Day 119 - 21.7 Miles Closer to Canada

Mile 2040.7 to Mile 2062.4 - 21.7 miles

Not much to say today really. It was a day spent mainly in amongst trees with the occasional peep at My Hood. Tiptoe & I were both feeling the effects of a tough day yesterday so pulled stumps early at the last water for 10 miles.
The highlight of the day was an early stop at Olallie Lake which sits at the base of Olallie Butte. It was a good place for coffee & snacks from the store - gazing at the North East face of Mt Jefferson

It's a big day tomorrow with almost 30 miles a possibility before hitting Timberline Lodge so early to bed.....Weta

Day 118 - Mt Jefferson Keeps Us Company

Mile 2012.3 to Mile 2040.7 - 28.4 miles

It was the turn of Mt Jefferson to play host today. The day was spent skirting along the western slopes after approaching from the south

Eventually after climbing a 2500 foot ridge to the north west we were afforded a view of the Jefferson Park & Russell Glaciers

At the same point we looked north to the cone of Mt Hood. On the horizon I spotted two snowy peaks.. best guess being Mt St Helens & Mt Adams which are both in Washington

Four and a half days & we should be quit of Oregon...Weta

Day 117 - 2000 Miles Up

Mile 1998.5 to Mile 2012.3 - 13.8 miles

Yep - 2000 mile marker passed today - 650 to go. Will the feet and the body hold out?? Guess there's only one way to find out

Tiptoe & I did not get on trail until 2pm as we had to wait for the Post Office to open to get resupply boxes sent. Breakfast & packing together with other chores took up the morning but luckily, Tiptoe chanced a ride with a young Portland girl  Crystal, at Safeway - saving us a difficult hitch. Trail wise we seemed to climb all afternoon - firstly around the western then eastern flanks of Three Fingered Jack.

This was before Mt Jefferson roamed in to view

Mt Jefferson is our target for tomorrow....Weta

Day 116 - Zero In Bend

Bend is the biggest city we will zero in on the trail. There's over 80000 people here in this popular tourist destination which includes floating down the Deschutes River in tubes. The city centre has been developed beautifully with the old buildings retained in a tree lined atmosphere. The shopping is classy with a ton of restaurants & bars - including a number of breweries. Tiptoe and I enjoyed a beer & nachoes at the excellent Bend Brewing Co later that day

The inner city suburb streets are leafy & generally well maintained

It was a big day with laundry, gear & grocery purchases. For the first time on trail I have brought all my groceries for the trip ahead as resupply ahead is difficult. That meant an impressive layout of food to box up & send on

The supermarket had a good range on NZ wines including Pete Yealands, Oyster Bay, Nobilos, Kim Crawford etc.
An interesting sign I saw today

A Dispensary is where you buy marijuana which is legal here in Oregon - as it is in Washington.
In terms of the PCT the big news was......finding Banjo!!! I spied him in town....with a bike. He was suffering bad shin pain & switched to a bike st Etna to get to Cascade Locks. It was great to catch up with him & he was in good spirits. I miss him on trail but hopefully he will be around us in Washington.

Back on deck tomorrow once we can get a hitch out of town. Once again internet coverage will determine updates.....Weta

Day 115 - Lava Hiking Continued...

Mile 1977.2 to Mile 1998.5 - 21.3 miles

A quieter day today as we peeled off the miles to Santiam Pass which was the exit point for us to get to Bend. The first few hours saw us battle through the lava fields which is something you wouldn't want to do all day!!

The pointy mountain in the distance is Mt Washington which looks formidable from both the east & west - a tough climb I would say

Much of the day was spent in a major forest burn that looks like carrying on when we resume on Tuesday.
Otherwise Tiptoe& I picked up two hitches quickly enough from the trail to Sisters then to Bend where we started out chores......Weta

Day 114 - Oregon Produces A Stunner

Mile 1947.7 to Mile 1977.2 - 29.5 miles

New best day on tour - without a doubt. From the brooding volcanic menace of the Sisters Mountains to the exquisite flower covered meadows to the springs flowing from obsidian covered mountains to the lava fields to tbe views north - the day was outstanding.
Once we cleared the forest canopy after climbing Koosah Mountain in the early morning, we opened out to view South Sister

This was followed soon after by Middle Sister

Eventually the rugged beauty of North Sister loomed up on us

Believe me - I took a lot more photos!!!
We entered the Obsidian area where the hillsides glistened mirror like with the black rock that is unique to this area.

A spring in this area flowed directly from a mountainb base & was liquid gold - no filtering needed!!
The meadows were picture perfect with the array of flowers on display

We then entered the lava field of Collier Cone which was extraordinary - an amazing example of Mother Nature furiously disgorging it's innards. Somehow the PCT picked its way through this

Around another corner  and we got the breathtaking view if mountains to come...from left to right, Washington, 3 Fingered Jack, Jefferson & Hood.

To finish the day the black lava from Yapoah Crater

Simply stunning. 21 miles tomorrow & out to Bend....Weta

Day 113 - Sometimes Things Just Catch Up With You.....

Mile 1922.6 to Mile 1947.7 - 25.1 miles

The heading sums it up. 14 miles in to a 17 mile morning & I was getting slower & lower. A combination of a heavy workload over a 24 hour period, bad sleep, poor nutrition & hot weather meant I was struggling to the lunch break catch up with Tiptoe. Even the French couple, Trigger & Yodler were worried for me. But I made it to lunch and after re-fuelling on bagels & Gatorade was away again. Tiptoe & I camped after an early finish at 5.00 pm which was a refreshing change. We ended up with a 72 year old sevtion hiker named Bilbo for company. He had some great stories. Another section hiker, Joyce, & a young day hiker from Portland made it an interesting group. While most PCT hikers went on to Elk Lake we were entertained by some terrific conversation.
The day itself started with a contrast of an old burn area

to many lakes - Stormy Lake in shot

Otherwise it was a canopy of trees all day. We got further glimpses of 3 Sisters - originally named North, Middle & South Sister. We cross their Western flanks tomorrow.
We've had a lot more horses on trail in recent times including this lady

Almost to Bend now for an overdue break.....Weta