Get started this morning at 4:15.  My feet feel better.  There is a paved road about 8.8 miles away where Lenora thinks she can pick me up.  By 5 am however I am feeling pretty good and indicate that I will continue to Timberline, the goal.  I put the bandages that “Wild Oats” gave me on my heals and it does feel better.

After about 7 miles, I enter the Mt. Hood National Forest. The Mount Hood National Forest is 62 miles east of the city of Portland, Oregon, and the northern Willamette River valley. The Forest extends south from the Columbia River Gorge across more than 60 miles of forested mountains, lakes and streams to the Olallie Scenic Area, a high lake basin under the slopes of Mount Jefferson. The Forest includes and is named after Mount Hood, a stratovolcano. The Forest encompasses some 1,067,043 acres.

Mount Hood National Forest was first established as the Bull Run Forest Reserve in 1892 (President: Benjamin Harrison). It was merged with part of Cascade National Forest on July 1, 1908 and named Oregon National Forest. The name was changed again to Mount Hood National Forest in 1924.

For more see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hood_National_Forest

This is about where the PCT crossed Hwy 42.  Turns out we have another trail angel at this location.  I’ve got 8 miles, it is only 8:30 and I have a trail angel.  How great is that!   The trail angel is Connie and she has a tent set that holds an enormous amount of food and chairs to sit on.  Just before I got here (about 3 miles earlier) an lady passes me on the trail going very fast and says excitedly that there is trail angel at mile 2070!  News of a trail angel travels like wild fire along the trail.  When I get to the trail angel location that lady is there as well as “Wild Oats” and about 6 other hikers.  The tent has all sorts of supplies to make sandwiches and salads.  Cookies of all sorts.  Drinks of all sorts.   I made a huge turkey sandwich and had two drinks.  So, I have no seen  or heard of angel in Oregon at all and yet the last two days here they are.  The lady that rushed passed me and told me about angel is Jan.  Jan does not have a trail name.  She said someone tried to name her “Bleeder” because she bleeds easily when scratched by bushes near the trail.  She said she did not like the name and did not accept it.  The rules are you don’t get to pick your own name but you can reject one given you.  She is from Australia and started the PCT in 2016 with her husband.  The made it to Etna, CA (about mile 1600), that year and then had to go home for a wedding.  They came back in 2017 and did from Etna to McKinsey Pass.  She said her husband was having increasing memory problems and when they reached the pass and went into Eugene he could not remember where he was.  Turns out he had  a brain tumor and had an operation but died 4 months later.  She was now here in 2018 to finish the trail in his honor.  She is probably 70.  As I write this I think I would name her “Inspiration”.

“Wild Oats” is getting worse and is going off the trail at this time.  She is waiting at the trail angel spot to get picked up and is going to spend some time getting her ankle in shape and this will finish.

At this point I think I am still going to continue.

 

The first glimpse of Timothy Lake.  The trail will go right around this lake and it is beautiful all along the way.  About half way around the lake my feet have gone down hill fast.  I ask Lenora to come and get me at the next paved road which is about 6 miles ahead.   She indicates that is not a problem so now all I have to do is get there.

The picture above is at the other end of Timothy Lake and shows a stream that flows into the lake.  The screen capture below shows the path of the PCT around the lake and across the stream.  This is a beautiful area and lots of folds recreating and camping in this area.

I now have about 4 miles to get to Forest Road 58 where Lenora will pick me up.  Most of this 4 miles in uphill for which I am grateful.  My feet handle going up much better than going down.  About half way there I meet a man that is out for a day walk and we talk for about 30 minutes.  He is training for and thinks he wants to do the PCT and has lots of questions about it.  He wants to test my pack so I let him try it on and he indicates there is no way he can carry that much weight for very long.  I assure him he actually can and there are lighter options for almost everything I have.  He says he had been told that anytime he sees a PCT hiker he should give them food.  So he gives me a Cliff Bar and thanks me for taking the time.  I’m guessing he will be on the trail next year.

I go the next couple miles to the road and get there at about 3:45.  Lenora and already there and meets me with a hammer.  I’ll let her tell you about that story.

So another 3 day hike.  I am going to keep this up until I get it right!!

Iphone: 19.2 miles, 49942 steps, 13 floors

Lenora’s story:

It is amazing what happens when you realize you are close to a goal.  Instead of taking two days to reach the goal of mile 2079 Don is able to make it by this afternoon.  He is mostly suffering from foot pain and we stop to get some epsom salts to soak his feet which are already better by bedtime.

The Hammer Story:  I already showed the photo of the hammer I found on the road.  I was so proud that I had thought to arm myself against the many dangers of wild Oregon that when I got out of the car to greet Don at Pick-up point I grabbed the hammer to show him that I am prepared for anything that may come my way.  He saw me approaching with a hammer (a large hammer) in my hand and he put up his hands and started backing away.  I never expected to appear threatening, especially to my own husband, but there you are.  I am one scary white haired lady and you better watch out!

With Martha’s help I managed to get my rooms in Packwood booked for the next two weeks and in Snoqualmie Pass for the week following that.  Still have to decide what to do about the end of August and Labor Day.