Month: August 2016

The morning started out quite cold but warmed by midday and is still a little warm and muggy at night.  There was quite a bit of up and down, but nothing steep, rocky, or treacherous.  I didn’t see too many hikers today, but ended up catching a bubble from the crater at camp.

I lounged with music, ate my pastry, packed and got going at 6:15.  My clothes were still a little damp in the morning, and it was a brisk one today.  Once I got moving around, I warmed up quickly.

The same dead thin pine woods continued in the morning.  But within an hour, the climbing began and the trees got bigger and shadier.  The morning stayed cool even at the open areas without trees.  The breeze really does it’s job well.  Once we got to the top of the first mountain of the morning, several hikers congregated and cell phones came out.  We were still able to get signal from Crater Lake and could even see some of the peaks around the rim.

As the day wore on, the views closed in a little and the open areas got more frequent and the heat began to come out.  At one point just before lunch, I actually got my umbrella out and used it for about half an hour.  Just before I was planning on stopping for lunch, I met an older southbound couple having a snack on a log.  They were from Washington and were very familiar with the trail in northern Oregon so I asked them about the Eagle creek trail.  They assured me everyone was still taking it and easily fording the river and that the difference in scenery was definitely worth the alternate.  So that makes me feel better.

I made my lunch stop at 12:30 and dug out the beef burrito I had been carrying since Mazama.  It was good and filling, but I also ate some cheese afterwards.  I tried to take a quick nap, but the yellow jackets were dive bombing me.  Bugs sure know how to ruin a good time.

There is very little water in this stretch, and the last water for a while was an ice cold stream.  I cameled up and loaded four liters for the next 17 miles.  I really only needed three, but I was expecting more heat.  Luckily, it was not a hot afternoon, so I ended up in camp with about two liters which is enough to cook and make the next 8 miles to a pond.  Having enough water is very fortunate, because the water here is several hundred feet down a steep slope.

I am now camped 35 miles from the next resupply point, which will make for a full day tomorrow, then an easy day into the resort.  Hopefully I can do a fly by and be out on the trail again the same day.  I have 225 miles to Timberline, so my timetable should be about perfect to get there by the 29th.

Even though I have been to Crater Lake and remember how blue it was, it still surprises me every time you see this thing in person and experience first hand just how blue Crater Lake is.  I had a full day of excitement but sometimes it’s nice just to be back in the woods again.

I slept in since I wanted to have breakfast before heading up to the lake.  I heard a crew of hikers pack up and leave at 4 am.  They wanted to go up to see sunrise on the lake. That would have been nice.  But I slept until 6:30 then packed up and headed to the store.  I knew the laundry opened at 7 am so I was hoping both the store and restaurant would, too.

As I was walking up, I saw a couple also heading that direction.  They were walking normal speed, but I had hiker hobble and was shuffling like an old man up there.  The store indeed opened at 7 so I walked over to the restaurant but it looked dark inside.  But alas, the door said they were open.  The couple were in there waiting for a table, so I sat with them.  I first met them in the middle of the Sierras and have seen them a day or two every week or two since then.

I had a buffalo meat egg scramble with hash browns and toast.  It was good, but I was still hungry afterwards, so I hit the store for a Danish and some beef sticks for the next few days.  Since I had already packed up, I headed straight up to the lake.  It took just over an hour to get there and when I got to the gift shop, several of the hikers from the store were already there.  They rode the 9 am shuttle up to the rim.  I still think it’s important to try to hike every step from Mexico to Canada whenever possible.  I am likely to have fire closures ahead, but I’ll think about those if and when they happen.

The snack bar at the rim village was horribly overpriced, so I decided to walk down to the lodge and check out their restaurant.  The menu looked good and was reasonably priced, but they did not open for lunch until 11:30 and it was only 11:00.  Wait and eat or move on?  Wait and eat.  I had fettuccine Alfredo with peppers, mushrooms, hazelnuts, and artichoke hearts.  It was excellent.  I had blueberry cobbler afterwards.

