Jog to the Lodge

I was up early on the 16th trying to pack quietly so as not to disturb the day-hikers that had decided to pitch her tent so close. Of course I was unsuccessful and could soon hear complaints emanating from her direction. But I didn’t feel too bad since she had made as much noise as possible when she hiked in the night before. I was on trail at 4 am Working on the 1000 plus foot climb up to the Mt Hood wilderness boundary. A fingernail moon hung among the infinite tapestry of stars watching me climb through the dimly lit meadows and shadowy evergreen thickets. Mount Jefferson’s magnificent snowy slopes reflected the silver moonlight dominating the skyline. As the morning progressed the trail grew steeper still and transgressed to loose rock. I climbed on until I reached the open rocky ridge at the crest and looked to a gorgeous crescendo of color as the sun lit the mountains. Peaks and valleys spread out in all directions, patches of snow, lakes and ponds reflected the first light of dawn. It was mesmerizing as I took it in almost forgetting to breathe. With miles to go I soon hiked on. I lost the trail in a snowfield for a bit but was able to locate it down below on the rocks so with a bit of scrambling I was able to reach it and continue on my way. The sunrise in the distance was growing even more spectacular as I stopped again to stare before entering the forest back below treeline. I passed several small ponds and the trail alternated between beautiful soft dirt covered in evergreen needles and sections of ankle breaking rocks. The sun continued to rise and before long it was full daylight as I made my was down the northern mountain slopes. It was a long gradual descent past through forests and past cigar and upper lakes to my morning break spot at Olallie Lake resort which was just a few hundred feet off trail. It was a lovely spot with a lake under the visage of the epic Mount Jefferson and a small store that had a few snacks and sodas. I bought a couple of canned mountain dews and two chocolate chip muffins and sat outside at a picnic table to eat. It was a fine sunny morning and I could tell it was going to heat up soon. 

A brave slightly obese chipmunk came right up on the table in front of me  and ate my crumbs then tried to steal my the wrapper from my muffin. It obviously had life figured out eating hiker food droppings and living by the lake. After a while Uphill came in and with another hiker headed north. We talked for a while and then it was time for me to hike on. I had spent an hour there and I still had nearly 20 miles to go. I headed back into the woods but was not feeling all that motivated. Still I had to make miles I walked a few miles and came to bridge at across the spillway to Jude lake and sat down for a while watching the dragonflies dance on the water. Again I forced myself to my feet and walked on. Shortly after I was making my way up a relatively steep climb when I heard noise behind me. I looked back to see 3 hikers with large packs speed walking up the hill. They were apparently in a hurry so I let them pass by. As the last one (a lady) went through I noticed she was hiking in crocs with her boots tied to the back of her pack. I fell in behind and followed them for a bit but less than a quarter mile further on they all stopped and leaned against a large tree red faced and huffing. I walked by and asked if they were ok and they nodded then as soon as I walked by they all laid down right on the trail trying to catch their breath I guess. I hiked on at my slow and steady pace. 

Clouds rolled in and threatened rain but cooled the day. I passed through the he Warm Springs Indian reservation and continued on. I stopped at trooper spring to get water and realized my water filter wasn’t in its place,”on no” I emptied my bag and it wasn’t there” crap I knew where it was. I had tried to pack up quietly and quickly that morning so as to not disturb the dayhikers that had camped 3 feet from my tent the night before and I must have left my filter at the campsite. There was no going back for it now and I still had to drink. I walked to the spring and it was a still bog “great” I  thought “looks delicious” and I dipped my bottles. The water was actually pretty clear once I got it in the bottles and I drink deeply. I realized the next couple of stops didn’t have gear stores and with the usps moving so slow it would be a couple of hundred miles before I could get another filter so I was just going to have to go with it and hope for the best. I repacked and went on. It sprinkled on and off and I was trying to hurry to make it to camp and get my tent set up before the rain set in if it did. I passed South Pinhead Butte and North Pinhead Butte. I was a mile and a half away from camp when a consistent drizzle set in but I was walking through dense forest and it broke up the rain enough to keep me relatively dry I started hiking faster and then saw the bridge over Warm Springs River; my campsite was hopefully just on the other side. I crossed and the camp site to the left was taken by a section hiker but to the right across some logs was a beautiful large and flat camping area protected by large evergreens and covered in soft pine needles. It was gorgeous and it was raining harder so I set up my tent and got all my gear inside. I grabbed my bottles and filled them straight from the river climbed in my tent out of the rain and started cooking dinner. A half hour or so later Uphill hiked in and setup nearby. Mile 2065.1 a 31.9 mile day

