Cascade Locks – Timberline Lodge 2

2 zero days at hood river + 1 night at Cascade locks

The Oregon section involves sending resupply boxes to the following:

Timberline lodge (5 days worth)
Big Youth Camp (4 days worth)
Shelter cove (4 days worth)
Crater Lake (5 days worth)

This resupply malarkey is taking its toll. Imagine doing a months worth of shopping and then having to divide it all up in boxes b4 taking to a post office.

This time round we got a lift in the hotel owners super cool jeep. This made things much easier than “borrowing” a trolley from Walmart to transport these heavy boxes. Thanks again Michael!
It has been interesting speaking to other hikers and they all seem to agree that on town days there is no rest for the wicked.

I had attempted to fix Sarahs trail runners with my limited needle and thread skills. Although despite my best efforts these shoes were done. Danielle at the local outfitters- Shortt Supply helped fix Sarah up with a new set of Topo trail runners and we both felt ready to head back out into the woods.

I also purchased a z fold sleeping mat as a temporary solution, whilst I wait for my new pad to arrive. Thanks again Danilele for fixing me up with this and also the massive discount.

After completing the endless list of town chores and grabbing a breakfast fit for a king and queen we left Hood River and caught the bus back to Cascade Locks. At just 1 dollar for the journey this was a real bargain!

We arrived at Cascade Locks late afternoon and opted to stay the night. After pitching our tent by the river amongst a sea of other thru hiker tents, we headed to The Thunder Island brewery. Both the beer and food were excellent and we demolished a chicken burger with spiced cauliflower and pork spring roll sides.

The sunset was a stunning pink and as we feasted sitting out on the top deck, thunder rumbled over head.

Day 39 – Aug Sat 5th
Cascade Locks – Indian Spring Campground
505.9 – 524.9
19 Miles

The campsite was right next to the train line and at 3am a train rolled in. I somehow managed to sleep through the screeching and hissing train noises hell bent on waking every hiker, including poor old Sarah.
We left Cascade locks at around 10:30 after a very slow start to the day and a delicious breakfast bagel sandwich from the local cafe.
Town makes you soft and heading back out to the trail can require some serious motivation.

Sarah seemed very happy with her new trail runners and claimed it was like floating on clouds.

The next section involved doing an alternate to the PCT called “The Eagle Creek Alternate”
This stretch promised a more interesting route passing through a ravine cut with a series of stunning cascading pools and water falls.
The 1st part of the alternate route to Eagle falls involved walking on paved roads and sidewalks. Not exactly inspiring.
As we left the concrete jungle behind and stepped back onto trail we were surprised at just how many day trippers / weekend warriors were hiking the trail.
The trail should be for everyone, but the general etiquette of giving way to people hiking up hill is a concept that most didn’t seem to understand.
The trail carefully wound its way through the mountains and eagles circled overhead calling across the rugged landscape. This was called Eagle Creek after all!
The alernate lived up to its reputation and as we hiked we passed a series of stunning water falls. They ranged from small cascading falls to large plunge pools, where we could see people swimming below.
The most noticeable waterfall was called Tunnel Falls where we got to walk behind a huge waterfall. The rocks were damp, slippery and covered in moss.
It was hot and humid and both of us were covered in sweat as we left the falls and hiked further into the mountains.
We had been promised that Oregon was mainly flat compared to other states. This was certainly not the case on the section leading back to the PCT. It was very steep and Sarah counted 123 blow downs. Most of these were simple step overs, but hittting these late into the day made for a challenging finish to our days hike. It was more like the appalachian trail not the PCT!
We found out later that there was a simpler route back to the PCT that we both wished we had taken.
As we neared our campsite for the night we were passed by a couple of nobos. They were aiming to cover 50 miles in 24 hours – travelling from Timberline to Cascade locks. Very impressive!
We arrived at Indian Spring Campsite at around 19:30. The ground was not ideal and after several attempts we found a spot that would work. It was my turn on the new sleeping pad tonight and after a dehydrated meal of Beef Stew we were both ready to hit the hay.
It had been a tough day with the buzz of finishing Washington now firmly in the rear view mirrors. Starting a new state should be exciting and fresh, but somehow the magic wasn’t there today. I am gonna put this down to us both being tired out from the busy town resupply. Hopefully once we get our teeth into Oregon things will get back on track.