Now back to the snack bar to get my pack, the battery I left charging, and top off the fountain coke.  Never throw away your cup.  It was 12 miles to the next water, a cache, so I loaded up with three liters since it was sunny and hot.  I headed out at about 12:45, Coke in hand.

The rim trail near the rim village was crowded, but after each climb, there were less and less people.  After a few miles I saw only one or two people every half mile.  The trail went about a third of the way around the lake and by the north end I saw only southbound thru hikers heading in.

The rim trail itself was pretty rugged with lots of steep climbs of fifty to one hundred feet.  It was well shaded in most sections and the views just never stopped.  A few times the trail ducked behind a peak for a quarter or half a mile.  But the rest of the time it was front and center to the lake.  I made many stops to just sit and look out at the views.  Wizard island in the middle really looks different from the various angles we walked around it and it was neat being high enough to see down into its cone.

After eight miles or so,.it was time for the trail to turn away from the rim and get back to the business of heading for Canada.  The open plain soon turned to thin pine woods.  The water cache was a few miles ahead and with the heat I drank more than I expected, so I needed to top off two of my bottles.  It was now about 6 and there was a campsite 9 miles away.  It would be a long day, but the terrain here was gentle and nearly all downhill.

About halfway to the campsite, I came across three southbounders.  We had a good talk, and they told me there was another water cache just before the campsite.  Great, I didn’t need to fill up at the previous one.  They asked lots of questions about what to expect in northern California.  They also confirmed that Washington was going to be alot tougher than Oregon.  Super.

I never made the campsite, but decided to stop about three miles shy and rest up a little and not have to roll into camp at dark.  Having an hour to cook in light is sometimes nice.  I cooked some rice and ate a burrito.  I was surprised I was not full, so I had one of the beef sticks, too.  The appetite is definitely at peak right now.  Only 62 miles until I can buy some more food.

A good day today, but I woke up late, had a few blowdowns to deal with, had quite a large burn area to walk through, but the heat stayed away until late in the day and I was able to resupply in the Mazama village store and get a hamburger.

I didn’t wake up until 5:45 and did not get on trail until 6:30.  The morning was nice and cool so there were no mosquitoes when I got up and got moving.  In fact, the morning was very cool and lasted until well after noon. 

There was an even mix of climbing and descents all day long.  Not too rocky anywhere.  There was about a three mile long burned section where there was almost nothing alive and it would have been hot if not for the cool temperatures.  There were alot of blowdowns in that section, too, but not as many as yesterday.  Once we hit the national park boundary, the blowdowns almost disappeared.

I saw only two or three thru hikers throughout the morning, and three or four day hikers once I got within a few miles of the trailhead.  I went ahead and stopped at noon to eat a full lunch, even though I was close to the village.  I wanted to make sure I kept my energy up for the whole hike, because it was starting to heat up quickly.

I got to the village a little after 2 PM and headed straight for the store.  Some of their prices were outrageous (16 oz coke for $2.59, ice cream bar $3.50+) but other prices not too ridiculous.  I got a fountain drink (free refills), beer ($1.60), and ice cream to tide me over while I rested.  There were close to twenty hikers at the store.

I got directions to the hiker campsite and set up quickly and headed straight for the showers.  It took fifteen minutes just to wash the feet again.  The showers were free, so everything got washed at least twice.  Next up was laundry.  I gathered all the dirty goods, but I was pretty hungry by now, so I went to eat first and took my laundry with me since it was a haul back to the village.

I had a bison burger with fries and a single trip to the salad bar.  That was the best $5 I’ve spent on the trip so far.  The plates were huge, so I loaded it up well with salad, cottage cheese, potato salad and beets.  I was planning on dessert, but I was so stuffed, that it wasn’t needed.

I was able to get my clothes into a washer quickly, but there were fewer dryers, so I just took my clothes back to camp to air dry.  Most of my clothes were dry by dark except for the pants and shirt.  I was surprised the socks dried.

