August 24. Day 115.

Timberline Lodge to Salvation Spring (mile 2116.1)
Miles hiked: 21.6


Laid in bed and watched the sun rising soft pink and slow through some thin clouds and smoke and lighting the cold pewter slopes of Mt Hood, catching up on yesterday's journal and waiting for the breakfast buffet to start at 7, which seems awfully late nowadays. There was quite a gaggle of hikers in the lodge, taking advantage of the big comfortable chairs and electrical plugs and vats of great coffee and overall awesome setting. The buffet was indeed not to be missed, with big platters of cheesey eggs and pancakes and ham and sausage and breakfast potatoes, plus a waffle station with whipped cream and various fruits for toppings, fruit smoothies, yogurt, granola, fruit, and probably some other stuff that I didn't see. I'm not properly equipped for all you can eat buffets, because even though my metabolism is ramped up and I can eat 5 or more full meals in a day now, I can't really eat a whole bunch in one sitting. I had a full plate then waited around as long as I though I could get away with and had another. This left me so full and lazy-feeling that I ended up sitting around the lodge until noon or so, afraid to put on my pack and tighten the waist belt.

Hikers taking over the lodge.

Once I got walking, the trail continued contouring around the west slopes of Hood, dropping down into the deep, steep and crumbly-loose canyons of a few creeks then climbing back up onto the forested slopes. There were some spectacular views at the edges of theses canyons, with the creek cutting down into hard basalt and glued-together ash in places to make slot canyons with little ribbons of waterfall. Around the west-north-west side of the mountain we dropped down into the big canyon of the Sandy River, the crossing of which ended up being thigh-deep rather than the expected shin-deep. An alternate trail took me along the base of Ramona Falls, where a side creek cascades over a cliff and spreads out into a broad fan over steep steps in the rock face. This side creek then led the trail down through a sylvan wonderland with big trees I still haven't learned leaning in over the banks of the creek and moss growing thick and soft on all surfaces.

The hiking felt easy all day, as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I had finally decided the night before that I would end the hike when I got to Cascade Locks. This may seem a bit abrupt since I haven't really written about it, but I've been mulling it over for a week or so and a range of factors have come together in making this decision. It is not a decision I make lightly, but with all the factors in play, it has become an easy decision. The main factor is that this has come to be too long away from Libby, and Abbey. It is not just the time away on this trip, but also for the 4-5 months before the hike we were living in different states due to school and work, with only a couple few-week chunks spent together. Being apart that much is just a drag, and all the great scenery and experiences I've been seeing and having have been muted and dulled by my missing them.

Ramona Falls

Additionally, the big fires in Washington have closed sections of the trail and the situation remains volatile and unpredictable. Not being able to currently hike all the miles to the border (at least not on trail; there are apparently some long road walk detours) has somewhat taken the appeal out of continuing through the foot pain and missing home just to say I hiked a few hundred more miles in one season. And most importantly regarding the fires, I've really gotten my fill of hiking in heavy smoke. Not only does it tighten my throat and burn in my eyes, but it takes away one of the most important aspects of the hike for me: being able to look out over long views and really see how the landscape is put together. It was a real disappointment to hike the Trinity Alp and Marble Mountains in such thick smoke, and from what I've heard and photos I've seen of WA, I really don't want to do that again. Without being able to see and really experience the landscape, the additional miles have become sort of meaningless to me; I don't want to reduce this experience to some sort of treadmill exercise, and that is sort of the direction it was headed, at least for me. So I have decided to save Washington for another time, when I really want it, when I can slow down and see more and maybe bring my big camera, and when it is not on fire and smoke-clogged.

The trail crossed a narrow log over a churning brown stream and climbed up out of the Sandy River canyon to regain a ridge that would eventually lead all the way to the final descent to Cascade Locks tomorrow. The sun was now dipping low to the west and now and then through gaps in the trees I could see the big, soft pink Mt Hood, now from the northwest. The day's walking had brought me all the way around this big mountain. I hiked until dark, wanting to make tomorrow's hike a few miles shorter so I would have time to take it slow to enjoy what is supposed to be a spectacular bit of trail, and also to provide time for reflection on the trip.

I set up camp near a spring on a steep hillside as the day's last light faded from the trees. I thought I might feel some sense of significance with this being my last night on the tail, but it ended up feeling like just another night on the trail. It was not a particularly stunning campsite, with no real view of anything. As I fell asleep I decided that this was as it should be; to have the last night feel just as all the others, I decided, was just the way I wanted this night to be.




Birds:
Oregon Junco
Northern Flicker
Gray Jay
Varied Thrush
Red-tailed hawk
Red Crossbill
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Warbler- Nashville or MacGillivray's; just a quick look
Pacific Wren
Common Raven
American Dipper