Category: 2020 Pacific Crest Trail

Bunny and I were in bed by 9. The locals started shooting off fireworks about 9:30 when it started getting dark. Bunny wanted me to do something to make it stop since everything that isn’t right is my fault. I did what I could. I downloaded a white noise app and turned a fan on high for 8 hours. 

We always try to maximize town time. Before we went to bed last night, Bear looked up the bus schedule and we all agreed to take the 12:10 bus (check out time is 11 giving us time to look around a bit and maybe eat a bite). We also agreed to sleep in and meet for breakfast between 7:30 and 8. That’s why I was a little surprised to hear a text message come in before 7. Bear had misread the schedule and was giving me new options. I asked what Sassy thought. He said she was still asleep. Let’s just discuss it at breakfast at 7:45. 

While we were attempting to overeat at breakfast, we decided to just take the 10:10 bus back up to Timberline Lodge. Bunny and I went and did a little produce shopping before going back to our room to finish packing. We were supposed to meet downstairs at 9:50. I opened up the door as Bear and Sassy were coming by. We decided to knock on Double D’s door but got no answer. To our surprise, she was already downstairs waiting. The force is growing strong with this one. 

The bus delivered us to the lodge by 10:20, a full two hours earlier than we had planned for. Bear and I started talking about trying to stretch the day out a little further. The original plan was 8 miles when we discussed it with the ladies a couple days ago. We managed to get them to push it to 11 yesterday when we showed them the easy grade of the first 5 miles. Today, we decided to reach for the stars and push for 14. We were solidly voted down 6-2. Where they got the extra votes, we never figured out. 

We piddled around the ski center and Lodge for about 45 minutes taking in the views of Mt Jefferson which we didn’t get yesterday because of clouds. We also looked at snow reports and downloaded a few other backup apps to help us locate each other if we should get separated again. Bunny and I walked over to the actual Lodge which was built in 1917 to check out this historic landmark. This area of the country was very instrumental on the Oregon Trail. 

Even with all the piddling, we managed to start hiking at 11:15. We immediately noticed fewer people on the trail heading south from the ski area. As promised, it was an easy and fast 5 miles downhill. We stopped for one break before the weakest member of the group started complaining about aches. That would be me. My Achilles’ tendon on my left foot felt like it was being rubbed raw. When I examined it, a hard bump was already forming under the skin. I decided now was a good time to try out the new CBD topical oil Bear and Sassy have been pushing. 

I was relieved and amazed that 10 minutes after applying the oil, my pain started to fade. I’m not ruling out placebo effect, but any relief for any reason is fine. I decided to apply more when we stopped for a lunch break. When we crossed our first highway, we experienced another chink in the chain. Bear’s calve started tightening up and spasming on him. Sassy massaged it for him (Bunny take notice!) and applied some more of the herbal relief. He was good to go in about 10 minutes. There might be something to this find.

Even with two walking injured, we were making great time. Bunny was much stronger today and she was keeping up. Double D talked a bit this morning about possibly losing a couple of toenails. From past hiking experience with DD, she hides the severity of her aches and pains rather well. Bunny and I think she might be doing this again this trip. When she joined us on the AT in 2018, we didn’t even find out she had a blister until snow forced us off the trail in Gatlinburg. When we saw it, my stomach turned. It was as big as her entire heel on the back of her foot. She doesn’t complain about anything small. 

We made the 11 mile goal by 5. Bear and I doubled down our efforts to convince everyone to push on. We pointed out all the problems: no water, noisy because of cars, serial killers drive cars, water was 1/2 mile away, to get water is a 1 mile round trip and we only want to go 3.9 more miles. Bunny was feeling good and came on board early on. Sassy said she would do whatever her man and love of her life wants. She even offered to carry some of Bear’s gear (Bunny, are you paying attention?). It took the mention of bears hanging out in parking lots near busy highways before we got Dancing Dog to admit she didn’t like the spot. 

She asked Sassy to promise we’d make it by 7 and she would agree. Sassy said if her man says it’s so, then it is. (Bunny, surely you witnessed some of these attempts at pleasing her man!). We asked DD what her foot looked like and she responded with “you don’t need to see my feet, if you want to go, I can do it.” We were good to go. 

