Memories from August 10
The much renowned Timberline Lodge breakfast was excellent. I’ve been waiting this entire trip for it and was a little disappointed in only managing three trips back to the buffet tables. Most of the PCT hikers were put at one table which made for good company and conversation as I only knew half of them. At some point Star appeared, wide eyed, and almost unblinking, and announced that she and Fruit Cup had hiked 100km in the last 22hrs and 100mi in the last 48. She then proceeded to gather far more food than she was able to eat. We counseled her to consider a brief nap before conducting any business of import. Fruit Cup appeared shortly thereafter apparently unaffected by their exertions. Neither’s natural penchant activity appeared abated.
I ran some internet errands from a soft chair in the great room, deciding eventually that my shoes would probably hold up through Washington and that I didn’t need to order another pair. Eventually, I moved on, unsurprisingly stiff given yesterday’s activity, before the lunch buffet tempted me to stay into the afternoon.
Timberline Lodge is a wonderful place, as this trail sign points out, it’s right next to paradise.
The trail was narrow and frequently along precipitous hillsides. This sometimes added an event of excitement when passing the many day hikers and overnighters. It also had somewhat more elevation change than most of Oregon but as today was for recovery, I took them as slowly as I liked which made the afternoon pleasant.
With no fog, Mt Hood was visible where the trees separated.
I ended at a small campsite on uneven ground squeezed in near two other hikers on a steep hillside. Someone had recently left unburied excrement, complete with toilet paper at one end of the amorphous campsite and no one wanted to deal with it. Usually, I would have walked on as campsites are plentiful. Steep hillsides like the one we were on are the exception and I was sore. I’ve never seen unburied human poop or toilet paper on parts of the trail which are remote enough to be outside the range of a weekend backpacking trip and as we were half a mile from a forest service road, this was no exception. Darn those uneducated day hikers! And near a water source too! In hind sight, we should probably have buried it.
Isaac Takes A Hike 