My first day off in 46 days at CYTC

This morning I woke up around 6am to the sound of the car spinning around. Sprinter must have slept for a few hours, but now he was getting back into the driver’s seat and setting off once again. I feel bad because he drove non-stop for so long yesterday! But I also really appreciated the fact that he let me lie down in the back and sleep. I needed those 7 or 8 hours more than words could explain. When I finally got up around 7am, I felt like a new person.

After a while, the Sprinter stopped again to get more gas and coffee. I also got up so I could go to the bathroom and have coffee in the rest area. Sprinter said he had been feeling quite tired and so he rested for a couple of hours. Then, when he finally got up again, he still felt quite tired. I was contemplating letting myself drive for a while, which would have been totally fine. But after we went in and had some caffeine, he said he felt good again. I was on standby just in case!

Obviously, since I’ve been on track all year, I don’t really drive much. But before I was here I drove a large vehicle for several years. In fact, I drove cross-country from Philadelphia to Massachusetts just a year ago to move. So I’m certainly comfortable driving long distances and large vehicles. Although I have this weird thing where I don’t really like driving other people’s vehicles. It always makes me nervous. Not enough that I can necessarily do anything. But there could be some kind of accident because of someone else. And it would bother me to have to break news like that to someone when you’re in their car. I guess it’s some kind of irrational fear.

I liked this sign.

Once we had our fill of coffee, we continued driving. We left Utah and entered Idaho. It’s funny to be in Idaho after not having hiked through Idaho this year. The last time I was in Idaho was last year on the Continental Divide trail. Now this year I would be passing through.

The GPS had our ETA for the Oregon Cascade Locks around noon. But I knew that would depend on how often we stopped and things like that. At first I wasn’t sure if I would hike today or not. But late in the morning I had a strong feeling that he wouldn’t be. It would be good to take the day to rest and prepare for the next section of the trail.

Good gas station food.

Much of today’s driving has been a bit boring and we have only passed through areas with fields and pastures. Which reminded me a lot of the trail I did in Wyoming around that fire. However, I knew that as we got closer to Oregon, the views were going to be really good. Specifically around the Columbia River Gorge area. I can’t believe Sprinter was able to put his head down and drive for so long. We literally just stopped for fuel or food every once in a while. But other than that, he kept pushing and never once asked me to drive.

In the early afternoon, we entered the great state of Oregon. Where we would spend the next two hours. Before reaching the Cascade Locks, we stopped to run a couple of errands. I’ve never been to the Hood River area, so we drove through town to get there. I grabbed some resupply items and miscellaneous things I needed. We then arrived at the Cascade Locks around 2 p.m.

It’s crazy to think that yesterday at this time I was at the CDT in New Mexico. And today I’m in Oregon.

It was absolutely surreal to re-enter the Cascade locks. Not only because of how quickly we arrived from New Mexico. Which is an unimaginable feat on its own. But I remember very vividly how I felt when I was here two months ago. I heard myself say, «You’ll be back here in no time. Keep pushing, put in the miles, and you’ll be back here in no time.» I know it doesn’t always seem like it, but that’s exactly how time flies. The days are so long and tedious. And yet, time absolutely flies.

This statue is so cute. I knew I had to send a photo to my mom. She is a “mama bear”!

Although I didn’t believe for a second that time was going to fly by. How could I pass the time when I needed to walk 8 to 10 weeks straight, doing 37 miles every day? When I first set up my sites for that purpose, I was pretty nervous. Then I did it the first two weeks in Washington and I was surprised how quickly it went by. But I was also surprised by how exhausting the whole thing was.

I had to get this vest because it’s hunting season in Oregon.

When I got to CDT in Montana, I was defeated. I couldn’t understand how I could continue at that pace. Then those first two weeks in Montana went by pretty quickly. I received a second wave of energy that I didn’t know I had. And as I headed toward Wyoming, I remember thinking that I could definitely repeat those last two weeks. I remember saying those words out loud. And those next two weeks in Wyoming were certainly difficult. Definitely harder than the previous two or four. But before I knew it, I was in the state of Colorado. A place I’ve set up my sites for the entire last month or more. If not all year honestly.

