The end of Oregon and PICTURES at last

I am at the Hood River Library gazing at the Columbia River and Washington!  We made it into Cascade Locks on July 3rd, just in time to hook up with our friends, the Wilsons.  They picked us up at the bottom of the amazingly lovely Eagle Creek, a section of trail off the PCT that includes amazing waterfalls (including one that you walk behind).  Since leaving the spectacular Timberline Inn on Mt Hood we hiked on actual (i.e., no snow) trail for three days.  It was wonderful to finally feel that thru-hiker strength propelling us miles down the trail each day.  We have not been able to add photos to this blog, but now I'll give it another try and with success:

Jay on June 7th, on discovering he forgot his warm hat got to change his trail name from Jayhawk to Captain Underpants as he donned his drawers upon his head.

We enetered the Sky Lakes Wilderness full of commitment to finish our hike.  The Gods must love us.  Last year we flip flopped all over California avoiding the snow.  This year the California passes are clear and Oregon is buried with one of the coldest Junes on record.   

What does that mean?  SNOW

OK so I got the pictures on here but they are in reverse order.  So check the date stamps.  and I will try to clarify the captions!  This is the end of one of many glissades through the area.  Jay loved it.

Jay has his first Banana Split in Hood River Oregon, where we spent time with our friends, the Wilsons.  This banana split has been consumed after long time on the trail.

We took an alternate route to Cascade Locks down a beautiful canyon called Eagle Creek.  It is full of waterfalls, even one that you walk behind!  A boy and his dog are depicted here.

Kevin doing John Muir

VOLCANO

Mountain with powerlines -- an entry into our list of "true" nature photography.

Coolest bridge yet over Sandy Creek.  

Ramona Falls, minus the fifty tourists who are there as well.  Nice photographing trick.

What Flower is this?

Or this

The Cascades

flowers?  

A sense of what our Mt. Hood hike looked like while doing it.  Surreal.

Kevin enjoying a cold one at the amazing WPA project, the Timberline Inn at the top of Mt Hood.

oh yeah MORE SNOW and this time it's glacial

Kim from Main Street Tours in Medford rescued us three times as we were trying to get started on our NoBo trek.

Here we are at Eagle Creek, just from the falls that you walk behind.  Hence, Jay looks freaked.

Bear grass

Nearly done with Oregon

Snow, Snow, and more Snow. I am sorry there are no photos. I can't figure out how to load them on my iPad. The last post we had to restart at Fish lake. Since then, adventures have abounded. We got the GPS fixed up an headed into Sky Lakes wilderness. Once higher, we hit snow and then more snow and then... Yes, a solid base of the white stuff. We were slowed down by it, except when we glissaded downwards. The problems began when we got to Devil's Peak. Here we would have to hike on a cornice of snow over a 300 foot drop. So we bushwhacked over a mountain and then out lower trails and jeep roads, finally getting to cell range and calling what became known as Kim's Rescue Service (Main street Tours in Medford| photos and links to come). there's more here but details later... We stayed at a very nice cabin one night and then headed for North Crater Lake. The park did not let people through unless they had snowshoes or skis. So we hiked to Diamond Lake, then into the Mt Thielsen Wilderness, taking lower routes, then to Odell Lake and Shelter Cove, staying lower and skirting the Waldo Lake Wilderness. From there we entered the 3 Sisters Wilderness. beautiful, clear lakes. And then hail and rain. Got salvation at Elk Lake Resort and Boneyard IPA on tap. Then back to 3 Sisters. We had a wild next four days that included six inches of fresh snow and majestic scenery. We then got out and were driven to Sisters, Oregon by two very cool people -- Joel and Claudia (more later). Now we are being assisted by a wonderful trail angel, Lloyd Gust. We head out for more trail today further north. We are hard pressed for time so this is a fast summation of a long voyage -- again, more later. Happy trails.