I’ve come to the conclusion that DD is an adrenaline junky, but not in the normal sense. Normal adrenaline junkies get their kicks by pushing their lives to the limit by jumping out of planes, skiing ahead of avalanches, etc. Dancing Dog needs more of an immediate threat to come alive. The other day, she was dragging until she almost got lost in the wilderness. When she realized her predicament, she found the energy to run a couple miles uphill with a heavy pack and lost all fear of things that would normally scare her a bit, such as crossing a roaring glacial river near dark just to set up a tent. Today, she didn’t really want to go the extra 4 miles, so she needed a boost. She’d just have to manufacture one. 

We were about a mile into the bonus round when we heard a huge thump behind us like a sack of wheat being dropped from a passing plane onto the ground and then a call for help. DD was dragging a bit and didn’t pick up her right foot enough to clear a root in the trail. She tripped and her left pant leg caught on a branch and prevented her from moving her leg to prevent the fall. The thump was DD going head first into a stump in the trail. Bear dropped his pack as soon as he heard the thump, it took the rest of us another couple seconds until we heard the cry for help. We all dropped packs and ran back. 

Dancing Dog was lying face down in the middle of the trail. We got back in time to hear her ask “Are my sunglasses broken? This is my favorite pair.” We said they looked fine but she might have a bruise on her head. “Hell, my head is hard enough to take a hit. Are you sure my glasses are ok?” We wanted her to take off her pack and slowly get up to make sure she was fine. It damn near took all four of us to get her to take off her pack. Sassy and Bunny had to undo the straps before she finally agreed. 

When she did get up, she refused any help with her pack. “I’ve been doing good all day and I really wanted to earn my backpacking badge today!” We all agreed that she had completed her training and was nearly a full fledged long distance hiker. We didn’t tell her she doesn’t actually get the badge until she craps her pants. She’s come close with the diarrhea she’s had. She just might finish up before she makes it to Sisters. 

We were all dragging a bit by the time we made camp (just at 7 as Sassy had promised). There was already another couple set up, but there was plenty of space. I tried to help DD set up her tent after we got ours set up. I’m a bit disappointed in the LightHeart Solo tent. We haven’t gotten a good setup yet. It normally takes a few times to figure out a tent, but this will be the 5th time and I’m still not satisfied. DD doesn’t complain about it. She’s just appreciative of any help. 

Bunny and I had one of our new favorites for supper. We are testing some food for BackPacker Magazine and have gotten 4 sauces from Kevin’s Natural Foods. Tonight we tried a basil lemongrass curry sauce then added a half pound of chicken and a Knorr’s pasta side. Kevin, if I wasn’t already married… 

I chose this meal for tonight because just the ingredients for it weighed almost a pound and a half in my pack. It’s heavy, but worth every ounce and the effort to carry it. Bunny and I ate in our tent and half heartedly offered to let everyone try some. We prefaced it by lying and saying it wasn’t quite as good as our last experience with Kevin’s. Luckily, no one took us up on the offer. I doubt if Bunny would have let anyone near it. The only reason I got it was because I carried it and made it. I also had to promise to massage her hips before I could dip my spoon in. She’s a crafty negotiator. 

EFG

After all the excitement of yesterday, we decided to sleep in a bit today. We had agreed to not get up until 7:30. Stated another way, Bear had to lay awake for two hours playing on his phone while Sassy continued to sleep. Actually, we were all a bit shook up after nearly losing Dancing Dog last evening. This is the closest to a real catastrophe we’ve ever come. It made us sit down and talk about contingency plans as a group. Bear was in heaven. 

We made it out by a little after 9. We knew it was just a short day, but we weren’t certain if the bus was still running from Timberline Lodge to Government Camp because of COVID. It may be short miles, but it was all uphill. If Bunny was not feeling any better, it could be a long morning. 

The hardest part of the climb was right out of camp. It’s easy to see we’re near a tourist area because people were already coming through our camp at 6a. We starting passing people immediately once we started hiking. I am amazed at how well everyone is handling face masks and physical distancing here in Oregon. 

It was an uneventful morning. We got spread out a little bit in the first mile, but we took a break at a melt stream about a mile and a half into the hike. From that point on, we stayed together as a group the rest of the way to Timberline Lodge. We easily passed 50 people on the trail with half that many dogs. I, of course, tried to pet every dog we passed and reluctantly talked to the people (I’m a pretty quiet and reserved person by nature). Fortunately, Bear and Dancing Dog make up for me. 

The highlight of passers-by was when I saw a Great Pyrenees. I still love the breed. I killed by 6th one last year so we could go hiking without any attachments back home. I’ll list my dogs by name to see if anyone can detect a pattern: Nahani, Amangi, Holpe, Allumes, Nutiket, & Ilana. 

