update: WE DID IT!

So, our blogging has become a little slack, but I just wanted to let all of you out there in internet land know that WE MADE IT TO CANADA!  That's right, we completed all 2,660 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail!  We arrived at the Northern terminus of the trail/Canadian border on September 21st around noon with a fantastic group of about 15 other hikers!  We plan to finish up the blog not only for anyone out there reading, but also for ourselves as an account of our journey that we'll be able to look back on for years to come.  Thanks a million for following along, for your thoughts, prayers, support, and words of encouragement.  And stay tuned!

Eagle Creek

day 127 ~ Eagle Creek Alternate [PCT miles 2138.1 - 2155]

The Eagle Creek alternate trail is another one of those things you hear about along the entire trail.  Again, it is difficult to fathom that we've actually come this far!  The trail features dozens of waterfalls; most notably, Tunnel Falls.  The trail was blasted out of the canyon walls.  We walked along the path, a couple of feet wide, with sheer dropoffs to one side, and a hand cable for safety on the other side of the trail.  Tunnel Falls was a spectacular waterfall that rises hundreds of feet high, and the path lead us through a tunnel that was blasted out behind the falls. 

The Eagle Creek trail has been rated as one of the top dayhikes in the country.  Obviously, this is no secret, as we passed literally hundreds of dayhikers on the trail.  On a daily basis, we normally don't see many dayhikers, so the constant stream of people became slightly frustrating.  Some oblivious people spread across the trail in groups of twos and threes, others rudely shoved past.  All of them smelled so fresh.  After living in the woods, unnatural smells are overly apparent, so the scents of laundry detergents and perfumes overwhelmed our sniffers.  I'm sure that our hiker stench overwhelmed them as well, which gave us a strange sense of  humerous satisfaction.

The trail dumped us into a bustling parking lot, where we passed a picnic table of hikers and pizza and cookies.  We were invited to join.  Red Oak and Buttercup were out doing trail magic for our buddy Zissou.  All three of them hiked the Appalachian Trail on 2010, the same year as us, but we didn't meet them then.  We hung out for a few, until heading into the town of Cascade Locks via a paved pedestrian path.

An RV park on the Columbia River permits hikers to camp for free.   We setup and showered, and settled in to relax for the rest of the evening.  We were happy to run into some hikers that we hadn't seen in a while, including Masshole and Midway, and lots of new faces as well.

Thunder Island Brewery and the local watering hole kept us entertained for the evening.  We didn't really accomplish any of our chores, but this is our last Oregon stop...they can wait, we've got some celebrating to do.

beautiful Ramona

Day 126 ~ miles 2111.7 - 2138.1

A missed alarm led to us slumbering until 8, and we didn't leave camp until 9; not a very productive start to the day.  Miles were slow and an intense creek ford slowed us down even more.  We had to walk way upstream looking for a safe place to cross, hoping to find a place where we could rock-hop across.  No such luck, so we ended up walking across the cloudy, glacier-melt stream.  Apparently a couple of weeks ago, a hiker was killed while crossing a log over the same stream, when a gush of water swept him off. 

A loop trail to Ramona Falls parallelled the PCT for 2.1 miles, so we decided to take it.  Ramona Falls were stunning, and their beauty literally brought tears to my eyes.  Under the dark forest canopy,  the rushing falls stood so tall and wide, surrounded by green mossy rocks.  A cool mist sprayed us as we ate lunch and gazed at the dancing drops of water.

After our morning of lollygagging and trip to the falls, it was time to get serious.  We hiked 21 more miles, well beyond sunset.  Views of Mt. Hood amazed us as we left it behind.  We ran into a couple we met in the desert, Chimp and Rain Dance, and they are actually attempting a yo-yo hike, (hiking the trail in one direction then the other in one season) an incredible feat!

We arrived to the very crowded Indian Springs Camp after dark.  We're trying to complete all tasks as quietly as possible, as to not wake anyone.

best breakfast

Day 125 ~ miles 2107.5 - 2111.7

Today we indulged in what we would rate as the best breakfast on the trail.  The Timberline Lodge breakfast buffet is one of those legendary things that you hear about for the entire trail; it's hard to believe that we actually made it!  The dining room was full of hikers, skiers, and vacationers.  We sat with Thor and Fern Toe for a two and a half hour dining session.  Our bellies were filled with Belgian waffles with fruit and fresh whipped cream, cheesy eggs, home fries, artisan cheeses, sausage and bacon, fresh baked bread, fruit, and smoothies, among other delicacies.

In a food induced stupor, we lounged on the expansive lodge patio and watched the skiers on the spectacular Mt. Hood.  It's apparently the only year-round ski resort in the country.  It's also where the outdoor scenes of The Shining were filmed.  For hours, we sat on the patio, making phone calls, talking with hikers, and doing chores.