on the trail again! sort of

Jay, Kevin, Utah and I are in Oregon.  We arrived at the Summit Trailhead parking lot on the Hwy 140.  We got off on an early, rainy, start.  We walked in the rain as it turned to sleet and snow.  Gotta love that PCT feeling.  On day two our first discovery was that Jay had no warm hat.  Camping in 27 degrees this is something of a crisis.  Thus was born Jays new trail name Captain Underpants, Embarrassing photos coming soon.  Then we got to snow covered trail , normal for us, I turn on my GPS and guess what.  No topos, no halfmile tracks, and no waypoints.  We had a flashing dot and a blank screen, no trail, wet boots and a limping dog, auspicious start indeed.   Around lunch time on day 2 when 4 hours had gotten us 2 miles up the trail, we panicked and turned around to go back to Medford and regroup.  We are re starting this morning on a clear sunny day, GPS functioning, fully outfitted for winter conditions we will be back on the snowy PCT in a couple of hours.  We are due at Mazama Village at crater Lake about a wek from now.  Until then... Happy Trails.

We are packing the car getting ready to leave on our attempt to finish the trail this summer.  Mamamoab, Buck Mulligan and the mighty Jayhawk along with the amazing packing service Dog UTAH are climbing into a loaded car for a 4 day drive to Oregon.  Where we will be shuttled to Fish Lake on Highway 140 to head North to Canada.  We will be getting super support from two of our best family friends in hometown Athens OH.  Our Friends the Fahl- Matlacks will be driving our car from Medford to Manning park.  Our friends the Wilsons are meeting us at Cascade Locks for a couple of Zeros.  We hope to be at the PCT Northern Monument By August 8th.  I will upload pictures and stories whenever possible.

Happy Trails!

Hiking and skiing again

After 10 weeks in a wheelchair with two busted feet Spring break was a delight.  I got permission to walk again one week before we left for a backpacking and skiing trip.So we headed for the desert, nice flat sandy trails for the gimp.  We hiked for four days in the "little Grand Canyon of the San Raffael" in Southern Utah.  West of Green River and North of I 70.  I can't tell you how much fun it was to be hiking again, gimpy and wimpy though I was.  

Jay and Kevin took most of the weight but with the skills and gear we gained thru hiking no one was carrying much.  

Jay has grown so much this year he is almost exactly my height.

By the second day of hiking I needed a rest, layering Vicodan and 800 mg Ibuprofen for days  didn't seem too cool so I stayed in camp; While Kevin and Jay explored the upper canyon. It snowed and hailed all day.

Kevin in his new puffy coat.

Take that Dr. Reed! As promised my 15 lb pack including food and water.

Oh dear the hike is done bummer now we have to ski.

Jay got a new pair of double tipped skiis and was skiing like a demon all day.

That's me SKIING on my sore broken feet.

I guess some of us don't get wiser as we get older

That was my one day of skiing.  Today I take Utah snow shoeing while the guys ski their legs off.

Friday it's back to Ohio. To dry food pack boxes and train train train for this summers completion of the PCT

weird winter

As a thru hiker I came home feeling indomitable.  To stay fit, trim and in shape I decided to train for a local half Marathon.  On my third day of training I tripped with my mp3 in hand and fractured my fifthe metatarsal, ouch.  I could still run with it.

Jayhawk ran on the middle school cross country team and we ran several 5 K's and a trail run.

I kept training and was running up to 8  miles when on January 13th I tripped on my stairs and broke both feet! I had to stay on one floor of my house in a wheel chair for 8 weeks!oiiiii!  The left foot had to be surgically put back together.

So I just got permission to walk in a cast last thursday.  We are heading to Colorado and Utah on 3/14 for a hiking and skiing trip.   I may be a lodge bunny.

Kevin has two books coming out this year.

The three of us are sooooooooo anxious to get back on the trail.  In June we will be starting at fish lake in OR then head north to Canada.  I hope we will see all of you again.

Mamamoab, Jayhawk and Martin Eden