Cascade Locks to Bushcamp
4.2 miles
Mile 2150.8
We slept in again, in no rush to leave the comforts of our hotel room. By the time we’d showered, packed and enjoyed some coffee it was well past 10. On our way out we swung by Bridgeside Family Dining to grab some breakfast before heading across the bridge and into Washington.
The lady who took our order was so sweet, amazed by our journey, she insisted on snapping a photo of Spikes and I. Spikes ordered a breakfast biscuit sandwich, while I went with an omelette, and we shared a slice of cherry pie.
As we ate our delicious breakfast, we enjoyed an epic view of the Columbia River Gorge from our booth. While eating, a lady who’d been eating a couple booths down from us approached to give us each a Snickers bar and to wish us safe travels.
It was a kind gesture for sure, but I’m curious if there was a reason that she’d picked that specific Snickers…
Anyways, after eating we parted ways with Cascade Locks, and headed towards the Bridge of the Gods, which would take us over the Columbia River and into Washington.
Traversing the bridge was sketchy. It lacked a shoulder or sidewalk, so forced us to walk abreast with traffic.
Fortunately we didn’t die, so that was cool, and the views were great.
Safely on the other side, we endured a short road walk before rejoining the PCT and heading into the Washington woodlands.
It was past noon, and humid as hell as we ascended into a rich forest of evergreens.
Our progress was slowed by my frequent side trips to collect berries. Being from the desert, I find it so strange that delicious fruit grows so abundantly in the wild…which sounds silly, but I guess I’ve just never thought about it.
After an hour or so of hiking, we crested a hill to find a pleasant looking lake with a perfect beach.
Initially we’d only stopped for a brief rest, but after soaking in the cool water for a bit, it was obvious that we’d hike no further that day. Some days you hike for 24 hours, some days you hike for only one.
We setup camp near the lake and enjoyed leftover Hiker Trash Burger, a bag of once frozen taquitos and some Smart Catch tuna for dinner, with Snickers and Zebra Cakes for dessert.
While lounging after dinner we discovered we’d picked a location popular with the locals, as group after group passed us enroute to the lake. It was a noisy evening, but I guess that’s what we get for choosing a prime campsite on a Friday night.
Cheers!