hood Wilderness. An hour later we set up camp, ate dinner together, and called it a day.
Jedi and Me
Day 135
The miles went by quickly today and the terrain was much flatter than what we were used to in Washington.
The sky remained gray all day in a classic Pacific Northwest fashion.
Porti-PARTY
Early in the day we enjoyed breathtaking views of Mt. Hood.
And a scenic walk around Timothy Lake.
We set up camp at 7:00pm just past Warm Springs River. The days are getting shorter and what little sunlight we had was gone before 7:30.
We were still able to get nearly 27 miles done today and by 8:00pm the three of us were in tents almost ready for bed.
Day 136
Blue skies and and warm sun made today's hike most enjoyable. We walked through beautiful forest filled with fall colors.
We had clear skies and magnificent views of Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson.
By 4:00pm we made it to Olallie Lake, a small lakeside resort in the woods.
Olallie Lake and Mt. Jefferson
Jedi, Cosmo, and I drank wine, ate dinner, and enjoyed the warmth of a campfire (the fire ban has been lifted!) as we watched the sun set over the lake.
Day 137
In the morning we waited for the sun to hit our tents and then we packed up our stuff and hiked the remaining six miles of open trail before hitting a fire closure.
Campsite
Jedi leaving our campsite
On our hike we passed by many lakes.
Cosmo
And eventually hit some snow.
View of Mt. Jefferson
Once we reached Breitenbush Road we had to leave trail and make our way towards Highway 46. We hiked five miles along Forest Road 4220 before getting a hitch from a man named Scotty.
Jedi and Cosmo on Forest Rd 4220
Jedi and Cosmo
Scotty gave us a ride to the small town of Detroit where we ate some snacks and once again stuck our thumbs out on the road.
It didn't take long before we got picked up. Ross was on his own road trip and happily stopped for us on his way to Sisters, Oregon.
Jedi, Ross, Me, Cosmo
Jedi taking a backpack break at the grocery store in Sisters.
As we were eating dinner inside the community room of Ray's Grocery Store I got a call from Trail Angel Jon Kelley who saved the day by offering to pick us up, host us at his house in Bend, and get us back to trail the next day.
Day 138
There is storm expected to roll in soon and we have already heard horror stories of hikers getting snowed out and stuck in freezing conditions on trail in the mountains here in Oregon. Forecasts are predicting rain and dropping temperatures before snow showers this weekend. Today, however, it is 80 degrees and sunny in Bend so we are anxious to get our chores done and head back to trail with time to take advantage of the good weather.
After we packed up our bags Jon drove us to REI and Trader Joe's for our resupply on the way to dropping us off at the Elk Lake Trailhead. A huge thanks to Jon for going his hospitality and generosity!
Me, Jon, Jedi, Cosmo
We hiked 6.5 miles before it got dark.
Cosmo heading back to trail
We found a cozy spot in the woods and made it our home. We set up our tents close to one another and ate dinner while chatting from the comfort and warmth of our sleeping bags.