Back at camp, I talked with a few hikers and one employee from the park was there passing out beer, good beer, Rogue.  I stayed up until dark chatting, even though I had to redo my resupply plan.  One of my planned stops ended up not really having any food to sell, so I was worried I would have to have Karen make up and mail a box quickly.  It turns out I can just buy one more day at the stop before to skip it altogether.  I may stop there to eat at their restaurant, but not to buy food.  I will also be stopping in Sisters instead of Bend just because it’s a much easier hitch.  Bye, bye, Bend.  I will have to come visit you again some other day.

Today was a very taxing day. It started out in mosquito hell, progressed to blow down hell, then went to rock hell, then finished off in a combo of mosquito and rock hell.  It was a 6:15 to 8:15 day with lots of small rest stops.  Twice today I wanted to stop and take a nap.  But I hit my target, I’m less than twenty miles from Crater Lake so I am hoping to have a good day tomorrow.

The other folks in camp were still asleep when I rolled out in the morning.  I could hear the mosquitoes buzzing outside the tent before I even got out.  But the long clothes and the head net were doing a good job, but hearing them buzz around your head still drives you nuts.  I tried some of the off spray I bought in Medford and it did seem to help a little bit.

I got to the spring about 9 am and the water was ice cold.  I had run out about fifteen minutes earlier, so I downed almost a full liter.  It was about ten miles to next water, so the two and a half liters I had left should do.  Onward ho.

After a few miles, the trail started getting cluttered with blown down trees scattered over the trail.  Some you could go around, some you could go under, some you could step over and some you had to climb over.  The picture shows a typical section.  It went on for somewhere between six and eight miles of this nightmare.  You could not go 100 yards before another blowdown.  50 yards was a more common interval between the obstacles.  I don’t know what my speed slowed to, but I’m sure it was under two miles per hour when it should have been three.  Not to mention the extra foot abuse and leg exertion.  I had to stop several times to rest.

It did finally end, only to turn into a rock scree nightmare.  My feet were already sore, so the rocks only added more abuse.  The trail climbed several peaks and some of them were totally burned out and would have been hot had their not been a good breeze blowing.  The view was quite nice, though.

On the back side of the peaks was the next water, and I ran out ten minutes before getting there.  This water was not as cold, but I drank a liter anyhow.  It was already past six by now and two miles ahead was last water for twenty miles all the way to Crater Lake.  I made it there and loaded up with five liters of water and headed out for three more miles to the next campground.

By now the mosquitoes were out in full force and the trail turned to typical park service gully full of rocks and tall steps.  Not what you want to walk on at the end of a trying day.  I did find other tentsites on the way to the one I was heading for, but there were always mosquitoes buzzing.  I was hoping where I was going would be drier and maybe have less of the flying Devils.  Nope, they were just as bad, but the campsite had good tent sites and lots of logs to sit on, so it was worth the extra effort to get there.  And it was vacant, too, so no having to worry about waking other people either at night or in the morning.  And passing the 1800 mile milestone at the end of the day did perk me up a little bit.

Today was a fun day.  I woke up fairly early and made good time in the morning on moderate terrain, went to a cabin for lunch where trail magic had just run out, endured six miles of rocks, then ran across fantastic trail magic, and finally headed up the mountain for a little night hiking under the power of a full belly.

Despite a lazy wake up, I was out at 6:15 after listening to much music.  The days are definitely getting shorter, and morning seems to be the end really getting the short end of the stick.  It seemed in the desert, that it got light quickly, and now the morning seems to drag on slowly getting light.  Once I get to Washington, I will probably have to start hiking in the dark for at least thirty minutes just to be able to make the miles I need to do to finish before the snows hit.  Joy.

I had camped just a few miles from a state park campground, so I headed there on the side road parallel to the trail so I could use their facilities.  Sometimes, even using a pit toilet is a joy compared to using a cat hole.  The campground looked deserted, I guess not many people like to camp on Sunday night.  I also got rid of my trash which included a beer bottle that I was eager to get rid of.  I also topped off my water.