Eating ice cream in the passenger seat.

Now here it was, back into cascading locks. I took a little video walking around town and said, «Remember when I had to walk 37 miles every day for two months to get back here? And now I’m back here and I made it.» It almost didn’t seem real to say that out loud. I shouldn’t be surprised to be back here. I lived every moment of these last two months, vividly and deeply. There was so much struggle and so much fatigue. Then I should know exactly what I did to get here. And yet, in some ways I feel like I blinked and it magically appeared here, effortlessly. How can something that requires so much effort seem effortless? This journey is filled with many contrasting feelings and contradictions. That is without a doubt one of the most beautiful things about it.

This place is so amazing. I’ve been dreaming about their smoothies for two months.

Sprinter and I arrived outside Eastwind’s car.

When we arrived in town, the first thing we did was go to the classic burger and shake place. Which apparently is open all year round. I certainly didn’t see it coming. I then headed to the Columbia Gorge Inn to book a room for the night. The idea of ​​just kicking back and doing some editing for the rest of the day sounded great. Plus, it will be good to start Oregon as energized as possible. My goal is to cross the state in about 12 or 13 days, weather permitting. I’m not necessarily going through a big time crisis or anything like that.

Once I had my smoothie, I was ready to go.

The only thing keeping me on my schedule right now is that I plan to meet a friend in Ashland when I finish Oregon. After that, there really won’t be any more programming for the rest of the year. I will be able to take days off due to bad weather and do absolutely anything I want.

Once I checked into a room, I decided to call my dad while he ordered refills and such. He had texted me earlier and I could tell by his tone that he seemed worried. Apparently he’s been watching some of my videos and reading some of what I write. But it seems like you’ve been skimming too fast. Apparently you’ve only been seeing the negative things and don’t have the full, complete picture. Because I was pretty stressed and worried when we finally spoke.

When I turned on the TV in town, Green Mile was on. The last and only time I saw this movie was in Florida on Fresh Ground’s laptop!

When he found out about my migraine, he assumed that I had never had a migraine before in my life. Somehow he didn’t realize that I have had migraines on and off for the past 10 years. But I guess I’m not the type of person who complains too much about injuries and ailments. So apparently it never came up! But he had written me a speech to tell me how worried he was about my health.

Fortunately, once we started talking, it was very easy to put him at ease. And at the end of the conversation, he felt much better about everything. And me too! In fact, it was great to talk for a long time and fill him in on everything. While the lows may seem really low here, the highs are either through the roof. They are higher than anything you can experience. And those ups and downs make even the bitterest suffering worth it.

Thunder Island Brewery.

We ended up talking on the phone and then I finished organizing my things. Earlier that day I had texted my friend Michael Rush to see if he was in town. He lives in Portland, but works at the brewery here in Cascade Locks. In fact, he was the one who drove me from Portland to the Cascade Locks earlier this year. Apparently he was working, so I decided to come in, surprise him and say hello.

I sat in their service section and we talked for a while. It’s pretty crazy because when I saw it recently, it was the first time I’d seen it in person in about seven years. We hiked together for over 1,000 miles on the PCT in 2017. We talked from time to time afterward, but I didn’t see him in person again until two months ago when I was in Cascade Locks. Now just two months later I was seeing it again! It’s a little crazy to think that you can go so long without seeing someone and then see them twice in a year. That’s great.

A beautiful sunset in the town of Cascade Locks, Oregon.

I ordered some takeout and talked to him for a while. I wasn’t hungry, but it was a great excuse to go hang out with him. And I’m a hiker, so I knew I’d be hungry later that night. After talking for a while, I left. I just wanted to rest and relax as much as humanly possible. I stopped by the supermarket and bought some drinks and the latest items. He then retired to the bedroom for the rest of the night.

I love drinks! As many drinks as possible! All the variety I can find.

For the rest of the night, I watched TV, wrote and edited a little, and ate a lot. I organized my things and got ready for tomorrow. Then I tried to end the night as early as possible. It’s well known that I have a bad habit of staying up late in the city editing. But tonight I went to bed at a reasonable hour!

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