Day 134-138: miles 2089.3-2150

We're taking another zero at a friend's house, and are about to head over to Cascade Locks to check out PCT Days! Tomorrow we'll head back to the trail - the rest has been really nice, but I'm eager to get hiking again!

Day 134: miles 2089.3-2105.2

We slept in a bit at the ski club, then got up, got changed, and packed up. After getting our stuff together, we had some breakfast – we were able to have some leftovers from the ski kids, which was really nice. Apparently, you can ski on Mount Hood up to August 15th which just seems crazy to me. I updated my blog again, then we headed off around nine to try to hitch back to the trail. We got a ride from an interesting local where we all sat on the floor of her van, and got back to the trail around 9:30. Then a very solid 10 miles or so of uphill until Timberline Lodge , where we had absolutely fantastic views of Mount Hood! The ground around here is very sandy, which is quite frustrating on the uphills, but overall not too bad. We hung out at Timberline Lodge for a bit, Shade and Cheers did the lunch buffet but I just had lunch that I'd packed out. After relaxing and chatting with some other hikers, we left around 3:30 to do another 5 miles or so – it'll be a short day, but it was nice to enjoy the Lodge. There were some ups and downs once back on trail with the sandy ground making it a bit slow, but the great views of Hood more than made up for it. We got to camp and headed up to the ridge, where there were fantastic views of Mount Hood, Mount Saint Helens, and Mount Adams. The mosquitoes were minimal and it didn't look like it would rain, so I decided to cowboy camp right on the edge of the ledge, which was such a cool experience. The sunset from my bed was spectacular, and I got up at four or so to see the Perseids streak across the night sky. This is definitely one of the most beautiful camp camping spots on the trail yet.

Day 135: miles 2105.2-2130.3

I had a great night sleep, though got a little damp with condensation in the morning. Sunrise over the mountains was gorgeous too, and I could see the fog settling in the valley. We headed out around seven, with some ups and downs, but overall just a really lovely trail. It was really foggy and overcast, which felt really neat as we walked through the clouds. Though it definitely made me feel a little more lethargic than usual – I just wanted to be curled up in a big blanket and cozy warm. Cheers and I took the detour to Ramona Falls, which was really incredible! The foggy forest here reminded me a lot of Big Basin before the fire. There were some uphills after, so I took off my jacket, but then had to put it back on for the downhill. There were a good number of day hikers in the section, though much less when we crossed the road and went into the Bull Run protected area. In between the clouds, I got fantastic views of Mount Hood. I listened to a podcast and slowed down a lot to pick hundreds of huckleberries! We took lunch on a log and I enjoyed some hot chocolate and warmed myself up, then carried on. There was some more exposed ridge sections, but a lot was in the trees, which were very damp and foggy. It felt really calm and peaceful and I was really enjoying the trail. I got tons of huckleberries – my fingers were stained purple from the juice, and I completely filled up my water bottle. I got to camp around six and had dinner with Cheers, Shade, and Pepper, then got into bed feeling really nice and cozy. We'll be going down Eagle Creek tomorrow and making our way into Washington!

Day 136: 14.5 miles off-PCT, miles 2149.6-2150

I had a really lovely and warm night's sleep, waking up around four listening to the rain, then falling back asleep. We headed out around 7:15, walking into a cloud. I had my raincoat on, but quickly took it off. The alternate here is the only approved trail down, since the actual PCT is closed from the nearby Whiskey Fire – it's strange to be walking through a foggy, wet forest knowing that a trail just a few miles away is closed due to fire. It was a super steep downhill for the first couple miles, then leveled off a little as we headed down into the canyon. The trail followed Eagle Creek here, passing lots of waterfalls on the way down. But the most majestic all was Tunnel Falls, where we walked behind the waterfall in a tunnel made from the rock – it was incredibly cool. We quickly saw a lot of day hikers and carried on down – there were lots of steep drop offs, which had cable running along the side of the trail. The volcanic rock was also really cool here, and the way that the river carved its way down the canyon. Near the end of the trail, there were tons of blackberries, so I stopped for a while to pick them. We followed the road into Cascade Locks, where we walked across the Bridge of the Gods. This was such a cool experience – the border with Washington is halfway across the bridge. But don't look down – you're long way up! We took pictures with the Washington signs, then walked back to town to get lunch. We'll have to skip the next section due to fire, which is sad but expected. After lunch, we waited for Shade's friend to come pick us up and take us to her home in Vancouver, WA. It was really lovely to meet her and get to go to an actual house! Their dog is really adorable too. We took showers and did laundry, and I got to hose off my tent which was very nice and much needed. Then we just relaxed for a while, had a great dinner, and went to bed.

Day 137: zero in Vancouver, WA

Zero day! I slept in and relaxed, then called home and planned some logistics for the next couple days. We decided that since we were in the area at the right time, we'll be going to PCT days; we'll stay with one of my mom's friends tomorrow so that we'll be in the area. We had breakfast, then headed out to REI to look at shoes. I don't need new ones yet, but I decided which ones I'll get when I do need them. Then we had lunch at a Shake Shack and came back and relaxed some more, then went to Trader Joe's for resupply, which was really fantastic! We made a wonderful dinner and relaxed some more. We also planned out most of Washington and looked at all the fire closures. There's still quite a bit of trail left to do, which is surprising considering how pessimistic some people are being. There's a large number of hikers ending their hikes at Cascade Locks due to how much of the trail is closed, but we still have 500 miles or so left. Granted, a lot of it will be out and back or detours, but I'm feeling OK about this whole plan. I'm really glad that we can still do Goat Rocks Wilderness, even though we'll have to hike south for a little while to do it.

Day 138: zero in Woodlands, WA

Zero day number two! I slept in until nine, then made an egg scramble for breakfast. We relaxed some more, I worked on my blog, and rested. For lunch I had a Trader Joe's pasta bowl, which was fantastic, and relaxed a bit more. We watched Pacing the Pacific, a documentary about Karl Sabbe's FKT (fastest known time) of PCT - I would highly recommend for anyone wanting a cool film with gorgeous cinematography. Around 3:30, we headed over to my mom's friend's house in Woodland, WA. It's a gorgeous house and we settled in and relaxed a bit. Then we had a lovely dinner, talked, and watched a movie before heading to bed.