August 3

Distance: 29.9 miles | Ascent: 2650′ | Descent: 4100′

Mile marker: 588.1

Lunch: J – unstuffed peppers (C-), A – tomato pasta (A)

Dinner: J&A – pulled pork sandwich and pancake

This is what I originally wrote as I knew I was falling asleep in the tent:

Three trail magics appeared to us today. We crossed a paved road. We saw a pileated woodpecker. We went to Little Crater Lake. We met the oldest black woman to hike the AT and now the PCT. We saw a bear climb up a tree very clumsily, then climb down the tree less clumsily. We walked a lot of miles, almost 30 of them in trail distance, definitely more than 30 with all our side missions. We’re very tired. Maybe I’ll add more detail tomorrow if I remember.

Here’s more detail remembered a few days later:

We woke from our camp in the dark to get started on a long day – we were shooting for close to 30 miles. The trail down from Timberline was very cruisey. Lots of soft pine covered trail let us walk with some speed down the far slopes of Mount Hood. At the bottom, we saw a woman offering some trail magic. She had water, Gatorade, Nerds candy, potato chips, and more! She was a chill lady who was just passing on some kindness she had received while hiking over the years. We grabbed some snacks and chatted for a bit until some other hikers showed up. We crossed the road and had a brief ascent before the trail leveled out.

The trail was easy-going: no steep grades, soft underfoot, and somewhat shady with the big trees around. We’re starting to see a lot more northbound hikers. One was a 69 year old woman who’s hiking the PCT by herself. She had to skip part of the Sierras, but she promised she’ll be back next year to finish those sections. We want to be like her when we grow up!

We covered over 10 miles before lunch. At the end of lunch, we heard what sounded like a big hammer against a dead tree. A few minutes later, we saw a rare pileated woodpecker getting his own lunch. They’re really cool birds!

We took a detour to Little Crater Lake. It’s fed by a cold spring underneath a few layers of earth. The water is a crisp 34°F year-round, so we topped off our drinking water.

Little Crater Lake is just north of Timothy Lake, which appears to be a popular vacation spot. We saw a lot of day hikers who are sometimes baffled by what we’re doing. We also saw a lot of northbound PCT hikers telling us that there were two more people who were giving out some trail magic just ahead.

Just as we were leaving sight of the lake, we heard loud scratching noises coming from a tree. Too loud to be a squirrel or bird. After a few minutes, we spotted a black bear cub clumsily climbing up the tree. It was knocking off branches and pinecones and bark as it made its way up, often bear-hugging the trunk. We watched for quite some time, in confusion and amusement. Once the bear nearly reached the top of the tree, he decided it was time to come down. The descent was less clumsy, just as noisy. Once on the ground, he scurried off and into the forest. Black bears are cute. Although we had been scanning the surroundings for mamma bear the whole time, we never did spot her. Our best guess is that this bear cub escaped naptime to go play.

A short while later, we saw signs for the first trail magic. It was a group for retired guys who setup a whole camp complete with a projection movie screen. They offered us beers, snacks, burgers, hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, and more! We politely asked for a sandwich and drink, and chatted with some of the other hikers who had come by. We learned about some upcoming sections and told them about our experience with Washington.

Not another half mile before we found our third trail magic. This time it was a man called Carbs who made us pancakes and gave us a Coca-Cola (Alex’s first soda in nearly 8 years due to a New Year’s resolution that got out of hand). Carbs even had a remotely activated doorbell which would ring when hikers walked towards his camper, and a hand wash station. I know we were taught not to take food from strangers, but how can you say no to anyone going so far out of their way to bring a little joy to us hikers?

As we finished our pancakes, a family of bold Canada jays tried to steal bites of the trail magic. Carbs repeatedly chased them off, threatening a transition from pancakes to roast bird. I am not sure he was kidding.

We couldn’t stay long, though we would’ve loved to. We had another eight miles to get to camp by the Warm Springs River.

We arrived just before sunset and setup quickly and quietly to not disturb the other hikers who had beat us there. Our campsite wasn’t the nicest, but after a long day like today, it will suffice.