It was a restful final night in Bend at the Days Inn. This is where I had been aiming before I crashed into the Bunk & Brew Hostel. Yesterday I finished uploading all my posts, I bought supplies for the next two legs of the journey, I made repairs to the rips in my pack, […]
PCT 2021
Pacific Crest Trail blog entries and information
Days 40 & 41 – Bend
I am in Bend. It is like a rural version of Portland. Weird, but in a good way. The town is kind of sprawling with cultural and economic centers distributed throughout the city. Dirtbag Since the hostel was full when I arrived, they offered me the “dirtbag” special. Under that deal I get all normal […]
Day 39 – Connections
I have achieved an uneasy truce with the mosquitoes. I set up my defenses at 7 pm when I hunker down in my quilt. They attack for a solid 3 hours. And then we all retreat to our corners until 4:30. Using this method, I was able to sleep pretty good last night. The southern […]
Day 38 – Oregon Turns the Page
Everything this morning is Oregon normal. The green canopy. The tranquil deadfall-infused lakes. The damp chilliness of the air. It is about 50F when I walk out of camp at 5:40 am. A normal day ahead? The day is divided by water. With the mosquitoes active on the trail, no one wants to stop until […]
Day 37 – Sliding Along
Last night as I drifted off to sleep, head net on, I looked to the East and saw that the smoke had returned. I have become numb to this phenomenon. Like news of war casualties, it is beyond my personal control, but I know that it could affect me personally someday. The new sleeping system […]
Day 36 – Lakes Everywhere
I get to bed at a decent hour and fall quickly asleep. My body doesn’t know what to do with this extra liquid it has been hoarding since I arrived at Shelter Cove, and decides I need to shed that water. So, in the middle of a night where I pee five times, I awaken […]
Day 35 – Shelter Cove
A zero is a guilty pleasure. A real bathroom is always close. I wear clothes that do not belong to me and that I will leave here when I am done with them. A store stocked with junk food delicacies is at hand. A restaurant that serves calorie-rich entrees is open all day. My friends […]
Day 34 – Mosquito Hell
As I lay in bed last night watching the last light disappear above the trees, the mosquitoes suddenly intensified. Normally the bug spray I rub on my face will keep them at bay. A few will land, but they quickly fly away. Last night was different. It was as if they were being hurled against […]
Day 33 – Cowhorn Mountain
I wake up at midnight drenched in sweat again. This is getting old. I have always been a warm sleeper, throwing off a lot of heat at night, but this is getting ridiculous. Luckily the bugs are low so I expose my torso to the night and do a lot of quilt puffing. I am […]
Day 32 – Mount Thielsen
As the day ended yesterday with everyone in their beds, Spacemaker watching a movie on his phone and me writing, a buck stumbled into our normally deserted campsite and objected to the whole arrangement. He started snorting and stomping and charged off into the brush. The odd thing about the incident is that nobody raised […]