I didn’t see very many people in the morning, but I did see a few people that I leapfrogged with a little bit.  Water was about ten miles apart most of the day, so I filled up at every good water source.  The one in the morning was a very cold and high flowing pipe spring.

There was a cabin that could be used as a shelter at a distance that I would hit at about 1 PM.  I was sure it had a picnic table, and I had heard there was trail magic in it.  I stopped at 11:30 to rehydrate my refried beans and eat a snack, then tried to pick up the pace to get there by 1 PM.  It was not to rugged, so I was able to make it on time.  When I got there, the picnic table was in full sun, and the trail magic was all gone.  Too bad, because it was Coca Cola and Gatorade – the two best trail magics to find.  Oh well, I made lemonade and two burritos and filled up on water again.  By the time I left, eight hikers or so had congregated there.  I went ahead and left shortly after 2 so I could knock out as many miles to Crater Lake as I could.

There was a road about two tenths of a mile from the cabin, and as I crossed the road, a car pulled up and stopped right at the trail.  I was sure it was the trail angel coming to restock the trail magic, but I could not afford an hour delay hanging around to get a coke.  But boy would a coke have tasted fantastic right then.

Shortly after that, the trail got very rocky.  It was the sea of lava rocks you see in the picture paved with smaller lava rocks.  It came in seas of 200 yards with short 100 yard dirt intervals.  The small rocks had a way of finding the sorest spot on your foot and pressing right on it with all your weight.  It was quite painful at times.

After checking the map and coming to the realization that I had about six miles of this wonderful terrain all the way around a dead volcano, I decided to stop and make coffee.  I was beat and it was only 4 PM, but the coffee did its magic and I was able to pick up the pace.  The lava paving rock also got easier as it was overlaid with dirt on the final three miles.

When the rocks finally ended, the trail popped out on highway 140.  There was a resort two miles to the west.  The thought of a real dinner and some rest crossed my mind.  I vetoed the idea and crossed the road to get water at the stream across the highway. 

As I approached the stream, my eyes got wide.  There was another hiker and two angels parked there and they had quite a spread.  They offered me a coke and a cup of ice.  Score!  I sat in a chair to drink the coke, and she kept bringing me food.  Corn on the cob, a hot dog, chili and cheese on Fritos, beef and rice stroganoff, buttered bread, cookies, candy bars.  They also had wine, beer, other sodas, and watermelon.  For some reason, no one opted for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  I’m not the only one sick of peanut butter.

I sat there for an hour eating until I was truly full.  It was a fantastic feeling.  The angels were a couple that worked at the resort down the road who had the day off and liked to come to this spot and cook for hikers.  They planned to come back for breakfast, but I wanted to get in more miles before dark to make getting to Crater Lake easier the day after tomorrow.

I thanked the angels and headed up the next climb.  By the time I left, there were at least eight hikers there.  There was a campsite three miles ahead that I could get to before dark, and another one a mile and a half further that I would not get to until after dark.  I went to the first one and it was occupied and the ground all around covered with dead trees.  Time to move on to the second one. 

I pulled out the headlamp and hiked for maybe twenty five minutes in the dark before coming to the second one, which was also occupied.  This one was larger and had more flat spots so I was able to find a great spot about eighty yards from the other hikers.  Perfect.  I set up camp and only ate a light snack since I had eaten so much four miles ago.  I was in bed by 9:35, not too bad for a busy day.  And I was able to complete over 30 miles for the day, which helps chisel away at Crater Lake.  Now to repeat the performance tomorrow.  Sleepy sleep time.

Don’t freak out at the title, I don’t know that this little guy was Rabid, but he wasn’t right in the head, I can tell you that.  I don’t know if this is the West coast version of the fox squirrel that we have on the east coast, but he didn’t seem very bright.  He ran on the trail for hundreds of yards just five feet in front of me and kept stopping and looking back.  He looked like he was having a hard time breathing.  I was finally able to get around him and motor on down the trail.

