July 13th
In my mind, I was going to get up and out of the house today at 5am so I could be on the trail by 10am. Around 8am, I knew that that window had closed, so I rolled out of the house shortly thereafter and mosied down I-5 for Portland. I stopped at the Clackamas Mall around lunch time (the exact opposite of a wilderness experience) and picked up a few maps at REI.
There was a restaurant next door, Native Foods Café and I entered wistfully thinking I would find some minimally processed foods to load up on before hitting the trail. Well, let’s just say that the “Native” in Native Foods is a trademark name, and it refers to the “meat” products in this all plant based foods establishment. Luckily, there was an option of a salad without this native foolishness (the cashier confirmed no soy) and it turned out to be quite delicious. They also had several organic unsweetened teas on tap; I liked the Blueberry Hibiscus one.
I followed HWY 212, then 26 up through the towns of Damascus, Boring, Sandy, Rhododendron and eventually Government Camp. I stopped in Sandy to get gas at Fred Meyer and after pulling into the station was immediately reminded why I avoid getting gas in Oregon. You can’t pump your own. And despite having done it on various occasions previously, there is always something unsettling about it. Like there are some norms or expectations that I am unaware of. Similar to visiting another country and feeling like you are just not doing something like you are supposed to. The attendant always gives a look like, “You really don’t know what you want, do you?” There should be a guide book somewhere…
As you progress up towards Mt. Hood, the road is lined with the typical mountain scenery; lodging and eateries catering to the ski crowd and summer tourists. Names like The Shack, Joe’s Donut Shop, Calamity Jane’s, and Ivy Bear Pizza. The town of Sandy was having its annual Sandy Mountain Festival, complete with rides and BBQ. There is a nice rest stop next to Government Camp, which reminded me a bit of Leavenworth. Not near as big and it was hard to tell if they were going for the Bavarian Village theme or Rustic Log Cabin. Lots of people were out and about on the last day of the weekend.
Driving up to the actual Timberline Lodge to see what it looked like, rain drops began to fall. As I reached the parking lot and stopped to see where the trailhead was, the wind was strong enough to move my car. I could see lightening in the distance. Hmmm…it was already 4:30pm. Would I be hiking tonight?
I drove back down to Barlow Pass, where the Sno-Park access is and checked out where the PCT intersects there. There was a small campsite and port-a-potty. After weighing my options and deciding the rain was clearing, I changed my clothes, packed up and headed south around 5:30pm. I couldn’t find my sit pad/pack frame (cut blue foam thingy) and momentarily thought about cramming a thin stadium seat cushion in instead. No, I thought, it’s one night.
It sprinkled off and on for the first 4 miles as I meandered through the forest. I was serenaded (jolted?) by the cracking of thunder as I walked along this relatively flat section. There were the familiar blue diamonds of a snow mobile trail. Breaks in the trees allowed me to see the hills to the west and I passed a few tourists out for a simple day hike. There was a kind of hum that I realized must be the mosquitos just emerging after the snow melt. There were the sounds of birds that remind me of someone slowly practicing notes on a recorder or the scene in Close Encounters when they are trying to communicate with the alien ship. Pretty but eerie at the same time.
The trail was also reminiscent of the video game “Frogger”; they kept hopping across the trail from the left and right. It’s all those mosquitos, I guess.
There was also this particular root ball that made me realize how much those things can look like those monsters in the movie “Tremors”. Oh, you haven’t seen it? Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Reba? Classic. I took a picture so you’ll know what I’m talking about.
I enjoyed a salmon/vegetable dinner about 5 miles in. Wasn’t my favorite but I think it just needed a bit more spice. Maybe some Ras El Hanout? Other than the folks I saw in the beginning, there wasn’t anyone else that evening. I was surprised since I crossed 3 roads before I camped at 2092.8, Seeping Spring campsite around 9pm. It had great water and a nice place to soak my feet down from the source. There wasn’t a lot of water in this section, so it was nice to have it be a good one.
While setting up I had an opportunity to use my new headlamp. I decided the Costco one was just too big, so I picked up a new one at REI. I’ll put it in the gear section; I hope to do that here in the next day or two. It had a red light feature which made me wonder if that would be better for NOT attracting bugs? We’ll see. It was nice to see when I unloaded my pack that I actually DID have my sit pad; it had mushed down into the bottom of the pack. Sweet. I settled off to sleep to the sound of crickets.
I was awoken in the middle of the night by the cracking sound of a tree beginning its descent down to earth somewhere in my vicinity. It is amazing how the mind quickly tries to determine the rate, proximity, and direction of its fall as I wondered if the log I had camped next to (something I try to do for this very reason) would protect my body from an impending crush. Luckily, its fall was arrested before it hit, cut off mid-descent. Needless to say, although my heart did come down to a normal speed, I didn’t sleep well for the rest of the night.
I am often asked what some of the things are that I am most scared of while backpacking and having a tree fall on me in the middle of the night is still my top answer.
For the continuation of this journey, visit Snuffy’s 2014 Pacific Crest Trail Journal-Oregon Day 6
To start at the beginning, head over to Snuffy’s 2014 Pacific Crest Trail Journal-Oregon Day 1
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