As they say, all good things must come to an end.  Around 4:00, we headed away from the Lodge and just hiked a few miles to a nice lookout where we camped with Forest.

always take candy from strangers

Day 124~ miles 2077.5 - 2107.5

The morning's elevation profile looked so easy, so we started out hiking real fast.  Thirty minutes or less into hiking, I tripped over a rock going full speed and launched into the air and flew several feet before I hit the ground.  I landed on my hip, which fortunately still has some padding left.  "Are you OK?," Moonshine asked; I could detect the worry in his voice.  All I could do was laugh hysterically, which quickly turned into a laugh-cry.  I was in pain, but I was not injured.  Just like a small child, I was probably more scared than anything, but the image of me launching through the air was hysterical to me.  Moonshine was relieved, and he started laughing as well, as my laugh-cry continued.  Several minutes later I was finally able to get up, and I laugh-cried my way down the trail.

We ran into a super sweet mother and daughter out on a day hike around the beautiful Timothy Lake.  They were familiar with the PCT, and the daughter hopes to hike it after high school.  After chatting for a few, they asked if we wanted some chocolate; bingo!  They'd said the magic word and we hit the jackpot.  They happily unloaded their fancy Whole Foods chocolates and cookies on us.  We walked down the trail awhile, then took a break and devoured all of the delicious goodies.

We had lunch with Can Can and Bandit, and jokingly discussed hiking all the way to Timberline Lodge tonight, 15 more miles.  After lunch, our pace was better than expected, maybe we could make it to the lodge, though we couldn't commit to it.  I think we both had food and beer on the brain, as we got closer to the lodge, we realized that we may actually be able to make it by dark.  Let's do it, we agreed.  Yup, the day after I did my first 30 mile day and claimed I would never do it again, I did it again. The last mile was torturous: we could see the majestic Timberline Lodge as we hiked up a super steep incline of soft sand. We setup our tent in. stand of trees a short distance from the lodge and headed inside the huge castle-like structure. We arrived to find many hikers, including Can Can and Bandit, and we joined them for a tasty, but expensive, dinner.  We had a great time catching up and hearing about each others' hikes before we headed out into the darkness to find our tent. 

first thirty

Day 123 ~ miles 2047.5 - 2077.5

After 5 miles of easy morning hiking, we arrived at a side trail to Ollalie Lake Resort.  We simply couldn't pass up the opportunity for some non-trail food, especially since it was only a tenth of a mile off the PCT.  The resort was situated at one end of Ollalie Lake, and across the lake was a most breathtaking view of Mt. Jefferson.  The snack selection in the store was limited and pricey, but we each found a few items of interest and devoured them.  We ran into Can can and Bandit at the resort; they're a couple that we met the first day of our hike and haven't seen them since.

Overall, it was an uneventful day.  We'd picked up a free frisbee at the brew-fest; Moonshine's been so mad that we carried it out of town.  "We'll never play with this on the trail."  Well, I took it out at lunch and we had fun tossing it around with Princess, Mr. Sandals, Tidy Camper, and Firecracker. 

Moonshine's back has been improving daily, but he has still not fully recovered.  Firecracker was kind enough to perform another chiropractic adjustment.  Afterwards, judging by his actions, I'd say he felt like a new man.

Throughout Oregon, Moonshine has been talking about hiking a 30 mile day, pretty much just for the sake of doing it.  We didn't plan to hike 30 miles today, and we certainly didn't wake up super early to get a head start on the day.    We just happened to be making good time today on the mellow terrain.  Nearing the end of the day, bumping up our mileage to 30 sounded miserably unappealing.  We continued hiking and in good time, so I figured we may as well get the 30 mile day over with. We may never walk 30 miles in a day again in our lives!  I don't feel particularly accomplished, but I'm sure our bodies will remind us of our feat tomorrow.

watch what you say

Day 122 ~ miles 2024.6 - 2047.5       

The alarm sounded and I knew we had to get up and make decent mileage today.  I peered out of the mesh tent wall to see a beautiful pink and orange sunrise, right beside the majestic Mt. Jefferson.  Back to sleep I quickly went, fortunately only for 30 minutes.  The morning miles passed quickly, as we'd hoped for, as we walked toward Mt. Jefferson.  We saw a wildfire from above, a couple of miles away from the trail, as a small scouting plane flew around in circles overhead repeatedly. 

A real ass-kicking climb consumed most of the day after lunch.  Our fitness level is so optimal that we can usually just breeze right through a thousand+ foot climb, barely getting winded.  This ascent took a little more effort.  When we finally reached the top and went over the mountain, we were surprised to see a large amount of snow on the North side of it.  Never did I imagine that I would be walking along in the snow in August, being swarmed by mosquitos!  While hiking through the snow, I noticed a handprint.  "HA, HA, someone fell," I said aloud to Moonshine.   The words were barely out of my mouth when I lost my footing and slipped, recovered, only to lose my balance again and fall on my butt, arms flailing all the while.  Once I realized that I was OK, we both burst into laughter.I suppose I should watch what I say! 

The evening miles were much more painstaking that the morning ones.  We didn't hike as far as we'd hoped, but the day was full of some absolutely incredible scenery.