The cowboy camping session last night went well.  It didn’t rain on me, I didn’t roll into the grass, and no little creatures tried to snuggle with me.  I woke up, ate breakfast in bed, then rolled out about 6:15.  The hiker hobble was bad, and it was all uphill, so it took while to get up to full speed.

There were some moderate climbs as the trail wound around pilot rock.  This part of Oregon looks alot like northern California but with more grasses instead of just dead earth and rocks.  There are hot open stretches, and pine groves, and stands of oaks as well.  There was a decent breeze, and the all gray clothing was not hot at all.  There were a few times where the sun was beating full down on me that I could tell the gray was a little hotter than the white, but it was barely noticeable.  The hot stretches were only a few minutes and I never felt the urge to pull out the umbrella.

There were lots of hikers out on the trail today.  I passed or was passed by about eight thru hikers and passed one southbounder who gave some good Intel on everything in Oregon.  I also saw at least a dozen day hikers, which is about par for a Sunday.

I stopped for lunch a little early to try out the dehydrated refried beans.  I added water straight to the bag without heating it.  It took about fifteen minutes to fully rehydrate, but they finally did and they were pretty decent.  I might try to rehydrate early tomorrow and let them sit in a zip lock for an hour while I am hiking.  The burritos were good, but I’ll put more cheese in them tomorrow.

The terrain today did seem a little more level than the previous few hundred miles.  Maybe there is something to the myth that Oregon is flat, but there are still plenty of climbs.  It’s too early to tell at this point, since I have only been in Oregon for a few days.  The mosquitoes are not bad yet, but I understand that North of Crater Lake they will kick in.  I bought fresh bug spray in Medford, so I am ready for them.

I hiked until about 7:30, stopping at a saddle that I found some flat ground on.  The next tentsite is three miles further, but since I didn’t really get rest in Bedford, I could use a little more rest tonight.  I made dinner and had the beer I got from a trail magic cache last night.  It was Caldera Lawnmower Lager.  It was pretty decent, even warm.

With two long days, I should be able to make a short day to Crater Lake so I can resupply, get some food, and make the rim trail before dark.  Camping is not allowed on the rim trail, so I need to be sure I can start it early enough to be clear of it before dark.  I could have hit a resort today at about 5 PM, but it seemed weird thinking of taking a day off just one day out of town.  It didn’t sound cheap, either.  Better to just keep going and rest in Bend or Portland if I need to.  Crossing my fingers that I’ll have some extra time to spend in Bend.

Today was a chore day.  I walked all over Medford twice and barely had time to make the last bus to get back to Ashland so I could have an easier hitch back to the trail.  I grabbed dinner then headed out and made a few miles before cowboy camping.

I’m not sure why, but I slept horribly last night.  I was in a nice comfy bed with a fresh shower and perfect temperature on the a/c but for some reason I woke up at 2 am and never really got back to sleep.  I slept in until 8 just to try to get more rest, but I had too many things to do today.  The first bus ran at 9:33 and the last one at 4:10, so that was the allotted time I had to get everything done.

I dragged my butt down for breakfast just after eight and it was lackluster for a Town Place Suites.  Fruit, yoghurt, cereal, and two rubbery fried eggs was what I had and it would have to do.  I got back to the room and got everything ready.  The first main chore was to go to REI to exchange or return the poles and buy new pants and socks.  My pants are getting too baggy and the hems are starting to shred.  And two of my socks have huge holes in them.  The second chore was to mail a few things back which is mainly extra clothing.  I would have to make two trips to avoid having to bring all my extra things plus have to change at REI.  The REI was North of town and there were two post offices which had differing hours and were both North and East.  If I got everything going early enough, I could hit the closer post office, but if not I would have to hoof it out to the farther one.

I took the bus from just outside the hotel to the transit center.  There I had to wait for the second bus to take me to the north end of town.  The first bus was ten minutes late and it was already getting hot.  The second bus was right on time since it was leaving from the transit center.  I got to the REI by 10:30 and tried on several pairs of pants.  The next smaller size fit well, but they had two different styles and one was a slim fit which felt good, but I was afraid might chafe after getting sweaty.  I went with the same style, but a size down and dark gray in color.  Good for hiding dirt, but bad for staying cool.  I was hoping to get green ones.  They did not have any shorts I liked, and I just could not bring myself to buy a new set of poles, so I just bought the one pair of long pants.

