102 miles to THE summer camp
Our journey back to the trail started with our first stay at a Trail Angel’s house!! We stayed with Sandra in Portland, who offered us to host us for one night in her guest bedroom. From here, we send a big thank you to Sandra and her family for their hospitality and good vibes. Trail magic will be a highlight of the section, you will see…
Upon our return from the wedding, we loaded our packs with food — including three breakfast burritos and pastries for the first day – and we set off to THE summer camp.
We took this stretch as a challenge to try to increase our daily mileage, since Oregon‘s terrain is a lot flatter and more gentle to the feet than that of Washington. Some people call it a “pine needle carpet”. We did our first 30 mile day (48km!) and two days over 25 miles (40km). Needless to say we got very tired, plus Miles got some blisters due to his new shoes 👎.
But let’s focus on the good things: the trail magic. Trail magic is an unexpected act of kindness that hikers receive on the trail: “ food, drinks, or help from strangers known as trail angels (often times trail Alumni). It boosts morale and creates a sense of community, especially on long-distance hikes.
We have met “Carbs” who was camped in his trailer making grilled cheeses for hikers. This was our first interaction with in-person trail magic and it was ✨awesome✨. It was at the beginning of our 30 mile day and the extra calories were much appreciated. More so, we were able to meet a lot of other hikers while hanging out with Carbs and share stories. Guess how many sandwiches we ate in the comments! Carbs also had coffee which he’d make in a percolator and a lot of wisdom to share.
We also found a cooler with some coca-cola and snacks near Big Lake Youth camp, and only down the road about 2 miles away we found Rhonda (aka “the Goddess”), who was subbing for Magic Mike, a trail angel who has been active for over 10 years. She was the kindest person we’ve met on trail, and she prepared a delicious burger for us 🍔 . She also had cold drinks and snacks. Miles took the opportunity to eat his first Twinkie ever. Again, we enjoyed meeting Rhonda’s friends and other hikers, who had very funny stories to share.
Beyond the trail magic, this trail stretch was dominated by Mount Jefferson. Making its first appearance a few miles before starting, and we could see it in the distance from Timberline Lodge, just at the base of Mount Hood. In a matter of two days we were right in front of Mount Jefferson, in a place called Ollalie Lake. This lake has a small resort store that we didn’t account for, so we got some drinks and snacks there, while we enjoyed the best view of the mountain.
This were the views at breakfast, 8am, and during that day, we walked to Mount Jefferson and around it. We set camp on the other side of it, and these were our views:
Disclaimer: the picture above was actually taken the morning after, but the location and views were the same.
Isn’t it crazy how far our legs can take us? Hopefully to Mexico!!
The trail has become a lot more social recently since a lot of the “nobos” (northbounders, people that started the PCT in Mexico and are walking north) Are making their way up to Oregon. It ‘s been great to meet more people and hear their stories.
We also have had to deal with some gear repair: our sleeping pad had a leak, Daphne’s shoes got a hole in the fabric, and same with the shoes. But nothing a patch, glue and sewing can’t fix!
And finally we made it to Big Lake Youth Camp! A summer camp that’s very welcoming of hikers, have a hiker hut with showers and laundry and share their food in the cafeteria for donations 😊
Here are some bonus pictures:
