July 18, 2016

Miles: 0

It felt great to sleep in a bed with cotton sheets. We woke up hungry and around 7am piled into Karen’s car for a grocery run. Starbucks Coffee and food, other than bars, were too hard to resist.

Our zeros tend to revolve around food, and today was no exception.

Walking through the aisles at Albertsons was overwhelming. There were so many options and yet nothing looked good.

On trail, our options are limited. Life is simple – we eat what we have. We enjoy that simplicity.

We took a moment and tuned into our stomachs. This led Andy to Tillamook butter and Laurie to the cheese aisle.

We cooked nachos in the microwave and topped them with salsa and avocado. Laurie also enjoyed yogurt, granola and strawberries while Andy polished off half a stick of butter with bread and raspberry and apricot jam. Seriously, the chunks of butter looked like slices of cheese.

“Guess my body is craving fat” he remarked through a big grin. He was happy!

Thru hiking is wonderful. We eat large amounts of food without guilt.

We packed up our things, found a cheaper room for tonight and took a family field trip to REI.

This is our sixth visit to a REI while on the trail. Today we didn’t need or buy anything but figured it was a cool place to hang out while Derek bought new shoes.

We spent the afternoon blogging, talking with friends and family and doing laundry at the most tech savy laundromat.

The machines took credit cards and the price went up based on the temperature of the water and other features. Best of all is they had free wifi.

Around dinner time we walked a quarter of a mile to Dang’s Vietnamese Restaurant. While living in San Francisco we loved ethnic food and were very grateful to find something other than fast food or pizza.

After a delicious and filling dinner we stopped at Grocery Outlet on the way home in search of ice cream. Their selection was small but they did have Tillamook ice cream.

We bought a half gallon of vanilla bean and Derek bought a pint of Ben & Jerry’s peanut butter and banana frozen yogurt.

Laurie was very excited when we returned to the room. She sat in bed with a tub of ice cream in her lap, blueberries by her side and a huge smile plastered on her face.

We ate until we could eat no more. Then after fifteen minutes we ate some more. We finished the cartoon. Not sure if we should be frightened or proud.

Today was a Tillamook kind of day. Butter, cheese and ice cream. Really, we can’t think of a better way to spend a zero in Oregon.

Tonight we are grateful for Tillamook dairy products and Vietnamese food.

July 17, 2016

Brahma Lake (mile 1930.8) to Elk Lake Resort (mile 1950.1)

Miles: 20.3 (19.3 PCT miles + 1 mile to Elk Lake Trailhead

Our total miles: 1543.8

We woke up early hoping to escape from the campsite before the mosquitoes woke up. Unfortunately, this wasn’t possible.

At 5:20 when Andy opened his eyes and gazed up at the sky through our fly-less tent he could already see them buzzing around and landing on our tent. Darn!

We packed without urgency, making sure we were both fully covered before exiting the tent. Laurie wearing 2 pairs of gloves and her head net tucked under a fully zipped and hooded raincoat.

We left camp at 6:45 am. The mosquitoes followed us wherever we went. Laurie quickly began to roast in her rain pants and raincoat but was hesitant to take them off in fear of being eaten alive. Eventually, she succumbed.

After all, we are in their habitat.

Whenever we stopped to look at a map or talk to other hikers the mosquitoes swarmed. They weaseled their way into our head nets and munched on us through our gloves, pants, shoes and shirts. Laurie’s strategy was to keep moving.

We weren’t moving as fast as other mornings but without many breaks we had covered 14.5 miles by lunch.

Based on a suggestion from Letha, the hiker we had met the night before, we took a side trip to Mink Lake. It was a beautiful deep blue lake but there was no easy access to the water, at least on the side we hiked along.

We had planned to meet Karen and Derek here for a break before going our separate ways. We left a note for them on the junction signpost and walked on to Porky Lake. We both appreciated the creative lakes names.

Unfortunately, Porky didn’t have any good spots to rest and the mosquitoes quickly found us when we stopped for more than 10 seconds, so we continued on.

There were campsites at Dumbbell Lake so we figured at least we could find a place to put up the tent to dry and eat out of the range of the mosquitoes.

Boy were we in for a treat!

Dumbbell Lake was clear and beautiful! We found some rocks to sit on and within 20 minutes both Derek and Karen joined us.

The sun played hide and seek amongst the clouds. Laurie wavered back and forth about going for a swim. Andy offered to push her in, but she opted not to take him up on the offer.

We relaxed for over an hour. Finally around 2:30 when the sun escaped from the clouds, Laurie decided to get in the water.

It felt marvelous.

We finally laced up our shoes around 3pm. Apparently we were in no rush to walk the remaining 10 miles to camp.

As we hung out at the lake we admired the building thunderheads above. They were beautiful white fluffy clouds but unfortunately the products of these clouds is not as beautiful. Well, at least when you are hiking.

We said goodbye to Karen and Derek since they were going home and to Bend, respectively. As we walked we heard a few claps of thunder. We were walking through a forest so it was difficult to assess the changing weather patterns.

As we neared the Elk Lake cut off Andy checked and found he had service – 50% chance of thunderstorms and rain predicted for tonight and all day tomorrow.