Rather than wait for the bus, I decided to walk back to the transit center and saw there was a New York pizza by the slice shop right there.  I had to stop in and I was not disappointed.  I finally found good pizza, but let the record show that it was not in California and it was New York style.

After lunch, I would have to wait half an hour for the bus, so I decided to just hoof it.  There was a Big 5 sports a few blocks from the hotel, so I swung by there for socks and shorts.  They had my Thorlos and had a pair of shorts that seemed decent.  I bought them without trying them on, then hoofed it back to the hotel.

I knew chores would take a while,.so I had arranged for a 2 PM checkout and got back to the hotel at about 1:15.  I did not have time for another shower, but would have liked one.  I had to pack everything up and get all the extra things I needed to ship back home.  I tried on the shorts and they just didn’t feel good, so I would have to return them on the way to the post office.  I had everything packed and ready right at 2, so I checked out and left my pack with the hotel staff.

The closer post office closed at 2 and the farther one closed at 4, so I had no choice at this point but to head for the farther one.  I would have to wit thirty minutes for the bus which was not an option, so I set put on foot again.  Google said it was a 51 minute walk and it was pretty much that on the dot plus a little time to return the shorts to Big 5.  The two buses would have taken much longer than that not to mention the extra stop at Big 5.

I got to the closer post office first and yes, it was closed.  A lady in the lot asked me if it was closed and I told her it was but there was another one a few miles North.  I was trying to Yogi a ride from her, but it did not work.  Back to walking.  I got to the farther post office and it was just a counter at the back of a Hallmark shop.  No matter, mail is mail.

I got my goodies mailed out and now it was time to hoof it back to catch the last bus.  The last bus was at 4:10 and Google now said I would get back to the hotel at 4:04.  If I miss this bus, there is no bus service on Sunday and no Uber in either Ashland or Medford, so I would have to either hitch 30 miles on I-5 or walk 20 miles to Ashland.  I never got to rest at all, but staying another day was not an option because of the Sunday bus situation.  My best hope for rest was to get back to Callahan’s at the trailhead and hope they had a cancellation.

I ran part of the way back just to have a little more time buffer.  Catching this last bus was the only thing on my mind.  I had been walking nearly two hours in 102 degree heat and was thirsty, so I stopped at a Burger King just to get a soda.  They have those fancy machines so I was able to get a Powerade, gulp it down, and get a second one and head back out.  The drink really helped alot.  I got back to the hotel right at 4:00, hit the bathroom, got my pack, and made the bus stop at 4:07.  And of course the bus was late.  Only about ten minutes and I was able to get on it.

Now the decision was where to get off the bus in Ashland.  My best bet would be the interstate, or highway 99.  The interstate was only a few blocks from the second to last stop, so undecided on that one.  The last stop would have dropped me on 99.

I had made a sign at the hotel that said “hiker to exit 6” that I thought might help me.  When I got to the onramp, there were three homeless guys there hanging out, so it was looking a little grim.  Plus it was hot in the sun.  I positioned myself behind he shade of a telephone pole and went to work.  One of the homeless guys came up to me and started talking about the PCT for a while.  All three of these guys travel the country sitting on the side of the interstate.  And they actually had met each other before in other states in previous years.  There’s a whole other culture that lives on the country’s interstates that most people know nothing about other than the cardboard signs on offramps.

It took about thirty minutes, but I did get a ride.  A quick ride back to Callahan’s and I was set.  The hard part was done, and I was now back in control.  I was exhausted, so I inquired about any cancellations.  None yet.  Oh well, let’s have dinner and check back again.  Spaghetti dinner done, I checked again, still no cancellations. I guess I’m camping tonight.  The lodge would let you camp on their lawn for $12, but I didn’t really need any other services, so I decided to just hoof it up the trail.  I grabbed a snickers from the gift shop and headed out.

