Day 42 : Trooper Spring

Start – Trooper Spring (1340 m)
Finish – nr Jefferson Park (2025 m)
Daily Distance – 31 km
Ascent – 1175 m
Descent – 490 m

One of the peculiar side effects of the PCT Trail Days event is that occasionally you meet someone you already know coming the other way. People hitchhiked or took public transport to reach Cascade Locks, before returning to where they left off after the event finished (and sobriety returned). Something of a novelty as typically northbounders are only ever encountered once. It leads to amusing incidents like walking along the trail and two people concurrently exclaiming, “I know you!”, as happened to me today. I still don’t 100% remember the guy’s name, perhaps Melon, but definitely something to do with fruit, and given by the beer he was drinking at the time, I have no trouble believing he didn’t retain my name. Either way, we had spent an hour or so conversing while charging devices at the tangled mess of outlets and wires (and wires in turn running from power banks to charge other devices). A cheery and memorable character of perhaps 55. Stylistically as if Lemmy from Motorhead had chosen to switch his jacket for a flamboyant, patterned peach sun hoody, but retained the hat and nail polish, although with more than a little of Sid James in manner and ready laugh. Certainly the brief reunion added a little colour to the day.

In fact, today has been my most social on trail so far. Groups of hikers tend to form naturally, which leads to ‘bubbles’ passing along the trail, with gaps inbetween them. The Trail Days event started the job of combining numerous bubbles as people who were a day or two early reaching Cascade Locks paused, rather than walk further, but everyone mostly left at the same time. The Timberline Lodge buffet timing seems also to have produced much the same effect. This has caused me to be in much the same area, but camping slightly apart, with half a dozen or so other southbounders who are travelling as a rough group (I still refuse to use the phrase ‘Trail Family’), since leaving Timberline Lodge. Having chatted very briefly while collecting water yesterday, the Olallie Lake Resort provided a more relaxed setting to chat and get to know each other. Almost directly on trail, featuring a shop (cash only), lake and pit toilet (with walls and toilet paper!), ‘resort’ may be stretching the word slightly. It is nevertheless a lovely place to hang out, eat and drink for a few hours. Incidentally my tab was: 1 grab bag doritos, 1 lemonade, 1 beer and 1 dr pepper.

Having left the resort at much the same time I spent the afternoon walking with Birdy and Tony. Meeting Deets and Nate at the planned camping site, they had heard of a nicer spot another mile or two further on, so we pushed on again. In fairness, it was a nicer spot, set upon a bleak, volcanic high plateau with great views of the night sky.

Between the long break at Olallie and several other pauses, it was 19:00 by the time camp was finally made. Given that it is dark by 20:30 these days, the evening was short, but it was enjoyable to have dinner company for a change.

At camp tonight are:

Deets – 47 – Austin, TX – Elected or self-appointed organiser of the group

Nate – late 20s? – US – First met on the bus in Leavenworth and seen in passing from time-to-time since

Two Phones – 56 – Berlin, Germany – A hypnotherapist with interests in mind-expanding substances. Owing to difficulties upon arrival in the US, now has two different mobiles.

Tony – 45-50? – US – A software developer and van lifer

Birdy – 27 – Göttingen, Germany – A Political Science who claims that fish & chips is the same concept as Schnitzel. (And is entirely wrong in the assertion 😄)

Catnap – 20-30? – Quebec, Canada – Likes a midday sleep