We made it to the lodge by 11:45 to find that the next bus would arrive at 12:30. The place was packed with cars and people. There are still 2 ski slopes open and a lift running. The US ski team trains here year round. We had had a bit of time to kill. What’s the number 1 draw for thru-hikers coming to civilization? Whoever said food, nice try, but that’s actually number 2. Whoever said number 2 is number 1, you are correct! We took turns watching all the gear while evacuations took place. 

Bear and Sassy have a couple of trail angels (Miles and Linda) living in Portland who have agreed to resupply us for several stops. Today is the first time the rest of us get to meet Miles (we met Linda in Cascade Locks when she brought Bear and Sassy to town). The only time constraint we have today is to hook up with them this afternoon. 

Standing without walking kills my lower back. While everyone was finishing up job 1 (which is actually #2) I decided to go get in line for the bus so I could sit. There were already a couple people in line. Bear came out a few minutes later just as the bus pulled up. That’s when we saw the sign that due to the virus, only 10 people are allowed on the bus at a time. If the girls make it out, there will be 9. I was afraid they’d dally too long and that more people would show up and cause some tension while we argue for space, but it all worked out. The trail provides. And not only does it provide with Angels taking care of us (Miles & Linda dropping food, John & Jenny giving us refuge, Alice watching over us and sending food and gear), it also provides FREE (normally $2/person) transportation to town. Because of the virus, the bus isn’t charging hoping to encourage people out. DD had already given me money for the 5 of us to ride the bus. I tried to give it back but she said keep it. I am finally a professional hiker. I’ve received my first cash payout!

Once we made it to town, we decided to drop our gear at the hotel. Job #2 is now job #1—food. Bear texted Miles and Linda to let them know where to meet us. Just as we sat down to order, they pulled up. We went out to get the food drops and meet the whole family. They brought their cute little girl, Puff. 

Food arrangements became the next highest priority after we got done eating. I found this to be an ideal arrangement. By deciding the next 4 days of food after finishing a big town meal, my back will be noticeably lighter than our normal walking up and down every aisle in the grocery store and grabbing everything that sounds good. 

With all the big items out of the way, we just had showers and laundry to go to finish off town chores. While Bunny was showering, I took advantage of the balcony we had on our room and dried out all of our gear. I had to get this done before Bunny headed out to laundry since every item of clothing I have is dirty. I didn’t want to get arrested for an early moonrise in Government Camp.

EFG

A glorious night of sleep—no rain. Followed by a glorious morning ritual—no hole to dig. There’s not even any rain in the forecast for the next two weeks. We were working pretty well together as a group and see nothing but smooth sailing for today. What could possibly go wrong?

Even though it’s our 4th day on the trail, which is usually when we physically feel the worst, we decided to kick up the mileage a bit. (At least Bear and I did; we’ve found it’s usually best to not let the women folk in on the plans until the complaining starts later in the afternoon). We could easily make it to Timberline Lodge today which is only about 18 miles away, but we decided it would be best to lay up a little short to maximize town time tomorrow. It looks like an easy 4300’ of ascent with a couple of short declines totaling 2800’ down. The highest point we’ll get to today is 5500’ above sea level which might take us into some snow. 

The trail started out with a 1200’ + climb right out of camp. Bunny doesn’t do well starting out with a climb. Bunny doesn’t do well with a climb at the end of the day either. And, as we discovered today, she doesn’t handle climbs in the middle of the day very well, either. Bunny is not a climber. In her defense, day 4 of hiking and she hasn’t been feeling well since before we started the trip. 

Everyone wanted to try to get reservations for a hotel tomorrow night since it’s the 4th of July. I was willing to take our chances on finding someplace. I agreed that if they wanted to get rooms, I was fine with it as long as I didn’t have to do anything other than pay. When we got to the top of the climb, we discovered we had cell service. Bunny was under the weather and acting slightly spacey about finding the hotel phone number. I ended up finding the number and making the call. I got connected to reservations to a woman who speaks English as a second language (after just starting to take lessons). This was exactly the reason I didn’t want to get involved with the reservations. After a painful 30 minute conversation where we had to make individual reservations and give CC no’s, we were finally moving again. 

We completed the first up and over by noon (5 miles plus an aggravating phone call) where we stopped beside a river for a leisurely lunch. This is a pretty popular area for day hikers around Mt Hood and the locals are doing a very good job with wearing face masks and social distancing. Even if the federal government has given up on trying to stop the spread of COVID, the state and people of Oregon are taking it seriously. 

