July 25

Distance: 12.0

Mile marker: 423.8

Lunch: J – rice and beans (B-) | A – spicy mac (B+)

Dinner: J – chicken chili (C+) | A – chicken teriyaki (A+)

Our hike down from Mount Adams was pretty nice. There was a section with a few blowdowns, but nothing worse than we had seen before. And some rocks from time to time. By now our shoes are pretty worn. Alex is expecting a new pair at Trout Lake. Jason will have to wait until Cascade Locks.

As we went over one of the fallen trees, Jason took a very normal step and heard a snap. We both froze to see what the issue was. Alex thought it was a water bottle popping, Jason thought it was a branch snapping under his foot. Turns out that the metal frame of the pack just snapped. Fortunately, it didn’t stab Jason in the kidney. Unfortunately, it did stab through the pack, through the liner, through the dry bag, and into Jason’s spare clothes. The pack was still wearable and usable – at least to get down to the trailhead. This is totally unrelated to the other problems Jason was having with his pack.

We got to the trailhead an hour earlier than our scheduled pickup time. We sat down for lunch along the road. Several cars slowed to see if we were okay or needed a ride. I guess a hitch into town isn’t that hard after all. Our trail angel arrived 10 minutes early and took us straight into “town” and dropped us at the wee post office where our resupply box was waiting.

We then crashed near the general store where we met a lot of familiar faces and new friends. The guy from the UK we had met at the very beginning was experiencing some symptoms of lyme disease he picked up while hiking the AT, but was still in good spirits.

Jason investigated his pack more. The metal frame had completely snapped. He called REI, but the rep wasn’t very helpful in finding a solution. He suggested buying a different pack at a local store (there are no local stores in Trout Lake) and then going to an REI later to do an exchange. Not a very viable solution considering where we were and what our timeline is. A mad dash to the Portland REI (which doesn’t even stock the pack) isn’t something worth the time, stress, or money.

On the advice from the guy from the UK, Jason called Osprey directly. They couldn’t have been more helpful or understanding. Apparently, they have a thruhiker program which helps in these exact situations. After a phone call explaining the situation and an email with pictures and more details about our trip, the Osprey rep was able to put in a replacement order to be sent to Cascade Locks. However, because it was a Friday and the rest of the world still has weekday/weekend things, it probably won’t ship until next week. Better than nothing. Hopefully, with expedited shipping, it gets delivered quickly. For now, Jason has to limp his bag along to Cascade Locks. With some duct tape, pen caps, a shoelace, and 10+ years of engineering education, he got it to a workable condition which should make it to Oregon.

After that fiasco, we got turkey sandwiches from the general store (a recommendation from someone we met on our hike down this morning) and figured out where to camp. We settled on the county park where most other hikers were setting up.

We got some food, divied our resupply box, Alex got her new shoes, and chatted with others. Some were going north, most still going south. One guy from Munich was bikepacking around the region in a loop starting in Olympic National Park. He’s trying to get to Mount Rainier in two days.

We’ll leave tomorrow, but take it a bit more slow getting to Cascade Locks since Jason’s new pack might not be delivered early next week. Rather than gunning for Tuesday, we’re aiming for early Wednesday and staying in a hotel that night. We’ve been told that we’ll be able to fly in Oregon because the trail isn’t as turbulent as in Washington. That might allow us to make up that extra day between here and Cascade Locks, and maybe even gain a day if we’re really speedy.