Day 40 –  Aug Sun 6th
Indian Spring Campground – Romana falls
524.9 – 545.5
21 miles

Waking up at 6:00 surprisingly we got on trail earlier than expected leaving around 07:00.
As we packed up Valentine cruised past. The French contingent had opted for a couple of days in Portland and it was a nice unexpected surprise to see him once again.
It was cold and damp and the day started with us walking through the clouds.
It rained on and off and was the kind of rain that gets you really wet.
Hiking uphill in waterproofs is never much fun as you generally overheat, but as it was cold this didn’t seem to be an issue today.
Val noticed a fresh pile of animal scat on the trail.  Without any further investigation we could see it clearly contained chunks of red meat – similar to diced steak.
Maybe big foot had left us a little gift, but whatever had left this was capable of eating big chunks of red meat. Let’s hope it wasn’t another hiker!
We all looked at one another realising we are not alone out here and not necessary the apex predator anymore.
The trail was smooth and although there were a few ups n downs it was much easier going than what we had seen so far.
There seemed to be more berries during this stretch, with the mist covered bushes laden with fruit.
As we approached Lolo pass Anton came running up behind us. He said he had heard that we were just ahead + had been hot on our heels. He claimed he was hiking fast – around 3.5 miles / hrs almost running down the trial. It was great to see him and I greeted him with “Hello my little French friend”
We met up again and joined a couple of other fresh sobo faces at a picnic bench at Lolo pass. As Anton was still having issues with this feet I gave him my old Superfeet Insoles to see if this would help.
We also thought the trail name “Road runner” (meep meep) would make for a fitting name for Anton. It just seemed to fit especially due to the way he races down the trail and his energetic personality.

After a double portion of noodles for lunch we left Anton and hiked on.
The next stretch involved a climb, either side of the trail lined with rhododendrons. It was interesting to observe the subtle changes to landscape and vegetation.
Again it seemed as if life had returned to the mountains with birds and chipmunks keeping us entertained.

Late in the afternoon we decided to take another alternate to Ramona falls. This was another well documented route. It was well worth it + we walked alongside moss lined streams and pools.
Through the trees we could also make out an interesting jagged rock face that bordered the trail.

In Trout Lake we had met a couple of bike packers (Colin and Mimi) and as we turned the next corner we bumped into the familiar face of Mimi. Over 100 miles down the trail. Would you Adam and eve it.

We had planned to get to Timberline Lodge for a breakfast buffet early the next day. With tired legs we opted for an early night and found a pretty little campspot next to a wooden bridge. Neither of us had washed since Cascade, so it was a sensible decision. Although leaving around 10 miles to Timberline and a big climb this would be cutting it fine.

Day 41 –  Aug Mon 7th
Romana falls – Timberline lodge.
545.5 – 555.6
10 miles to Timberline by 10:30am
I will update mileage at end of day.

The alarm went off at 4:30 as we had wanted to reach the lodge in time for breakfast. We had been told if you arrive for the 10:00 sitting you also get to sample the lunch menu buffet.
I felt this was a tall call + I thought we had left it too late. Although Sarah thought otherwise we broke camp in record time.
We hiked the first part of the trail in darkness with our headtorches lighting up the trail. Ramona falls still looked impressive even under low light conditions.

Next town stop I think its time I visit a barbers to sort out my beard and moustache. As I hike I can see my whiskers antenna like, sticking out like a catfishes whiskers. At this rate I am going to start looking like the guy from Escape to the Chateau.

Again Oregon was having the last laugh and the climb to Timberline was no joke.
The ground was sandy almost beach like and the trail steep which made for some challenging hiking.
As we hiked we were rewarded with views of Mt hood. Maybe not quite as impressive as some of the other volcanos we have seen, but the surrounding landscape was still interesting.
Sarah commented that it was a chipmunk playground as the small critters jumped and darted around.
Mt hood is the only bigger mountain in this area that has an active ski resort + lodge + chair lift running up it.
We crossed a number of rivers and somehow managed to avoid getting our feet wet. Sarah growing in confidence at every crossing.
Either side of the trail was covered in flowers and provided a contrast against the more sandy ground.
At 10:30 we arrived to Timberline to find the whole gang there waiting for us to land.
It was great to see Fred and Sophie again. Anton was also excited to tell us he had covered 34 miles yesterday + I think the new Insoles I gave him may of helped.
Sarah and I disappeared into the dining room and managed to get a breakfast and lunch all for the same price. What a result and it just goes to show Sarah was right. Sometimes you just need to go for it and this time round we were rewarded for our efforts.

I have been sitting in the reception lounge of the lodge writing this installment with people milling about all around us. It’s hard to find a quiet spot as people keep asking us if we are thru hikers and are keen to speak to us.  So that’s it for now. We have a resupply box to unpack and we need to get back out on trail.