The next mile was road walk, and then hitting the woods.  The trail was through grasses and pines and actually pleasant other than the freeway noise.  I came across a group of eight hikers cowboy camping in a meadow.  Six of them were all watching a movie on a cell phone.  I just don’t get the need to watch movies in the woods, but I see people doing it all the time.  I hiked about a half mile past them and decided to cowboy camp in a small field.  I can barely hear the freeway with earplugs in, so I’m hoping I can get some decent sleep tonight.  Fingers are crossed.

Two more milestones today – I crossed the 1700 mile point and hit Ashland, Oregon.  The day started out cool and ended very hot.  Is this Oregon or California?  Doesn’t matter, I’m in a hotel drinking beer.

I left the fly off the tent last night and slept soundly until about 3 am when I awoke fully rested and ready to get up and hike.  I didn’t, of course.  I sat there and watched the stars a while.  There was a meteor shower the night before, but I missed it and nothing interesting going on in the skies tonight.  I was wide awake, so I listened to music a while until I got sleepy again and then went back to sleep.  I woke again about 5:15, listened to a little music, then ate breakfast and broke camp.  I was on trail right at 6 am.  As I was checking the trail notes, I noticed the Ashland post office closed at 5 PM and was not open on Saturday, so today was it – Ashland or bust by 3 PM to have enough time to retrieve three packages from the post office.

I loaded up the hip belt pockets with every breakfast bar I had since I knew I could not delay this morning.  I needed to do 14 miles by noon to make Ashland by 3.  The morning was cool, and even though there was lots of climbs and descents, the grade was gentle enough I could keep a good pace.  I ended up doing 14.5.

Two hikers had passed my camp late last night, so I had hoped to catch them sleeping in the morning.  That was not to be.  They were as motivated as me and got up early as well.  I saw their tracks in the dirt along with tons of deer tracks.  They would beat me to Ashland.

At about 10 am, I ran across a soda cache and some lawn chairs.  Perfect timing, I was running low on water and the black cherry Shasta went down smoothly. As I was sitting there reading the register, the couple I had camped with the previous three nights showed up.  I made sure to get their names – Ladybug and The Cup.

I hiked with them a little bit.  Their pace was brisk, but I could keep up.  We passed a day hiker who happened to be responsible for the soda cache.  We thanked him and chatted for ten minutes.  We hiked close to an hour until they stopped for lunch.  I wanted to go further because I noticed an hour ahead was a spot listed as spigot and picnic table.  One thing about the PCT that differs drastically from the AT is that there are very few good spots to stop and eat.  The AT has shelters with picnic tables every 8 to 10 miles and the PCT has very few good rocks or logs to stop and rest on.  Most of the time I just lay out my pad and eat on the ground.  That’s what they were doing, but I wanted a table.

I went the extra hour and hit the picnic table.  It was right next to a garage and near what looked to be a brand new house being built.  It was like I was eating in someone’s back yard.  But there was a spigot and a table, so I was eating.  The table was in the sun, but a third of it was shaded so I ate there.  In about a half hour, the shade would be completely gone, so I ate quickly.  Just as I finished, Ladybug and The Cup showed up and loaded up with water.  And right then the shade on the table was gone.  Time to move on.

We all left together, and I stopped to take the picture you see with some tiki poles marking private property.  It’s not something you see every day, so I took advantage of the photo opp.  The other two went ahead quickly, and I never caught them again.  It was five miles into town and just a matter of cranking them out.

The trail by this time was lower elevations and it was getting quite warm.  There was still decent tree cover most of the time, so it was not miserable, but I was definitely working up a sweat.  I got to the road intersection at interstate 5 at a place called Callahan’s that has a very good restaurant and gives deals to hikers in their Lodge.  The first beer is free (Ninkasi IPA) and the food is excellent.  I had a mixed green salad with hazelnut dressing and it was superb.  The beer was superb as well.  I checked on the hiker rate, but they were booked tomorrow, but I took a card to call in case they had cancellations.  It was getting close to 4, so I had to boogie to hitch into Ashland before the PO closed.