The early afternoon saw our biggest climb of the day. It was over 5 miles to get to the top of a roughly 2000’ climb. Bunny started falling behind and Dancing Dog stayed back with her. After a couple of miles, we took another break for everyone to catch up. Bunny was not a normal flesh color. She was ashen color with bright red cheeks. She was hurting. I was a bit worried, so I dropped back to walk with her the rest of the day. In reality, I was dragging quite a bit as well. We made it to the top of the climb about 40 minutes after everyone else. 

We had originally talked about taking a side trail called “Paradise Loop” but Bear and Sassy had had the chance to talk to a few people that had been over it. It sounded almost solid snow even though it was only 400’ higher than the PCT. We decided to skip it entirely. 

Bunny and I had drained all of our water on the extended climb (plus, I’m pretty sure Bunny was already slightly dehydrated because she doesn’t like to drink much in the afternoons—-she refuses to get up in the night to pee). There was a snow melt seasonal stream in about a half mile after our high point. Everyone had waited for us to catch up. We all stopped to get water and a snack at the stream. It was already past 6 and we still had another 3 miles to go. If we were lucky, we’d make camp by 7:30 and we weren’t certain of what the camping looked like. Bear and Sassy decided to head out at a faster pace to secure us spots by the Zigzag River. 

About 15 minutes after Bear and Sassy left, the rest of us packed up and hit the trail. As we entered a glacier basin, we could see Bear and Sassy crossing over the opposite rim. There were lots of patches of snow to cross over which slowed us down. Bunny and Double D aren’t very comfortable on the snow. I know Bunny was having flashbacks to last year’s PCT experience. I let Bunny lead since she was still not herself. This was the first mistake in a chain of mistakes. 

We came to the second junction of Paradise Trail. Bunny was feeling pretty good now and just blew on through the intersection. I was fumbling with my camera because some of the setting had gotten changed. Double D and I just followed in her wake. Second mistake. 

In another 1/2 mile, Bunny said she needed to stop for a bathroom break. Double D just kept on walking (third mistake) while I pulled out the phone to see how far we were from camp. Only 0.7 miles to go. Bunny finished up and we started after DD. We were moving pretty fast but couldn’t catch up. The trail was starting to steadily drop so it shouldn’t be much longer before we were to camp. We came to a trail junction of Paradise Loop and Zigzag Mountain. I was confused…no mention of the PCT. 

I pulled the phone out to check our position. The stupid app wouldn’t update and it showed our position off of the map. I cursed, shut the app down, and restarted it. It wouldn’t update. I switched displays and the stupid app showed our position almost a mile off trail. I started getting a sinking feeling. What if the app was right and we had strayed the wrong way down the mountain? We had to figure out where we were. We couldn’t safely go forward on either trail so we had to backtrack to determine our position. We had no idea which trail DD had taken. 

We retraced a mile back to the junction of Paradise Trail and the PCT. Bunny had taken a right when she should have gone straight and we just blindly followed. Ok, we knew what happened and where we needed to be, but where was DD. I had already been panicking when we turned around, now I was in full melt down. Bunny’s medical training kicked in and she got me to calm down. All we had todo was get a message to DD to turn around. She has an InReach, we could send a message. We don’t have the number, but we know her husband does, we could call him. We don’t have his number. We checked to see if we had any phone numbers of DD’s friends. We had one. We tried, no answer. How about email? DD and her husband share an email account. We sent a message telling him to send a message to her inReach to turn around. 

After the email attempt, we sent text messages to Bear and Sassy to let them know what was happening. Trust me, we weren’t as calm as this recounting sounds. This is real wilderness and DD was potentially lost near dark in the middle of a huge unknown area. I left the phone with Bunny to try to contact people. I dropped my pack, grabbed a flashlight, and ran back down the wrong trail to try to find DD. With any luck, she’ll realize we haven’t caught up with her and turn around. I was running and screaming her name. 

The only thing I could do is wait at the junction screaming her name until dark. If she hadn’t shown up by then, I’d return to Bunny and camp at the trail junction for the night. We would get up at first light and resume our efforts. I hadn’t been at the junction for 5 minutes screaming DD’s name when I heard her call back. I could have cried with relief. I yelled “Go Back.” She yelled back “Which way?” I know her mind well enough by now. When I yelled “go back” she had already turned around and was coming back our way. She thought I was telling her to go back down the trail in the wrong direction. I yelled “Come to me”. About 5 minutes later, she was in my sight. 

I told her we were fighting approaching darkness and we had to go as fast as possible. On the way back to Bunny, she explained her choice in trail selection. She knew we were going to camp at Zigzag River so she went down Zigzag Mountain Trail. It makes sense, but it was wrong. She made it to the river and yelled for Bear and Sassy but got no answer. She got out her whistle and blew, but still no answer. She figured Bunny and I should have caught up by then, so she turned back. She’d probably gone a mile past the junction. 

Bunny met us before we made it back. She had gotten hold of Sassy and found out Bear had fallen but he was OK. DD called her husband with our phone (now we have the number) and left him a message. We texted Sassy that we were going to still come down. We only had a mile to go and it was all downhill. Our adrenaline was high. We flew down the mountain.

We stopped to fill our water bags because we figured we wouldn’t have usable water at camp. Zigzag River is a glacial river so it will be flowing fast and have lots of sediment in it. When we made it to the river, Bear came out of his tent on the opposite shore. There weren’t any flat spots on our side and there wasn’t an easy route across. We had to ford the river to get to Bear and Sassy. We switched into water shoes and rolled up our pants. I went first and gave Bear my pack then came back to grab the other packs. The water was fast but only about knee deep. DD doesn’t have much water crossing experience. Bunny carried her own across. I followed DD with her pack. 

It was almost dark. By the time we had our tents set up, it was well past hiker midnight. I cooked in the vestibule while Bunny set up everything inside of the tent. My feet were blue from crossing the glacial river 3 times. Bear and Sassy went in their tent to eat while we were setting ours up and eating. It was past 10 before we had supper. 

What was supposed to be an easy day turned out to be pretty scary. Bunny got sick, Bear fell off a river bank, and Dancing Dog was nearly lost in the Mt Hood wilderness. Fortunately, everything worked out fine, no one was hurt, and we have reservations for a hotel tomorrow night. It would have been tough to enjoy the hotel if someone had gotten hurt, but we’d have given it the ole PCT try. 

EFG

We were in the tent by 6:45p to get out of the rain. We didn’t even pee after we ate waiting for a break in the rain. It never came. It rained all night long. When the taste of my urine backed up to my mouth, I couldn’t take it any more. I heard a short break in the rain; this was my chance. If I ran fast enough, I could pee on Bear and Sassy’s Big Agnes before they detected the break and headed out. Success!

When I had to go a second time, it was already 7:15a. Since it was light out and still raining, I stayed close to home for relief. I just stayed up and started making breakfast. I just wanted the hot coffee in my snippy cup to keep me warm until everyone else was up. I, in no way, want to be the early riser. With the rain coming down, I was willing to lay in bed and wait it out. 

Sassy came down around 8 and told us they had seen the weather report for the day and the rain was supposed to stop between noon and one and then be a sunshiney, warm day. We have Verizon and couldn’t get a signal. Dancing Dog has Verizon and couldn’t get a signal. Bear and Sassy have Verizon…I was convinced she was lying to give us all hope and get us going. 

Dancing Dog brought her coffee and stove over to our tent to borrow a lighter (hers got wet and wouldn’t strike). She set the stove down and turned the valve on but couldn’t get the stove to light. “I think you need to attach the fuel to the stove to get it to work.” She’s obviously not a morning person. I heated her coffee for her. 

She then went back to her tent, got the fuel, and cooked supper for breakfast. We were actually worried that she might not have eaten supper last night because of the rain. She has the tightest tent of all of us and we still haven’t figured out how to set it up right. As a result, not only did she not have enough vestibule room to cook, but water had managed to get in and soak everything she has with her. The water kept dripping on her sleeping pad causing her to curl up into a smaller and smaller ball until she had no place left to go. It was wet and cold with even her sleeping quilt soaked. Luckily, she had some hand warmers which she activated and dropped in her bra to keep warm. 

So far, Dancing Dog has lost her coffee cup, broken her glasses, had an aversion to backpacking food which has given her diarrhea, had her water bladder leak all over her back, gotten all of her gear soaked by rain, and has never been this dirty in her life (day 3…long distance hiking requires a certain flexibility with personal hygiene). Through all of these adversities, she’s still happy to be out here. Nothing fazes her. Her husband says her stubbornness is her best quality—when she sets her mind to something, nothing will stop her. 

