Trailhead
New Boots • Gathering • Grapevine • Springer Fever
A.T. Companion • Headlamp Material • Work Trips • Side Trails
AT 9 O’CLOCK OUR FIRST NIGHT in Oregon on the Pacific Crest Trail, Ann and I rolled out our sleeping bags on a wide spot in the trail, took water from a nearby spring for a bucket bath, and started supper. We saw a flash of lightning and heard the rumble of thunder, something we had not heard in 1,700 miles of hiking through California.
Our response was a little sluggish, but soon it dawned on us that it was about to rain. Using two hiking sticks connected by a piece of plastic hose for support, I erected our small 10-ounce tarp while Ann finished cooking supper. As the rain started we crawled in our sleeping bags and ate, warm and dry.
The next day in Ashland we put together resupply boxes for the remainder of our trip. Leaving our backpacks at the historic old Columbia Hotel (second floor, bathroom down the hall), we walked to the large Ashland health food market. Selecting three of any dinner that appealed to us, we filled our cart with quick-cook meals by Fantastic Foods, Annie’s, and Near East. Then we hit the cereal section, selecting 10 different types. Clif bars, Power bars, and Pemmican bars were offered at good prices, and we bought nearly a hundred.
We wheeled the full shopping cart back to our hotel, unloaded it, and returned to the nearby supermarket. Here we bought chips, dried fruit, breakfast bars, nuts, cookies, and candy, including 34 Snickers bars, our favorite trail food. Hummus, cheese and peanut butter supplied the basis for our lunch menus.
Back in the room, we sorted the food into 10 boxes, each holding from two to five days worth of food. I realized we’d forgotten the powdered milk and returned to the store, spending another $40 while there to make sure we had enough.
The next morning we put the powdered milk in Zip-Loc bags, sealed the boxes, and attached the shipping labels. UPS picked up boxes going to Crater Lake, Shelter Cove, and Elk Lake Resort. The rest went to the post office for Ollalie Lake and Timberline Resort in Oregon, and Stabler Store, White Pass, Snoqualmie Pass, Skykomish, and Stehekin in Washington.
We exchanged our small tarp for the larger 14-ounce tarp waiting for us with other spare clothing and equipment in the Ashland Post Office. Extra long-underwear shirts went into the White Pass box, and fleece jackets went into the Skykomish box. We used this warm clothing in the High Sierras, and expect the weather to get cold again before we finish Washington in late September.
Back on the trail the rain continued for a week with fog, cold wind, and hail thrown in for good measure. Below Mount Thielsen the trail was covered by snow in near white-out conditions. We searched for an hour without success, finally giving up. Returning to the spot where we last were on the trail, we put on all our warm clothes and started eating food, hoping someone else would come along.
Soon Blake and Dave appeard. Dave is from Minnesota and knows snow. In 15 minutes he found the trail. For the rest of the day all we had to do was follow Dave and Blake. It was a pleasure to watch them work. Hitting a snowfield, one searched high, the other low. Soon they found the trail, and we were on our way again.
We set up camp that night in a light drizzle, cooking under our tarp, thoroughly discouraged. If we coundn’t make it on our own through Oregon, how could we make it through Washington, where the snow was supposed to be even worse?
The next morning we hiked into Shelter Cove. About 10 hikers were there including Lara and Jason, 29-year-olds from Baltimore. Their contagious spirit lifted ours. “We’ve all handled worse conditions in the Sierras,” they said. “Besides, everyone has been lost.”
For the rest of Oregon we hiked off and on with Lara and Jason. After a hard day hiking the Sisters Wilderness, including three hours spent looking for the trail, they presented us with two slices of pizza they’d carried for 25 miles. We began keeping track of our position on our maps and had a much easier time in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness, following a compass course when we couldn’t see the trail. When Lara and Jason were ahead they left arrows in the snow for us to follow. Ann and Lara talked for hours while hiking down the trail as the miles flew by. One day we hiked 33 miles, the second-longest day of our trip.
At Timberline Lodge the ski lifts were still operating on Mount Hood. Eight hikers gathered in the Blue Ox room for pizza. At dusk we all left to hike 4 miles to a campsite. Forming a tight pace line, we seemed to fly along the trail above timberline. Suddenly Lara stopped, turned to the settiing sun, and raised her arms. We all stood in awe at the incredible beauty.
As Ann says, “She gave us back our hike.”