July 26

Zero miles

We get into town early and go to a local bakery for coffee and breakfast. Afterwards, we do our usual town chores- laundry, food resupply, and shower.

Smoke has rolled in overnight, and the entire valley smells of campfire smoke. Smoke has been our constant companion for the past few hundred miles.Everything in the town of Sisters, Oregon looks brand new.

It is a stark contrast with our worn down gear, bodies, and hygiene. We always feel a bit out of place before we can clean up with a shower and laundry, but the town is very friendly and there are a lot of dogs for us to pet.

No hotels have space in town, so we camp out at the state park in the middle of town that is packed with hikers who have skipped up to this point to avoid smoke. This is the most hikers we have seen in one place for a long time. It seems like many didn’t want to walk through the previous sections like we did. That may have been a wise choice, as our lungs feel a little worse for the wear, but we have wanted to hike every mile of the trail that is open.

For dinner we eat at a Himalayan restaurant in town that has been featured on the Food Network channel. We get momos and drunken noodles. It is a nice break from the usual burgers and fries fare we usually have to eat in small towns along the trail.