By the time we squeezed as much water off of our gear as possible and got packed up, it was 10:16. With all the rain and bad luck, we were only a minute later leaving camp. It wasn’t actually raining, but we were walking in a cloud and fog. Noon came, but no sun. We decided to take a snack break and get out of the wind. 

Bunny’s mom has a cat. It’s a feral cat that only responds to her. If we’re all sitting in the living room, the cat may come out. If anyone acknowledges the cat, it will turn and run back under the bed to not be seen again for quite sometime. If everyone ignores the cat, it will eventually join the crowd. 

The sun has been trying to break through the clouds for the last day, but every time it starts to brighten up, someone will say “here comes the sun” and it disappears. After the break, actual sunshine struck the ground. Bear yelled “Tadaa” and the sun disappeared. I warned everyone to not mention or say anything if the sun popped back out again. I, single-handedly saved the day. The sun tentatively popped out again, and everyone ignored it. Pretty soon we had full sunshine and a beautiful day. 

After grabbing a little bit of water, we found a big enough campsite that we could lay out all of our wet gear to dry. All of our tents, ground clothes, wet clothes, bags, etc. got spread out while we took another, extended snack break. It cooled off a bit, but with the sun and slight breeze we managed to get stuff dry enough that we won’t get hypothermic tonight. 

The altitude is having some weird effects on my system. I find myself hiccuping quite a bit, but the hiccups sound like belches. I’ve also been having some sort of allergic reaction which causes me to sneeze every couple of minutes, but the sneezes sound like farts. I’ve explained this adverse reaction to everyone so now if any fart sound comes from me, everyone says “Geshundtheit.” If I could pull this off in a work environment, I’ll be golden. 

We couldn’t decide how far we wanted to go today. Bear and I were pushing for 16 miles. Bunny and Dancing Dog were fine with 12. Sassy had no opinion knowing that Bear would make the plans and have his usual 3-4 contingencies. Right now, we are operating on “PCT COVID-19 alternate ¥ 3a” which called for us to go 16. We discussed this after our extended drying break and thought 16 might be out of the question. When we got to Lolo Pass, it was a done deal.

On the AT, there are shelters every 6-10 miles. Each shelter has a reliable water source, a picnic table, and some sort of pit latrine. None of this exists on the PCT. I can count the number of trailside privies we ran across last year on one hand. While hiking with Charcoal B and Struggles in Washington last year, we actually formed a line with 3 other hikers to use a box with a lid that had to be held open with a stick. The first thing I noticed when we got to Lolo Pass was a family size, beige Jonny on the Spot. 

The 3 women were there first and they hadn’t even bothered to check it out. They assumed it was probably locked. I ran over to it and tried the door. Nirvana! Not only was it unlocked, it was clean and had toilet paper. I said I was 100% ok with staying here tonight. We started looking for a camping spot and I said I didn’t want to stray too far from the privy. Life only got better. We found a spot large enough for all of our tents AND there was a picnic table. We only scored this trifecta 3 times last year. 

We started the day wet and miserable hating Oregon. Then the sun came out and we got to dry all of our gear. Then, as we were walking, we managed to get a full frontal view of Mt Hood when we had forgotten where we were even headed. Top it all off with flat spots for our tents, a picnic table, and a privy! We’ve won the lottery. And none of us have even had to put up with a single tweet to discover America doesn’t have to be made great again; it already is. 

EFG

Today was…squishy. Squishy because it rained all night and everything was wet. Squishy because the trail was soaked and you sunk in the mud with almost every step. And squishy because I tried a personal modification with Leave No Trace (LNT). 

Let’s start off by explaining the primary principal of LNT. The short hand version is to pass through an area and leave no indication that you were even there. Preserve nature from the influence of man. It’s simple yet tougher that it seems. The toughest part for me has to do with human waste. All animals poop in the woods, but people pose the greatest risk to other people with the bacteria in our BMs. To that end, LNT asks that all solid (or semi-solid in my case) waste be buried at least 6” deep and the surface be returned to pristine condition so it doesn’t appear to have been disturbed. No problem, I can do that. My poop exploits are well documented here. 