I slept fitfully and was a awake at 3 but didn’t particularly feel like hiking. I managed to get up at 4 and start packing. I noticed a chipmunk or something had chewed a hole in my screen door while I slept. “Crap, I was having a rough couple of days gearwise. I packed on up and started walking it was going to be a rough uphill day and I was struggling to find motivation as I hiked it was a gorgeous trail through forests and mostly dirt which was nice. I was actually headed to Timberline Lodge a rustic lodge owned by the Forest Service on the slopes of Mount Hood. It was built as part of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal to put Americans to work. The outside of the lodge was also featured in movie The Shining. Anyway it was supposed to be a pretty awesome place but it was generally booked months in advance and priced out of my range. We were planning to camp nearby and just go to the lodge to check it out and pick up resupply boxes. But I was needing some motivation and this is the year of COVID plus I had phone signal so I googled Timberline Lodge and they had a room available with two twin beds it was expensive but not prohibitively so and I figured this was the best chance I’d have to stay there so I booked it. I was still 20 miles away and it was on top of a large mountain I’d have to hike up but I had a room at timberline lodge! It was time to run I called to find out about food and there was a cafe across the street that closed at 6 and I had to be there by 3 to pickup my box. Could I make it? I guess I’d find out. So off I went i still took a quick side trip to Little Crater lake like half a mile off trail to see the clear waters that were 45 feet deep but so translucent that I could see all the way to the bottom. I filled up my bottles there with the shockingly deep blue water and took what would be my only break of the day. 

From there the race was on I averaged three miles an hour up hill and down. Passing huge trees and Bird Butte. I crossed forest road 58 and was at mile 25 by noon and I wasn’t stopping for lunch as I ate a snickers and some string cheese without breaking stride. The afternoon sun baked the world and heat waves danced in the distance. I climbed over Barlow Pass stopping only to help a family of slightly lost dayhikers find the trail they were looking for and then went slightly down to highway 26 at Wapinitia Pass and began the last 5 miles of climb up Mound Hood to the Timberline Lodge. It was 130 and I could make by 3 if I pushed it but I was running out of steam. I dug deep, searching for anything I had left I pulled up pictures of my old drill instructor from deep in my brain and I hiked on. I was making it and then just over a mile from the lodge the trail turned to sand, loose foot sucking sand. Have you ever walked uphill in sand? It’s exhausting and slow and I was carrying a 30 plus pound pack. It was a devastating blow as it took me ten minutes to do a tenth of a mile. The views of mount hood were absolutely spectacular however as I climbed: it’s for some reason ridiculously sandy slopes. Ok seriously I was exhausted and felt like just laying down in the sand and surrendering but there was also this ridiculously majestic mountain right beside me and I was loving the views and being there in the moment. Anyway I kept lifting one foot after the other focusing on making my way inch by inch up the sandy slopes until I finally could see the hotel in the distance and the sand got a little more compact. I covered the ground as quickly as possible and finally reached the guest services counter at 10 after 3 I was late but hopeful. There was a sign on the window that said be right back and a lady walked over and I showed her my Id and she gave me my box. Success! I went back upstairs and found the Ybar where I was able to sit on a picnic table outside with a view of mount Jefferson and order an 18 dollar Cubano Sandwich. Expensive but omg when it arrived I swear it was the best thing I’ve ever bitten into. I stayed there till 4 which was checkin time and I went across to the beautiful stone and wood lodge. I climbed up the steps and went in. Everything was beautiful old wood with carved animal on the walls and banisters. It felt homey and welcoming. The main room had a huge fireplace with a chimney leading several stories up. I got checked in with the desk lady and she told me I had been upgraded from my room with 2 twin beds in the east wing to a room on the 2nd floor with a queen and a full bed because the east wing was really really hot at the moment. I told her that sounded great to me.i got my real medal room keys and headed up the stairs; the 2nd floor was actually 3 stories up and then through some huge wood doors to a hall with located my room. It was great with wood board walls and ridiculously soft feather mattress and duvets. I took a hot shower and laid on my bed for a quick nap. I checked my phone which actually had service but I hadn’t heard from Uphill. I hoped he had gotten my message that I’d gotten us a room. I pried myself outa my bed and went off to find the laundry machines. They were deep in the bowels of the hotel at the end of a long hallway and down several flights of stairs. There was one washing machine and a broken dryer. I bumped the start button on the washer and it locked and started up without my clothes inside. “Uhoh” I tried to stop it and get it to unlock but to no avail There was no way to open it until it ran it’s cycle which would take 27 minutes according to the timer. So I walked about and found the vending machines on the other side of the lodge and returned to my room to relax for a bit and then back to the basement where the washing machine finally stopped running its empty load and I was able to toss my clothes in and wash them. I hung out and read a book till they finished then since the dryer didn’t work I carried them back up to my room and hung them in the open window to dry wandering if the folks below could see my laundry hanging out the fancy lodge window. I went down and sat on the expansive back patio facing Mount Hood. I sat and in a comfortable patio chair and watched the mountain in the warm evening sun. Uphill finally texted me and said he was almost at the hotel but was having foot issues due to his shoes. I gave him his key when he came in and went back outside while he cleaned up and then we went to Lodges dining room to eat. It was really expensive with the cheapest thing on the menu over 30 dollars but it was good and we ate the pasta (the cheapest thing on the menu). Afterwards we checked out the lodge and held The Shining Axe from the movie which was neat then I retired to my bed which felt like a cloud. While lying there I decided to make the bed in my van (I bought a conversion van right before trail I’m converting to travel in) a recreation of the awesome bed I was lying in but you know cheaper. And I slept in the lodge, a little closer to Canada but still with a long way to go.