Rats!

The area we had planned to camp tonight was on a ridge at 6500 ft – not ideal for a thunderstorm.

Additionally the next section of trail is supposed to be beautiful and we didn’t want to rush through it with our heads down walking through rain.

So, we changed gears.

We would play it safe and go into Bend for 2 nights to wait out the storm. Laurie has heard wonderful things about Bend and was excited to see the town for herself. Andy likes adventure and was excited to avoid being wet for 2 days.

We set up our tent next to the trail to wait for Karen and Derek in a bug free shelter.

We shared our new plan, made sure there was enough room for us in Karen’s car and trotted down the trail after them.

Just as the trail entered a burn area we turned off for a one mile downhill walk to Elk Lake Resort.

We piled into Karen’s car and drove to the resort. We were startled at the number of people milling around. Being in a car didn’t feel weird but being around so many people did. It is fascinating to witness what effects us nowadays and how.

After calling family we drove 30 miles into Bend. As we dropped into the valley the clouds darkened and it started to rain. We saw multiple rainbows as well as beautiful views of the Sisters and Mt Bachleor.

We had dinner at Cascade Lakes Brewery and got a room with 3 queen beds! Who knew this even existed?

We showered and snuggled up in cozy cotton sheets.

When we woke up this morning we didn’t expect to be sleeping in a bed tonight. It feels good to be free to make these spur of the moment decisions. It is also unfamiliar territory for Laurie, who lives a well calculated life.

That is what this adventure is all about – challenging us to grow and learn.

Tonight we are grateful for beet salads and a new trail family.

July 16, 2016

Lower Rosary Lake (mile 1908.3) to Brahma Lake (mile 1930.8)

Miles: 22.5

Our mileage total: 1524.5

We both slept well. The wind died down or maybe we were so tired neither of us heard it. Either way, we woke up refreshed.

We headed out of camp at 7:15. Derek and Karen were not far behind.

It was a gentle climb up to Middle and Upper Rosary Lakes and then up to Maiden Peak ski shelter.

The shelter was really cool. It had a wood burning stove, a loft, solar panels and wide wooden benches. We explored and admired it for about 15 minutes before continuing on our way.

The walking was easy and the miles seemed to fly by. Around 10 am we took a 0.3 mile side trip to Bobby Lake to get water. Laurie and Karen motivated one another to go swimming and both were happy they had. The water in these lakes is temperate. Even at 10 am it was worthwhile.

From the junction of Bobby Lake the trail climbed up to 6500 ft. We walked through an enchanted forest with lichen drapping over every branch of the trees. It felt like a green winter wonderland.

We got to Charlton Lake at 1:15 pm and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. This lake, like many other large lakes we have seen in Oregon, felt and looked like paradise.

The water reflected many shades of blue, the sun was shining and a light breeze kept the mosquitoes away.

The first 15 miles of the morning we had the luxury of walking on trail that had recently been maintained. All the down trees were cut and the walking was easy.

“This is the type of hiking I like!” Shared Laurie with a smile as she cruised down the trail.

After lunch we entered a burn area and the obstacle course fun returned. This time though, it didn’t seem as tiresome. Probably because we had a nice little break.

The bare trees displayed a stark contrast with the blue cloudless sky. Small pink flowers dotted the ground and young pine trees were scattered among the dead ones. It was strangely beautiful.

We walked together as a little group, sharing stories from our lives. This trail is amazing. It brings people from all types of backgrounds together without boundaries or the superficial layers of a typical new relationship. Conversations get deep, honest and personal quickly. This leads to a deep respect and admiration for one another.

We love that.

We passed a few more ponds and lakes and got to camp before 6 pm. Laurie splashed around in the lake as Andy talked with Letha, a woman hiking south through Oregon.

The mosquitoes got progressively more abundant as the night wore on. We took refuge in our tent to organize our food for the next day while snacking on cheese and homemade fruit leather.

Laurie was tempted to hide from the mosquitoes all evening but was encouraged by the Derek and Karen to come out to eat. Dressed in her mosquitos attire (headnet, hat, gloves, raincoat and rainpants) she emerged from the tent. But the mozzies were horrible.

Laurie ate her dinner under her head net (shoveling food 2 inches from the Talenti into her mouth). Even then, misquotes managed to get into the headnet and bite her neck and temple.

She resorted to pacing while eating since movement was the only way to get a little break. It was miserable.

Andy seemed to handle the mosquitoes better because he has resigned to being bitten. To him it is all part of the Oregon PCT experience in July.

Laurie on the other hand just gets itchy and grumpy.

After 20 minutes of grumbling and swatting, Laurie returned to the safety of the tent. Karen, Derek, Andy and Letha shared a bar of ginger chocolate before retreating to their tents as well.

Seven mosquitoes came in with Andy as he quickly jumped into the tent. We could hear clapping from the other tents as we all attempted to kill whatever mosquitoes entered our safe havens.

Tonight the mosquitoes are the worst they have been all trip. We hope to get up early to pack up and leave before they wake up.

Tonight we are grateful for trail crews and wind to keep the mosquitoes away.