August 12 2391-2395 Drip, drop, drip. We wake up in a cloud, camped under a bush. The water vapor condenses on the leaves above us and falls onto our tent. It feels like autumn. The mountains are telling us to hurry up. It is time to get going. Mercifully, we have completed all the climbing…
I am a little behind on the blog, but in the meantime please check out our final video from our thru hike.
Aug 11 2362-2391 I have essentially nothing to say about this day. I took 3 pictures and did not write myself any notes. We hike up and down steep inclines, gaining 7,000 feet of gain and 6,800 feet of loss over the course of the day. The exertion acts as a form of brainwashing, erasing…
May23 566-566 Zero miles hiked After looking at some of the reports of snow in the Sierra, and being concerned… READ MORE
August 10 2333-2362 In the morning we again check the status of the upcoming fires and again find comforting news. Full steam ahead. We walk across the valley from the Crystal Mountain ski area and have multiple bars of 5G service. I check up on baseball stats, the Mariners are fighting for the division, and…
August 9 2304-2333 Amber leaves while I am packing up our camp to race ahead. We are meeting her family at a road crossing in Mt. Rainier National Park about 20 miles ahead and she wants to be sure to meet them at the time she had planned. I hike solo throughout the morning and…
August 8 2293-2304 We stumble our way down the steep slopes of the white ski runs, electing to take the direct path down the instead of of the winding trail. This is probably a poor decision, as the slopes are brushy and meant for fast downhill skiing, but it makes perfect sense in the moment.…
May 22 558-566 For 6 straight days we have hiked at least 20 miles every day. 155 miles in 6… READ MORE
August 7 2263-2293 Today is a celebration of why we love to be on this trail. We climb out of the forest into the meadowy high country of the goat rocks wilderness. Fresh spring water pours from the hillsides as small rivulets and cuts a path through verdant flowery meadows. It is wonderful. The hiking…
August 6 2220-2263 We are in deep forest, with occasional obscured views of the horizon. I see what I think are dark clouds on the horizon, and wonder if we will get rain in the afternoon. I munch on huckleberries and plod along the trail, before coming to a road crossing with a truck full…
May 21 534-558 At day break we wake up exhausted, after our windy night. My food has been scattered by… READ MORE
August 5th 2186-2220 Overnight a massive lightning storm passed through. Safely tucked in our tent, rain battered against the fabric above our faces and lightning frequently flashed. In the morning we awoke to blue skies. The only evidence of the storm is the dry patch of land where our tent was set up. We worry…
August 4 2157-2186 We spend all day climbing and descending low mountains and peaks walking east to west along the Columbia river gorge. Throughout the day we climb over 6,000 vertical feet, and yet we end the day at under 1,500 feet elevation. During this stretch Amber and I had planned to leave 12 hours…
August 3 2148-2157 We Linger in town putting off the final state, and leg, of our journey. We are excited to be done walking, yet also dismayed to end our summer and return to our day to day responsibilities. We cannot be frozen in time, on this hike, forever. Our hotel allows us to check…
May 20 504-534 After waking and packing up, our day starts in a shockingly verdant valley between arid ridges. We… READ MORE
August 2 2137-2148 It is an easy hike out of the eagle Creek gorge in the morning. The area is understandably packed full of day hikers who give us second looks for how filthy we look. Yes, my sweat smells like household chemicals. Don’t worry about it. On the way out we see a young…
August 1 2109-2137 I realized before bed that I had left my hat at the river crossing last night. I can’t lose this hat. It has 5,000 miles on it, a long 4 different trails. It deserves to be memorialized when this is all done. I backtrack a mile and find my hat where I…
July 31 2089-2109 Ten miles of climbing up onto the shoulder of Mt. Hood takes us up to Timberline Lodge. I tried to eat minimal calories in the morning so I could show up hungry, and my sweat reeks of ammonia as we arrive. It is a little disconcerting to smell like toilet bowl cleaner,…
May 19 479-504 Last night was extremely windy. Our tarp constantly flapped through the night, but luckily stayed upright. we… READ MORE
