I am currently sharing journal entries from my section hiking of the Pacific Crest Trail in Oregon. For this section, you can start here: Snuffy’s 2015 Pacific Crest Trail Journal : Bring on The Bugs. These are the post section hiking entries I wrote as I did a little road tripping, slowly making my way back home. Sometimes you just have to make your hike your own.
June 29, 2015 Ollalie Lake Resort
I slept in. That’s it, I slept in.
No, actually I just got up late, packed up my stuff, iced up at the Odell Sportsman Center across the road to combat the forecasted high temperatures and started east to HWY 97 towards Bend. I planned to have breakfast somewhere along the way but nothing looked appetizing, so by the time I got to Bend it was 11:30am and I settled for lunch. Driving into the downtown area, it reminded me of college towns like Bellingham and Missoula. I found The Summit Bar interesting, walked into a cool saloon feel and enjoyed a delicious Cobb salad and iced tea.
The REI in Bend turned out to be a dud, no Green Trails maps, but I did pick up a National Geographic Mt. Hood map for the Sandy River. They suggested I head over to a map store in town which also failed to have the Green Trails I needed.
Next, I drove on to the quaint town of Sisters, done up with a Western theme similar to Leavenworth, WA with its Bavarian theme. Other than a small ice cream joint on the west side of town, I really didn’t see anywhere hikers might hang out or a reason to get out and walk around. It was all art galleries and t-shirt shops. The ranger station next to the ice cream place hadn’t even heard of Green Trail maps but directed me to a book store in town. I called first and Pauline’s did have the map I needed, so I made a stop before heading over Santiam Pass to FR 46 for Ollalie Lake Resort. I had seen a side trail for the resort while hiking the PCT north of here and said I would return to check it out.
I arrived at the forest service scenic area around 4pm to a parking lot with a general store next to a charming lake with Mt Jefferson strutting its stuff at the far north end. I spent some time chatting with Dennis, who works at the resort and ended up staying in one of the small cabins that sit on the lake for a PCT hiker price. Everyone was very friendly and the store is trying hard to be a PCT resupply, stocking many of the items someone would want to make it a few more days to Timberline or the youth camp (if you don’t want to hitch into Sisters or Bend). Dennis is hiker himself and does trail work. He says they are allowing hikers to use the day use area to camp in, the campground areas are further up the road.
I spent the evening studying my maps and deciding what tomorrow would bring. My feet had started to swell from the car ride, so I propped myself up on the front porch with a book and watched the sun go down. Since I can’t sit for long, I did wander down to the lake front to watch Mt. Jefferson in the glow of the day’s final minutes. Back at the cabin, I did a little bedtime yoga by kerosene light, Little House on the Prairie style.
June 30, 2015 That Darn Sandy River
This morning I awoke to another sunny day and headed down to the store at 7am to rent a canoe and check out the lake before the day heated up. Although I have kayaked multiple times over the years, it has been a long time since I had paddled a canoe and being by myself it was even more of a relearning experience. Going out onto the lake was not a problem, but coming back was quite a challenge because I had to keep the front perfectly perpendicular with the flow or I found myself spinning around with the current. I managed to get some pictures without drowning my phone and returned back to my cabin to pack up and get going by 8:45am.
I will comment here that they grow the horseflies big down here. I stopped a few miles down the gravel road when I had a few messages come in (there is no reception at the resort). Sitting in my car I could hear repeated thudding on the outside of my car. Like a scene from a Stephen King novel, I realized it was the local winged monsters hitting up against the doors. Not sure if it was intentional or not, I moved on quickly.
Traveling on FR 46 northwest towards Estacada, I stopped suddenly as I noticed a hiker walking down the road with his thumb out. Rolling down the window, I asked him if he needed a ride. He responded with the most grateful yes. Will had been walking down the road for some time, even with a $20 out hoping someone would pick him up but no takers. He works at the UPS warehouse in Portland and was out hiking the Oregon section of the trail but needed to head into town. I love being able to give random trail magic.
