Elk And Clearcuts
Lots of ridgewalking this morning until the trail dropped into a section of forest and patchy clearcuts, with dozens of annoying blowdowns to climb over. I hiked 30.3 warm, dusty miles between dawn and dusk – with the sunny weather and low topography, this section feels more like northern California than Washington!
I saw my first elk of the trip in late afternoon, right next to the trail in the forest – they didn’t seem to mind. Otherwise, not too much wildlife lately, though another hiker I talked to saw a bear. Hoping for a couple more surprises in my last two weeks out here.
If you haven’t already passed them, you should be coming up on a couple about the age of me and your folks: Cisco and Roadrunner. He’ll probably have a blue shirt on and white Columbia hat. White beard. She (RR) will have on a rose-colored top and tan slacks. They’ll look straight from an LL Bean Catalog. But they saved my butt, helping me get around Mount Thielsen. Say hello to them if for me if you see them. I finished Oregon on Tuesday on a bit of a bittersweet note as my hiking buddy, ironically a doctor, got vertigo and couldn’t go on. It’s been fun reading your Oregon reports. I believe I was the first PCT section-or-thru hiker to see the closed sign at Timberline: 5:31 a.m. Sunday. We were pumped for two days to Cascade Locks. Wound up going on a re-route around the east side instead. Not much fun. Take care, you’re doing great! BTW, just about everyone who I’ve met who is thru-hiking remembers you. We were with a bunch of of young folks at Timberline — guy with a rusty beard from Michigan and his female friend from Texas. Forgot all their names. Bugs and Bunny, from Israel, camped with us at Shale Lake. Ring a bell?