Day 31 : Trout Lake (Rest Day)

Start – Trout Lake (off trail)
Finish – Trout Lake (off trail)
Daily Distance – 0 km
Ascent – 0 m
Descent – 0 m

Sir, sir, cows drank my lake! It sounds like a bad excuse for late homework submission, but in the case of Trout Lake, it is actually true. As the result of a switch to cattle farming, the lake (and trout), which gave the town its name, are no more.

While the agricultural choices of Trout Lake may be questionable, their embrace of hikers isn’t. The shuttles, which bring hikers the 15 miles to/from the trail 3 times per day in summer, are operated by volunteers, using their own vehicles, with no fees asked for. There is even a list of “on call” drivers if people really can’t wait for the next scheduled shuttle.

With regards camping, the general store owners allow people to camp on their lawn for free, providing the tents are only erected from dusk until dawn. And when changing money for the shower, they even provide a towel and mini bottle of shampoo for free. I wonder how much of this is for their own olfactory benefit mind. A cynical person would see the town’s embrace of hikers as a summer goldrush, but whatever the reason, it is nice to feel wanted.

To be honest, calling Trout Lake a “town” is really something of a stretch. With a small general store, auto workshop, community hall, clinic, campground, cafe/restaurant and a pizzeria a mile down the road, there isn’t a lot here. There may also be a post office, but I have never seen it open, so it’s hard to be sure.

In such a small place, it feels a little like hikers represent 80% of the summer population. At any one time, there seems to be between 5 and 15 hikers locusting their way from one food establishment to the next. Once the main northbound hiker bubble arrives, I imagine they will have to activate the overflow camping behind the church. If nothing else, they certainly are well organised. A town website even makes all the information available online.

I have placed my name against the 08:00 shuttle tomorrow (so they know how many drivers are required) to ensure I leave as planned. I anticipate arriving in Cascade Locks after 4-4.5 days of walking, so Friday evening or Saturday morning. Potentially awkward, as I need to send some food boxes to myself, and the post office may be closed then until Monday morning. I will sort that out at the time, though. There is nothing much that can really be done.