I went to the on ramp and within ten minutes a van stopped.  She would take me to the post office.  Hurray!  I got there with plenty of time and all three packages were there.  I tried to rent a car, but Ashland was all out.  I could not get to Medford in time via bus and there was no uber in Ashland, so I went straight to the hotel in Medford via bus.  Most of the hotels in Ashland were expensive and all the cheap ones were booked.  No better time than now to use some Marriott points and stay for free.

The bus ride took about thirty minutes, but I got off at the hotel and there was a Walmart across the street.  Score.  A hot shower and Chinese food were in order first, then brief shopping at Walmart for beer and food, then back to the hotel for laundry.  This hotel is right next to another Marriott property where Karen and I stayed in 2009 when we came to Oregon.  Small world.

I will try to get all my REI chores done as early as possible tomorrow.  If things go well and the busses do me right, I might be able to get everything done early enough to make it back to Callahan’s to see if they have a cancellation, or possibly head out tomorrow afternoon.  If the chores take too long, I might have to stay in Medford another night. 

It was 98 in Ashland and 104 in Medford today, so either way hiking out in the afternoon is not an option.  The side of the valley I hike out next is bare of trees for quite a while.  It’s either drag out late tomorrow or hope up one more night and make it out as early as possible.  I can take the bus down to Ashland, but from there it’s ten more miles back to the trail and it looks like a hard hitch.  I should probably make a sign here at the hotel specifying the exact exit I need in case I need to hitch from the interstate on ramp.  I’m getting better at this hobo thing.

https://goo.gl/photos/teoU7W2YRAVc4jf77

https://goo.gl/photos/CgYAu7ApaWj75aQD7

Before leaving California, I was able to get pretty close to a herd of cattle grazing in the mountains.  They have been in the mountains for the last 300 miles or more, but I never got close enough to see any of them until today.

Today was a huge milestone in the trip, California is complete, and Oregon is underway.  The terrain today actually looked different than usual within ten miles of the border.  But for now, Oregon seems pretty much like northern California as you would expect.  I hope it starts transforming more and more as the days go on.

I got up fairly early, listened to music, ate my apple pie in bed, and hit the trail at 6:10.  The couple from spaghetti dinner night headed out just minutes before I did.  I never saw them again all day until about two miles before where I intended to camp, they were camped by a spring.  We chatted briefly before I moved on.

The day was a mix of ups and downs and level ridge line hiking.  The terrain was mostly open desert plants with clusters of pines here and there.  But here, the desert plants started to change from sage brush looking plants to tiny grasses like tundra.  From a distance it looked like lush grass.  But up close it was stubby green plants and rocks.

There were cows in most areas.  You could hear their bells in the distance.  But at one section they were up close and personal.  I got some good video that I will try to post later. 

Everyone I met today talked about the border.  It’s on everyone’s minds and a definite goal for the day.  I was hoping to hit it about three, but it ended up being more like five.  I also expected more of a display than was there.  The two states on the sign on the tree that you see in the picture was marking the actual border.  There was a trail register and other signs saying how far to Washington, Canada, and Mexico.  I spent at least twenty minutes reading the register.  There were already about twenty people signing in for today.

I’m seeing more and more southbounders as the days go on, so I think I must be approaching their bubble.  I think I passed four or five today.  In the weeks past, it would be no more than one or two a day and some days with zero.  I don’t expect their bubble to even get past ten a day.  Ten times as many people go northbound rather than southbound.

I intended to go to a road crossing where I suspected there would be tentsites, but about a mile from it, I found some level pads among pine trees.  It was right at 8 PM, so it seemed like a perfect place to stop.  I am right by a spring, so I can get water in the morning.  There were just a few mosquitoes, but nothing bothersome.  I expect them to get worse as I head north.  Regardless, it feels good to be out of California finally.