July 30 2065-2089 The little storm continues through the morning, and we enter into the first forest we recognize as home in the Pacific Northwest. All the huckleberry bushes all by trail hold water and soak our legs as we walk by. After weeks of expansive views and open spaces, it is nice to be…
July 29 2033-2065 As we wake we hear our first raindrops in months splattering against our tent. As we get dressed and leave the tent we are amazed by the freshness in the air. The rain has mercifully cleared out the smoke. I usually hate hiking in rain, but the clean air and cool temps…
July 28 2001-2033 The trail takes us on a fairly direct South to North route throughout Oregon. A string of volcanoes guide us northward. Next up we have 3 fingered jack, and then Mt. Jefferson, and Finally Mt. Hood. It is satisfying to see a volcano in the distance and watch it get closer and…
May 18 454-479 After our late night out, we struggle to get up at sunrise and take off. The route… READ MORE
July 27 1984-2001 We had plans to leave town as early as possible, but I have some missing socks that have caused us to have to delay our departure. Where could they have gone? No one knows. It is the same place all lost gear goes- the hiker bin at the outer limits of reality.…
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…
July 251955-1984 We enter the three sisters’ wilderness, one of the absolute highlights of the trail, and the second largest wilderness area in Oregon. Three Sisters Wilderness is so named for the 3 volcanoes lined up in a row, each over 10,000 feet. They are the 3rd, 4th, and 5th highest peaks in Oregon. It…
May 17 451-454 Our highwayside campsite is actually quite pleasant. The passing semi trucks act as a white noise machine… READ MORE
July 241915-1955 This area has been decimated by fires in recent years. Throughout the morning we walk through charred, apocalyptic, landscapes with smoke hanging obscuring any views beyond our immediate surroundings. In between the burns are murky ponds, the primary water sources for this section. Not terrible, but not great. I do my best with…
July 231840-1849Fire closure detour1807-1915 In the morning the smoke cleared slightly. We walk through the blast zone of the eruption of Mt. Mazama, the eruption that formed Crater Lake. We walk through what is now called the Oregon Pumice Desert- a massive plain of ash and pumice. Over time trees have slowly taken root, but…
Amber made video clips for social media detailing sections of the trip. Please watch while I work on updating the blog.
May 16 433-454 Our wonderful ridge campsite is even more lovely in the morning. A massive cloud bank has rolled… READ MORE
July 221821-1840 Last night we camped at the public campground below the rim at Crater lake. We pick up a food package we mailed to ourselves from Ashland and shared some of the food with Papa Bear, who arrived this morning. We were happy to finally return the favor after he has given us so…
July 211793-1821 In the morning we climb up Lucifer ridge, and around the summit of Devil’s peak. Those are the actual names. It was actually quite pretty. Devil’s peak is lined with gold looking rocks at the summit. From the ridge we see the horizon cloudy with smoke. There is another large complex of fires…
July 20 1774-1793 In the morning amber still has not passed by me tent right next to the trail. I waited until 7, and then decided she had to be down at the lodge. I walked up to find her sitting with Papa bear. Before getting back on trail we had some breakfast together, researched…
May 15 403-433 At sunrise we quietly leave our bunk beds to avoid disturbing our bunkmates. We get back on… READ MORE
July 19 1742-1774 In the morning we pass by a sign on the trail offering food, drinks, and ice cream. Delighted to get a hot breakfast we follow the side trail where we are directed and find… Nothing. ahhhh! We eat bars and electrolyte water instead on the side of a dirt road. Lately we…
July 18 1718-1742 After breakfast at the local cafe (look at the difference between our plates. I had incredible sweet cream lemon butter pancakes with homemade marionberry compote with a house made chorizo and veggie scramble while she had a dry savory crepe. It is one of the best examples of order envy of the…
July 17 travel day. Zero miles Our ride in the morning is from a man named Randy who lives in Mt. Shasta. Randy is in his late 70s and is an avid hiker. He says he usually hikes about 1,500 miles per year, but is unable to carry a pack this year because of a…
May 14 372-403 After hiking up to Baden-Powell, we decide to take the abandoned highway detour. Amber makes a good… READ MORE
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