Dropping him off in Estacada, I headed up to Zig Zag on route to Mt. Hood to do battle with my nemesis, the Sandy River. I was going to cross that river if it was the last thing I did! According to the map, the shortest way to get on the trail was at the Sandy River Trail heading towards the Ramona Falls Trail. The parking lot had over 20 cars, so I figured I was in the right place as it is a popular destination. There was even a car with “Just Married” written on the back window. I brought my camera, water bottle, hiking poles and headed up the one mile with my Zero shoes on prepared to tackle a river crossing. My determination built as I passed at least 3 separate signs talking about the river ford, its dangers and how to do it safely. My only observation was that I was short one person; the pictures show a two person crossing. Oops.
Last fall, there was a bridge over this crossing and someone drowned when the rains lead to a surge that took it out while they were on it. There was a memorial on the side of the trail decorated by loved ones. I already knew from the forest service website it had not been replaced.
I passed several groups of hikers heading back to the trailhead; it didn’t look like I would be on this adventure alone. Reaching the crossing and after taking some pictures, I set my things down on the bank and assessed where to cross.
With poles in hand, I slowly made my way across the river at what appeared to be the best spot. All was well until the last 3 feet or so when I sank into the water up to my waist and then simply proceeded to throw myself over to the river bank, bashing my knee on a rock. But I was across!! Now, of course, as I sat on the other side of the Sandy, I had to get back over. I thought I would sit there and dry out a little, maybe someone would come along on the trail and cross, too. Maybe there was an easier spot to cross? Nope, I was the only fool on this mission today, I guess. Even a rider on a horse came along, checked it out and then turned around.
I decided to cross a little further down than the first time, and this attempt was not much more graceful than the first because the current pulled one of my shoes partially off so I had to take both of them off midstream and just finish barefoot. But I did it, and only a few bruises. Check that off my list! I do manage to cross the Sandy River up on the PCT or Timberline Trail in 2021.
The rest of the day was anticlimactic. I drove to the Oregon coast in search of the Oregon Coast Trail. Stopping in the REI in Hillsboro for a map or book on the trail, I wasn’t able to find much but a salesperson who thought the Pacific Crest Trail runs along the coast somewhere. I tried to tell him as nicely as possible that the PCT runs along the Cascades, not the ocean. I hopefully saved him and many others that confusion. I did pick up a book on day hikes along the coast, thinking that might help as from what I knew already, the Oregon Coast Trail is a stringing together of day hikes and beach walks.
I picked up a week parking pass for the areas along HWY 101 at the campground in Manzanita and drove just a bit north to a trailhead at Neahkahnie Mountain. It was probably 7pm when I headed up, but being only 1.5 miles to the top, I knew I would time to get up there and find a place to camp. The summit had a beautiful view of the beach, and it was a nice 65 degrees. You have to go past some telecommunication antennas to get the view and you can tell this is a popular spot for the locals as the trail has lots of cuts in it and there were tokens left behind on the rocks at the top. Not finding a campsite, I found a nice flat spot down from the summit next to an old road to stealth camp.
I drifted off to sleep deciding about whether I would take the rest of the week to hike/camp along the coast or head home before the traffic and heat of the July 4th weekend. Something about sitting in holiday traffic with temps in the 90s is not appealing to me, so I lean towards being home in the next day or so.
July 1, 2015 Oregon Coast
I got up with the sun this morning; I wanted to be packed up before any early morning trail runners started up the hill. I headed back down to my car and meandered up HWY 101 looking for breakfast. I stopped in Cannon Beach at Pig N’ Pancake. The Oregon Coast is one of my favorite drives and I travel here at least once a year. This restaurant chain has several places along the drive but I have never stopped. We are more likely to eat at Mo’s but I thought I would try them out.
Expecting something close to IHop, I was pleasantly surprised at the menu selection. Of course, when I ordered vegetables with my Dungeness crab omelet instead of hash browns (it was an option on the menu), the waitress was shocked because no one orders them. I was not shocked by this, just disheartened. I did chuckle at their “Gluten Reduced” menu items. Not sure they understand that a meaningful reduction in gluten would have to be zero gluten or if it was a legal way to say there may be cross contamination but it wasn’t a conversation to have with the waitress. The omelet was delicious, by the way.
I spent the rest of the day headed north, timing it to drive through Seattle after 7pm. I stopped at Ecola State Beach, the Oregon Coast Trail passes through here. Then, I made my way up to Ft. Stevens and Shipwreck Beach, one of my routine visits. I didn’t take a lot of pictures; my computer is filled with scenes from here. The temps climbed as I drove into Astoria, so I caught a movie at the cinema in town to escape the heat. I won’t tell you which one, but lets just say it is a big sequel with dancing muscles. After crossing the Columbia River on the Astoria Bridge, I stayed along the coast until heading east towards Olympia and then north to home.
