Turning to Washington and planning

Last night I was ridiculously late. Between dinner arriving at 10:30 pm and doing some work on my phone, it was a very late night. However, I let myself sleep this morning because I knew there were many options to get the bus. However, my only goal for the morning was to Uber to a merchant Joe’s to make my refueling. The Locks Cascade Edible Store is expensive and limited. And there is a merchant Joe’s just at the end of my hotel. I have been dying from the grocery store last year.

I also had the great idea of sending messages to my friend Michael Rush. We walked more than 1000 miles together on the PCT in 2017 and the last time I heard that he works at the Cascade Locks brewery. And, of course, as the path always provides, today he is driving from his apartment in Portland directly to Cascade Locks to work. Apparently, my hotel was directly on his route and could pick me up at 11 in the morning and take me right there. That meant that he could grab any food he needed and he wouldn’t have to worry about loading them on the bus.

Once I got up and prepared, I packed everything in the room. Then he left my backpack and went to Trader Joe’s. And there is nothing better in the world than to buy in a Joe’s trader with absolutely nothing that inhibits you. I grabbed everything that looked good. Knowing that I needed about four days of food for me, and could also pack a box of approximately four days of food. In addition, among everything I would eat today, there really wasn’t such a thing as getting too much. The snacks and sweets in Trader Joe’s are unmatched. It was easily the most exciting refueling that I have done all year. I also thought it would take a long time, but it ended up being a very fast experience.

At 9:30 am, I returned to the hotel packing things. I still had a lot of leftover food last night, so I ate it in bed. And I did some video editing before Michael came and picks me up at 11 am I have not seen it since we walked together in 2017. Although we have stayed connected on social networks and we have spoken on the phone several times over the years, more than eight years have passed! It is also crazy to think that this was my first time through the walk. And since then I have walked more than 16,000 miles.

Michael came and picked me up and it was incredible to see him again. It was as if time had not passed and it was difficult to imagine that it had been so long since we have really been in the presence of the other. We chat while driving from Portland to Cascade Locks. That impulse is really incredibly beautiful and picturesque. I recognized it from the few other times that I have made this trip. In 2022 on the PCT, I had to jump and shoot, which required going to Portland twice. And I think I made this trip in my vehicle when I lived on the road for a couple of years.

When we arrived in the city, Michael parked to work and said goodbye. But he only had to work until 4 pm and informed him that he would spend the night in the city. That was surprised but pleased. I think he believes that I never stop in the city or remain anywhere. But he supposed that he would not really reach the cascade locks until tomorrow afternoon. So I didn’t feel bad about taking the day to plan and prepare for Washington. It would also be good to rest a little before starting to do 35 miles per day in the predictable future.

I spent the night in Colombia Gorge Inn in Cascade Locks, which was great.

I had already reserved accommodation to spend the night, so I walked along the way to the motel. There are some different places in the city, but I think some are better than others. I stayed in the place that is right in front of the ice cream shop. The good man who worked there let me register immediately. I left my backpack and immediately sat down to do some tasks. I wanted to get a post office box to pack all my food and send it by mail. And I also wanted to obtain some more collapse of refueling for the box and also drinks and snacks for the day.

I did everything very fast, I sent my box and finished my homework. Then I returned to the motel to go to bed and lunch. I had all the rest of the day to make a ton of editing and work, which felt fantastic. I was also anxious to rest a little.

When I was in the city, I had seen tons of hikers. Probably 15–20 just while walking. I think I have officially jumped to the bubble. It will be interesting to see how the paths during the next week or two. I also believe that there will also be many hikers to the south here. Only in the Motel Solo, I knew that a handful of rooms were hikers. You can know for the shoes that remain outside the doors, tents and tarps that are dried.

I ran into the room for a long time before leaving to get more food. I was dying for a shake and a soft ice cream cone from the place to the other side of the street. That was definitely one of my good memories of being in Cascade Locks previously. I walked there and obtained a gentle and falciform service cone, a root beer shake and a BLT in Texas Toast. Root beer shakes are something we do at home in Massachusetts, but it really is not seen anywhere else. It is literally just a combined root beer float. But I think I like even more than a float. It is something about what I have been dreaming of the path on the path quite frequently and I was pleasantly surprised to order one.

A soft service cone and a shake!

During the rest of the day, I stayed in the room. I talked to my mother on the phone for a while. Yesterday we interrupt when we talk to the bus station. Then I did a little more work in the room before leaving to see Michael Rush. His turn was over, and he was having a drink at the bar before returning to Portland.

I ended up sitting there with him for a couple of hours just talking and remembering. It is crazy how much I forgot about the PCT in 2017. And how many crazy things happened. Before 2023, 2017 was the record year of snow. Then, to this day, when I tell the people who walked the PCT in 2017, they often comment on the dangerous snow conditions. And they were certainly dangerous. A large number of hikers died on the road that year. Two drowning at rivers crosses, one dying of heat stroke in the desert, and I think there were also one or two instances. It is crazy to think that this is the year I chose to experiment through hiking for the first time.

Addressing the brewery in the city to see my friend.

Before leaving there, I asked for some food to take back to the room with me. Then he said goodbye to my friend and left. I will definitely communicate with him at the beginning of October when Vuele Portland. It is likely to return to transport to the cascade locks and then I will go south along the PCT in Oregon. It will be easier to finish in Ashland and have the option to fly outside Medford.

Back in the room, I ate my leftovers and did more work. And finally he packed mostly and ready to leave early tomorrow in the morning. Then, after I finally called him one night and turned off the light, I received a rude awakening for a fire alarm. The old -air fire alarm of the old school shot at 10:30 pm I looked through the door and saw a lot of hikers left their rooms, examining the surrounding area and trying to discover what was happening. The alarm shot for a while before the staff finally rectified the situation. Then finally I went to bed.

If you enjoy this blog and you would like to support my walk by buying a soda or a refrigerium on the road, there is a «advice button» below! It is linked directly to my venmo. All support is incredibly appreciated!

This website contains affiliate links, which means that the walk can receive a percentage of any product or service that you buy using the links in the items or ads. The buyer pays the same price that would do it differently, and his purchase helps to support the continuous objective of the walk to address his quality backpack advice and information. Thanks for your support!

For more information, visit the page about this site.