The tough part of LNT is the big ask…please pack out the TP (and not just simply the unused TP). Back in the day, our yard used to get TP’d when I was in high school. We’d pick up as much as we could, but, invariably some couldn’t be retrieved. It would simply dissolve after the next rain or two. I assume that by burying the TP, it doesn’t get enough moisture to break down. Animals who have a good sense of smell (it doesn’t have to be that good to find my holes after I’ve been out here a few weeks) will sometimes dig up the old holes and take the soiled TP creating an eye sore as well as a bacterial risk for other people. I decided there must be a better way to get more moisture on the TP. 

The answer seems quite simple, wipe first so the TP is on the bottom and will be exposed to all the liquids from loose stools and urine. The side effect to this is a squishy walk the rest of the day (admittedly there are a few kinks to work out; I’ll just continue to carry out the TP).

We haven’t hiked with Bear and Sassy since we summitted Mt Katahdin to complete our AT thru-hike almost 2 years ago. That day was one of the crappiest days of hiking we have ever experienced. Today was a close twin to that day: drizzling, in the 40s, and strong winds. We didn’t have any views today because of fog. Come to think of it, I don’t remember any scenic overlooks with almost 800 miles of hiking together on the AT. I remember fogged over view after fogged over view while hiking with them. Bear and Sassy are the death of scenic overlooks. Their streak continues. 

It’s a damn good thing they are so much fun to be around. There is no one we have hiked with as much as them. Second place is probably a toss up between Dancing Dog (with us now, but her weather luck is almost as bad as Bear and Sassy…when she joined us on the AT in the Smokies it was 70 degrees. Over night it snowed almost a foot and dropped to -12) and Charcoal B & Struggles who we hiked most of Washington with last year. We should be able to salvage this hike when we catch up with them in central Oregon in a couple of weeks (they are the only couple we have had consistently good weather with). Even Peter and Marcia got us into a couple of rain storms in Scotland when we met them on the West Highland Way. (It never rains in Scotland unless we’re with Peter and Marcia). 

Todays hiking, in spite of the squishiness and rain, was an easier day than yesterday. We started off a tad slow, not actually getting out of camp until 10:15. In reality, that’s pretty normal early on for us. Dancing Dog had a water accident which caused a minor delay—when she put her pack on, water poured down her back. Her reservoir cap had gotten cross-threaded and the pressure from resting on her back caused the water to drain out. It wasn’t bad, but we didn’t have an identified water source for nearly 8 miles. We promised not to let her get dehydrated but she wouldn’t take any water from us. She must have walked with her head tilted back and her mouth open. 

There weren’t a lot of people out. We saw 6 total. Two girls from Portland we’re doing a 3 day trip to Cascade Locks which they decided to cut to 2 thanks to the rain. There was an older couple out day hiking (if they’re older than us, they’re Old). Another man was solo hiking for a couple of days. Finally, a young woman with a dog who was an excellent judge of character…he was very friendly to me, but recognized Sassy and Dancing Dog as the source of the bad weather and barked at both of them. The owner said he never did that. Dogs know!

We got water from a small stream near the junction of the Eagle Creek Trail. We wanted to come up the Eagle Creek Trail as an alternate route from Cascade Locks, but a forest fire a few years back made it unsafe to traverse. I’m still trying to find a way to blame Bear and Sassy, but I’m coming up empty. 

We carried water for about another mile and a half to a flat spot on an abandoned forest service road. With the rain and cold, we all just set up our tents and crawled inside for supper and bed. When we started the AT, it rained on us every day for the first month then we got nice weather. When we started hiking with a Bear and Sassy, it rained on us every day for a month. We’re on our second day of rain in OR hiking with Bear and Sassy. Coincidence?

EFG

I saw a dog masturbate. 

We made eye contact. I was filled with revulsion (I didn’t want to pet him again until both he and I showered). I was filled with sadness (he was jumping up and down on himself with full force of his front paws to get the action needed). I felt superior (I have thumbs so I didn’t have to use my body weight and hands to do the deed). I felt nostalgic (my teen years seem so far gone). I was filled with an urgency to get back on the trail (when even dogs are so bored they masturbate rather than lick their asses, we’ve all spent too much time in quarantine—I’m pretty sure Fox News was on). 

I saw a dog masturbate. I immediately checked the status of the PCTA to see if we could hike on our permit dates. They stated our permits are still valid and only valid if we start on the permitted date at the permitted location. However, they strongly recommend to avoid long distance hiking in the Covid age. Our permits were for 6/30 starting at Bridge of the Gods heading south. I’ve only hiked south 1 time on the AT and it felt wrong. It made me feel dirty. I hated it. I saw a dog masturbate…hiking south bound sounds doable. 

