Snuffy’s 2014 Pacific Crest Trail Journal-Oregon Day 7

We awoke around 4:15am and began the routine of preparing for our hike north. I must admit, the picnic table and portable bathroom were a luxury!  One of the things I am doing on these short trips is trying out new socks. The thin men’s dress socks from Costco have been okay so far, but yesterday I tried wearing my Injinji socks because people talk about how much they love them. I am not sure what happened, but they caused rubbing on my pinkie toes that I haven’t had since wearing the Altra Lone Peaks. This morning I could tell they were not happy, so I switched back to the dress socks. Maybe the seams on the ends of the toes?

Setting out from Barlow Pass takes you across the original road and the Oregon Trail before you reach HWY 35. It has a nice marker to let you know the history.  After crossing 35, you head into the forest for about 3 miles before coming out into the sandy base of Mt. Hood.

The views of the mountain are expansive, along with the huge canyons that carry away glacial runoff.

The PCT joins the Timberline in about an hour.  From here until you reach the lodge trail junction, it literally feels like you are walking up a sand dune on the Oregon Coast. With the grayness of the wide walls of the canyons, interspersed with volcanic rock, it was not hard to imagine yourself walking on the moon.

Even though we were here before 9am, the sun was already beating down mercilessly. We both remarked that we were extremely happy to remember that we would be heading DOWN this section tomorrow instead of up.

I found myself thinking about my conversation yesterday with Raindance and Chimp, along with other hikers I have passed, and it made me think of how communication must have been like in the “old days”. You sometimes see it portrayed in movies and books, news was carried by word of mouth as travelers passed each other on trails between towns.

Raindance had talked of seeing Charlie Dayhiker in Castella, and I could pass on trail conditions ahead of them. You would hear about your family from someone who had rode through their town or news of wild life activity would be shared at the local watering hole. I imagine this maybe a bit diminished by things like Facebook, but not by much. Many of the posts are this same idea. Freed by the limitations of our normal expectations of immediate responses, we have to rely on the communication of others. Have you heard from so and so? Any word from…?

Passing through the Timberline Lodge area, there was a marked difference between this ski resort and the ones in Washington. It was open! People wandered the many side trails leading from the main lodge, snowboarders came flying down a few snow covered runs and the lift was taking folks up to the top to participate in summer activities. Stevens and Snoqualmie are relative ghost towns compared to the Disneyland impression this had. Smart business people I say.

There were mounds of snow over the trail here and there, but nothing that seemed to slow down the day hikers out on short adventures of their own.

We reached the Zig Zag River by 10:45 and stopped for a break. It looked to be a ford, so we took our time to eat and I soaked my feet. It has become obvious I will have blisters under the pinkie toes, and they are hurting worse than any soreness of my arthritis.

This section of the trail goes up and down the glacial river washes, with several lookouts and waterfalls. And more sand. This was hard on the feet and motivation; we slowed down significantly as the day progressed.

After stopping at 2:30 for meds, we made it to Sandy River at 4pm. I walked out to check on my nemesis and was not surprised to see it now looked like the flowing chocolate river of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, only faster. This weather has made her stronger.

We decided to camp for the night at the site right at the edge of the trees. Elizabeth set up the tent to take a nap and I soaked my feet (quite a running theme) in the tributary that ran next to the camp. I also relaxed on my Neoair with my feet up on a log and discovered I rather like having my head on the pad (I normally sleep with it at neck level and use my pack as a pillow). This caused me to try a different sleep arrangement that night with my pack at my feet that greatly improved my sleep.

Although I seem to be keeping the swelling at bay, I did have to pull out the mini Bic and needle to relieve the pressure of blisters under the nails. They are goners. I can’t help but think that the heat and sand are also contributing to the situation. I remember my worst blisters last year were in the area around Mt. Adams that also had sand and heat.

We spent the rest of the evening eating dinner and watching the sun go down. While walking by the river, I noticed that someone had left what appeared to be 5 Chunky soup cans, neatly washed and stacked. What?? I brought them back to camp and guessed at how this person may have left them. On accident? Why take such care and then LEAVE THEM?

Around 8:30pm while I was settling down into the tent, what appeared to be a tall, lanky thru hiker passed by and made his way towards Sandy. Yes, I quickly hopped out of the tent and snuck down to the river to see what he would do. Once again, when I got there he was already across! He had NO poles and the bottom of his shorts were wet. We waved at each other and he continued into the brush on the other side. WHAT?!?

I went back to the tent and fell asleep dreaming of how I would win my battle with the rapids in the morning.

It is so interesting to read this now, 9 years later.  Knowing what I know now about crossing the Sandy (and many other rivers) and having had taken Mountaineers classes that have given me skills to be safe I can’t help but wonder if it was truly the conditions of the river or my inexperience that was an obstacle to crossing her.  I guess that is all part of the journey and makes for a good story later, I suppose…

For the continuation of this journey, visit Snuffy’s 2014 Pacific Crest Trail Journal-Oregon Day 8

To start at the beginning, head over to Snuffy’s 2014 Pacific Crest Trail Journal-Oregon Day 1

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