I had a great time in Oregon. After spending the better part of three and a half months in California, it seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.
I entered Oregon with Feather and Shorts. The border was mile 28 of a 31 mile day. I was racing to meet Bill in Ashland. I was surprised at how easily I walked the 31 miles. I was, however, dismayed at my hunger and the lack of skin on the bottom of my toes the next day. Nothing a 24" pizza and some Neosporin couldn't fix!
Bill and I set out the next day for the longest romantic walk in the woods ever. Well maybe not the longest...but 105 miles is pretty long for anyone not thinking in thru hiker terms. We had a great week (read bills account in the last post). Well I had a great week. I think Bill had fun...?
We met my parents, brother, and his fiancé at Crater Lake. They had rented several motel rooms in the nearby town of Prospect. I knew that the rooms slept eight total and so partly to help entertain my family and partly because I didn't want my friends to camp in the rain, I invited them to join us.
Now see, town was something like 30 miles away. This didn't concern me because my brother drives a Crown Victoria. You know, like a police car. It is an enormous car, although apparently it is larger in my mind than in real life. In my head, I thought that we could fit eight people onto the two bench seats no problem. In the end, we had to completely rearrange the trunk. In the backseat, I sat on Bill's lap, mom sat on dad's lap while WeeBee was squished in the center under a grocery bag of snack food. Fun Size, my brother, and his fiancé filled up the front seat. Loaded thus, the Vic was quite the low rider. A stinky low rider as four of the eight of us hasn't showered for at least five days. Yum.
I had a great time with the family. We are spectacular food and paraded as normal tourists in denim shorts at the crater's rim. It was tough saying goodbye, but WeeBee and I has to make miles, so off we went.
We sped through the rest of southern Oregon and into the Sisters Wilderness. Let me tell you, if you ever have the chance, definitely go explore that area, it was so beautiful. One day, WeeBee, Goodall, and I were hiking along as we do, several hundred meters between us, when I ran into a couple heading in the opposite direction. I spoke with them briefly in order to ascertain whether there was a Trader Joe's in Bend. They confirmed this and then we parted ways. Two hours later, when we all met up for siesta, WeeBee excitedly told me that the couple, Mark and Chris, had offered to let us stay with them when we got to Bend!
WeeBee, Goodall, Bagels, and I ended up staying with Mark and Chris for two nights. They were hands down, my second favorite trail angels (sorry! First place goes to my "California parents" Kermit and J-Bug). They fed us exquisite food, have us comfy beds to sleep in, helped us run errands, and let us play with their friendly pets. We entered their house already as friends and left as family. If you are reading this, Mark and Chris, please know that I cannot thank you enough! This break revitalized me and helped me continue through Oregon.
Stay tuned for our adventures on Mount Hood and in Northern Oregon!
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