Day 46 – Skipping to Timberline

I sleep for 9 hours, shower and eat my leftover “slambowl” from the Black Bear Diner. I expect Stan will arrive mid morning to take me up to Hwy 35 where I will take the PCT north to Timberline Lodge area to camp for the night. Then it’s on to Washington.

Expectations

I am working on my expectations and my attitude. If the trail is difficult, I have to be cool about it and not let it get me down. With luck, Stan will be hiking with me, and that should help a lot.

I text with Stan. He is going to be late. He may not be here until 3pm. That means I won’t be at the trail until 5pm. My schedule is now in jeopardy. I may have to ask Stan to take me all the way up to the campsite at Timberline. The limiting factor is my food. I only have three days in my bag and if I don’t spend my first night at Timberline, I may not have enough food to reach Cascade Locks.

New additions

I check out of the motel and head for a local outdoor store that may have some rain pants for me. I need something lightweight, but rugged enough to protect me in the event of rain in Washington. It is the missing piece in my clothing inventory. Now that my wind pants are almost destroyed, it is critical that I find a replacement. At the store, the pants seem ok and at 7 oz they are not terribly heavy. They don’t have my size though until the salesperson suggests a women’s 14. They are perfect so I take them.

As I head toward the brewpub for nourishment 😊 I pass a yard sale. My handkerchief is about shot. I need a new one that is all cotton, because cotton is best for my glasses and face. There is a red one here. My wife would die if she knew I paid a dollar for it, so don’t tell her. It is red and gives me a whole new vibe.

New acquaintances

I cruise into a brewpub called Crux Fermentation Project. They have an expansive outside area for families to occupy. Kids and dogs mingle with the beer drinkers. I meet some folks who buy me a beer because I am a PCT thru-hiker. I appreciate that! Within minutes, several other folks approach me. This is Zach who accepted one of my extra Oreos (with his parents permission.) He asks me what I eat every day. He is not impressed until I mention the sour gummy worms 🐛 . I am getting rid of my extra Oreos, so he gets one.

Stan arrived at the brew pub at 2:45 with his girlfriend Christy. Stan has good news: he can hike with me to Cascade Locks! I am super excited about the prospect of hanging out together on the trail. We head out immediately to Government Camp where we stop for dinner.

A bump in the road

Government Camp is at the base of Mount Hood. Up the mountain from there is the Timberline lodge and the camp where Stan and I am spending the night. Suddenly, Stan realizes that he forgot to pack his air mattress. This is a big problem. Stan says he can go without one. Christy and I know he can’t because no one should.

After some rumination, we decide to go back to Christy’s house in Portland for the night, get an air mattress for Stan and return to the trail in the morning. Except for the fact that we may be starting our hike a little late, we should be able to stay on schedule. The key thing is that I have to be in Cascade Locks on Tuesday before the Post Office closes so I can get my package. Then I need to be in Stevenson on a day when I can mail boxes from the post office to stop in Washington. I can still make all that happen.

You have to be flexible on the trail. But being flexible for friendship is the best reason.

• July 17
• Skipped miles: 67 (Pamelia Lake to Timberline Lodge)
• Starting mile: 2097
• Ending mile: 2097
• Daily PCT miles: 0
• Total PCT miles: 725