It was a little bittersweet unpacking the car at the end of this year’s Oregon PCT journey. It would have been nice to complete Oregon to the I-5 junction but I felt I made the right decision to come home. I do have the best of the PCT here in Washington and I think I will be content for a while revisiting some of my favorite spots until I’m ready to conquer parts of California. I still have July and August for more hiking adventures and possible trail angeling, what more could I ask for?
July 30, 2015 Post Trip
July has been filled with family camping, day hikes and my Wonderland Trail experience (I’m writing about that on a separate journal). As part of my goal to go back and visit some of the lakes on side trails I passed on my PCT journey, I went up to Stevens Pass and headed south to the junction with Lake Josephine (Icicle Creek) and found the trail up to Chain Lakes (a steep vertical climb) to find a relaxing spot to swim and enjoy the sun. I’ve joined a few Meetup hikes and August will bring our hike to the Enchantments, as well as a women’s hike to the Olympic Peninsula that will include my mom.
This is the time of the summer when I feel like it is slipping by but in reality, I have a month left to enjoy. I also want to mention that my son, who graduated in June, has found himself a full time job and there is a sort of role reversal as I am a woman of leisure and he gets up each morning, puts on his uniform and heads off to work. He looks so grown up; I tear up thinking about how his dad would have been so proud. On another note, he and I had an ironic moment this last weekend as I returned from my week on the Wonderland Trail. I texted him as I got off trail to let him know I would be home a day early. Naturally, this initiated his flurried chore completion from the list I left him as I walked out the door the week before. I receive a text an hour later (reception is spotty as you leave Mt. Rainier National Park) that he is in the emergency room with my mom. Somehow, he managed to gash his leg requiring 8 stitches. Talking later, we both came to the realization that here I am out in the wilderness and manage to return with nothing more than sore muscles and some bruises and while he’s at home he hurts himself enough to warrant a visit to the ER. Who has the justification to worry about who?
October 4, 2015
I think I may have written about this before but I think it deserves mentioning again. LONG DISTANCING BACKPACKING WILL RUIN YOU FOREVER. You will no longer be able to really enjoy anything less than long miles, early mornings up on the trail, late nights falling into your tent thoroughly exhausted, and pushing yourself to your absolute limits. And then going again the next day. Have thoughts of sharing your passion with your loved one? Forget it. No one will care as much as you about shaving ounces, making it to that next ridge, or finding one more way to use a trash compactor bag. You will need all new hiking friends because no one can keep up. Or wants to. Getting to “camp” at 2pm will seem like such a waste. The thought of taking 2.5 hours just to pack up in the morning and get on trail will make you want to slash your wrists. Or someone else’s. The “loving thing” will be just to leave them and hope they catch up because if you stay at camp you are likely to sound like your mother. And no one wants that. As much as you will try, you will always have to give advice to that person that insists on carrying a 50+lb pack, and it will never sound as loving as you may think it will.
You will always be thinking: “I wish I had gone hiking by myself”. And eventually you won’t have to worry about it because no one you know now will want to hike with you either.
On another note, I had a great weekend up on the PCT north of Rainy Pass, did a short one nighter up to Snowy Lakes next to Methow Pass. Just as breathtaking as I remember it, but with the fall colors and larch madness. A bit crowded at the lakes and we passed 5-6 NOBOs just a few days from Canada. Even saw trail angel Meander in the parking lot at Rainy Pass on our way out, brought back memories of running into him in 2013 when the trail magic he offered was still illegal in Washington State.
I am proud of myself, this has been the longest I have kept backpacking into fall. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep it up because it got down to below freezing last night and my bag is only rated to 32 degrees but as long as the weather holds out I’ll do my best!
This ends my hiking journal entries for the summer of 2015, the Oregon adventure will continue into 2016 as I make my way down south of Crater Lake to Ashland. It is always interesting when I go back and read these scribbles after the fact, in this case 10 years post. How I have evolved as a hiker and backpacker, need I say slowed down? Whether it is my body setting limits due to arthritis and bones spurs or just wisdom that has me chasing other experiences beyond long, long days on the trail.
And yet, there is still so much beauty to be had outdoors.
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