Made it to Cascade Locks

Day 85 and mile 2149.7

Hi everyone! As usual, things are constantly changing and continually falling into place. I’m writing this on a 6 hour car ride from Cascade Locks, OR to Mazama, WA. I learned at PCT days that almost every American was either ending their journey at the Oregon-Washington border, or heading back to Northern California to fill in some of the chunks they skipped—with the hope that Washington will get better in the meantime. I haven’t verified this, but a grumpy older fella told me (in between a swing of whiskey and a rip of a cigarette) that this is the worst fire conditions in Washington ever.

Now back to where we left off:

The rest of my birthday was a dream! I was slow once I hit the trail, on account of being so full after a big breakfast buffet hahaha. I hiked through the foggy side of Mt Hood, which was probably the chilliest conditions I’ve had on trail so far, and made it to a gorgeous section of rivers and waterfalls. I hit mile 2100 along the way, and took a detour to enjoy lunch by Ramona Falls. I ate lunch with a few familiar faces, but mostly got to soak in the views with solitude which was great. I then went to finish my afternoon miles and ran into not one, not two, but three trail magics!! What a fun birthday surprise. There were tons of hikers, and lots of goodies for us. The menu included: hot dogs, sloppy joes, Oreos, ice cream, beer, soda, whiskey shots, pickles, more beer, and egg salad. There were also two corporate sponsors there, so I got some sweet sunglasses and a very fancy hiking stuff sack! Music and some dancing came as the night went on, and they even surprised me by lighting some matches in two Donettes and sang Happy Birthday!

The next morning, I hiked in the morning with a few folks I had met the night before. It was so foggy it was like walking through rain frozen in time, but we were all in great spirits because we would make it to Cascade Locks that day. After the dense woodsy fog, I walked through a small burn zone before hitting some of the most beautiful stretch of trail I’ve seen. The trail began to wind all around Eagle Creek, which was steep and rocky with waterfalls and emerald pools below. The highlight was certainly Tunnel Falls, which was a moss tunnel behind a waterfall! It was BEYOND! I made my way into town, eating blackberries and huckleberries along the way, and even crossed over the Bridge of the Gods into Washington before recrossing to get to PCT Days. I checked in, set up my tent on Thunder Island alongside hundreds of hikers, and headed to the brewery for a preparty. Pepper and Triplestep were there! It was amazing to see them, and reunite with a ton of folks I’d met previously on the trail. Hilariously, the place I set my tent up on the island was right by a sprinkler system. My tent got drenched around 12:30a, but luckily it’s a tent and my rainfly was on, so it was just noisy.

The next day, festivities began. I got breakfast in town, then did a preliminary pass of all the vendors for as many freebies I could carry! My friend John from Vassar came over from Portland with his GF Josie to spend the day with me which was so much fun. We explored, and entered giveaways (and lost all of them), and ate ice creams the size of my head. As I said my goodbyes to John and Josie, my Aunt Claire and Uncle Josiah arrived to enjoy some fun too. There was an amazing band that played while we ate and drank and danced.

Yesterday was more of the same. Vendors were definitely more apt to give out stuff on day two, and I was eager to take advantage of it. I got some great new insoles and an awesome pouch for my pack straps. I said my goodbyes to Aunt Claire and Uncle Josiah at lunch, then found out my care package from my mom had a snafu at the post office. Not having the best luck with packages recently, which can certainly bum me out. But, I’m trying to keep a good attitude about it. A storm rolled in which forced festivities to end about 3 hours early. I cozied myself up at the brewery in town to wait out some of the thunder and lighting. I talked to a lot of hikers, and was surprised to learn that most folks I spoke with were ending their hike in Cascade Locks. Aside from a few outliers, the only folks I knew who would continue were international. I wasn’t really sure what to do, but as always found clarity and direction by trusting my gut. After coming all this way, getting to the border (if it’s open now and may not be open for long) seems exciting and important. I’ve decided to jump beyond the open section in the middle of Washington to give myself the best shot to make it to the final 50 miles before the fires change. Within 15 minutes of making this change, I found a woman who had a ride to Mazama who would ask if they had space. How freaking cool, right?

I woke up this morning and hadn’t heard back yet, but decided it was as good a time as any to be ready if opportunity came knocking. I packed up and got a text as I walked over the bridge: “We can take you.” Perfect. Timing. What a fun contrast and great call back to my ‘you are right on time.’ I have been catching up on some sleep in the backseat, and we even got to stop at McDonalds for my second time on the trail. From Mazama, I will hike to the border and then double back. Huge shout out to Rosie for helping me get my passport squared away for Canadian entry, but unfortunately the fires make it impossible to continue to Manning Park. I will then hike back to Mazama, which some folks who have finished have told me is really fun because you get to see excited hikers rounding the final bend! From there, I will decide if I’d like to do the middle portion of Washington or if I’d like to end this adventure here. I’m sure I will make the right decision for me when it’s time, but there’s no need to decide just yet.

I can’t believe how far I’ve come. It feels like I have been hiking for years, and yet, the pit in my stomach I felt while driving to the Mexican border is so familiar it could have happened yesterday. While I expected more time in Washington, I feel certain I am on the right path for me now. If all goes according to plan, I will be at the border monument tomorrow or the next day.

Until next time,

Drew