Bushcamp to Bushcamp
42.2 miles
SoBo mile 598.0
Total mileage 3250.6
My alarm went off at 5, and despite the allure of the legendary Timberline Lodge breakfast, I was hiking away from the lodge by 5:30.
For the next couple hours each hiker I passed as I headed down Mt. Hood mentioned how excited they were for the lodge’s breakfast buffet. Thanks…rub it in guys!
I passed a dude I’d met on my second night on trail at Mount Laguna. I remember the fellow well because he’d lost his tent poles the day I’d met him, and that night it stormed, it stormed hard. As it turns out, he got the trail name 4am since that was about the time he gave up on sleep and went out into the storm to search for his tent poles. He couldn’t chat long though, because he was trying to make it for breakfast…ugh!
From there the trail was pretty much flat and boring the rest of the day, which was great…sometimes it’s nice to not have to climb a giant mountain everyday.
I walked along the massive Timothy Lake for a few miles. It’s a popular recreation area, so I saw some equestrians and kayakers as I went.
As the day progressed my energy levels wained quickly, so I was constantly stopping to slam a granola bar or some peanut butter. I’ve been eating nearly twice as much than only a few weeks ago. It’s interesting how much more fuel I need when doing 40s compared to mid 30s.
Towards the end of the day I ran into Mountain Goat! He was one of my first buddies on trail, so it was neat catching up with him.
Just past 7 I reached our campground for the night. The water source was a stagnant pond, so I filtered water for the first time in thousands of miles…it felt weird!
As I pitched my tent and began choking down calories, more and more hikers joined me. It ended up being a pretty social evening, which hasn’t been the norm for Airborne and I. We’ve definitely reached the nobo bubble.
Cheers!