We checked with Dancing Dog who said she wanted to hike in Oregon with us. We told her PCTA’s stance and she said “you only live once.” She’s our canary in the cave. Dancing Dog has been working part time at an urgent care clinic and has seen COVID patients. She said she’d rather hike. If she’s willing, we’re willing. 

We contacted Bear and Sassy to see if they were still interested. They had gotten the same permits that we had. They said they were in. They were day-hiking the Mountain to Sea Trail in NC when we talked to them the first time. Once the administration gave up trying to contain COVID, they backed out. We talked to them and said we were still going to hike. We felt safer in OR on the PCT than we did in MO. Bear and Sassy live in Alabama, another strong Republican state that doesn’t want their civil liberties trampled by being asked to wear a face mask to stop the spread of the virus—gawd will protect them. They’ve even marched with their automatic weapons in multiple states (gawd apparently doesn’t protect 2nd Amendment supporters so they need their guns to protest). Bear and Sassy reconsidered. They may not have seen a dog masturbate, but they’ve seen at least 100 Bubbas with automatic weapons protesting face masks which could save their lives. They were back in.

We managed to brave multiple airports, Uber drivers, and busses to all arrive in Cascade Locks, OR to begin our hike today. Dancing Dog is only going to be able to spend a couple weeks on the trail with us, but without her support we may not have been here. (I saw a dog masturbate, multiple times, I was fully committed to hiking). Bear has friends in Portland that have agreed to support us most of the way to Crater Lake NP. Our friends, John and Jenny who we met on the Wonderland Trail, live in Sisters, OR and they have agreed to host all of us for a couple nights so we’ll be able to do laundry and hose off. Things fell into place. 

We joined a Facebook group, “Still hiking PCT class of 20” and found out over 600 people are still on the trail and making it happen. The majority of them are in the Sierra now. We will be passing them all in 3-4 weeks. 

The plan was to meet in Cascade Locks for lunch today and then hit the trail. Dancing Dog, Bunny, and I made it out by 9:45. There were only 4 passengers on the bus with us being 3 of them. It was like a luxury, private shuttle that required us to wear face masks (I knew we should have packed guns). When Bear and Sassy arrived at 10:30, we were all too amped to eat. We decided to skip lunch and hit the trail at 11:45. 

Last year, on the way out of town, an angel gave us some cherries. This year, business was much slower so we stopped by the same roadside booth and bought a few quarts. We all headed up to the Bridge of the Gods for a group photo to document our start. The bridge isn’t any more impressive this year than it was last year when we headed north to Canada, eh. 

Bridge of the Gods is the lowest elevation on the PCT. That means today is all uphill. We gained 4000’ over the nearly 9 miles of hiking we did today. It was cloudy which helped because I was pouring out the sweat. Other than the week of hiking we did in the Land Between the Lakes, Bunny and I haven’t done any serious exercise in the last 9 months since my mom died in September. 

We took our time today. We took a little over 6 hours to cover the 9 miles and gain 4000’. We didn’t really take many breaks, only 2 where we dropped our packs. The first was to have a snack after about 3 miles. The second was when we got our first real views of the Columbia River a few thousand feet below us.  We made one water stop about 3/4 of a mile before we camped. We won’t hit any water for another 9 miles, so we each carried 3 liters so we’d have enough for supper, breakfast, and tomorrow’s walk. 

Some people consider today’s terrain the toughest on the PCT. Even though we haven’t hiked for 9 months, it wasn’t that bad. I tried to convince Bear that he was much more manly than me, or Bunny, in the hopes that the praise would encourage him to carry 6 liters of water so I’d only have to carry 2. Good Chip Norris could have pulled it off, but Bear wouldn’t bite. He just said “I’m a little sissy man and my pack is already too heavy.”  It’s hard to disagree. 

Camp was set up with all 5 of us fed and in bed by 8:15. The only minor hitch was with Dancing Dog’s tent. We thought she had a smaller version of the same tent we have (she does, but not exactly). We tried to figure out how to set it up, but it looks a bit saggy. As long as it doesn’t rain too terribly hard tonight, she’ll be fine.

Bear and Sassy are just about asleep, so I’ll take our food bags over to their tent when I get up one last time to pee on said tent. They still insist upon putting a light on their Big Agnes logo. It makes an excellent target. I’m glad to be on the trail again even if I’m cramping up in my legs and my feet are freezing. I saw a dog masturbate—cold feet pale in comparison.

EFG