July 27 Mileage 40.5 Mile 2042 to mile 2112.5 (minus 30 miles for the fire closure) I sleep so good. Again. Out like a light dark long night not waking up once, wild dreams of mansions and horses and family secrets, chests lined in velvet, full of treasure. What the fuck? I think when I … Continue reading Day 94: night-hiking to Timberline Lodge, and other things that I do every year

July 26 Mileage 32 Mile 2010 to mile 2042 I wake when the sun's red-orange rays cut through the mesh of my shelter. I fumble for my phone to take a picture of the sunrise, way up on this bridge, and then remember that it's dead. God dammit though, I slept good. And warm- it … Continue reading Day 93: solitary solitude in Mt. Jefferson wilderness

July 25 Mileage 20.5 Mile 1989.5 to mile 2010 It gets cold at night, in my shelter all alone in the woods next to the highway. I wake up at one point from the cold and find my sleeping bag drenched in condensation. The end of July in the moutains, and fall is already here. … Continue reading Day 92: Fail/Win/Fail

July 24 Mileage: zero I don't sleep much- I don't know why, I just don't. It's too hot in the room and the bed is too soft and there's noise, people, everything. I wake at five, tight with anxiety, feeling like shit. I walk to the grocery store that's just opened and try and think … Continue reading Day 91: Fire closure realness: a zero in Sisters

July 23 Mileage 21 Mile 1968.5 to mile 1989.5 It drizzles off and on throughout the night; I stay warm and dry in my shelter; when I wake there is only fog. I extricate myself to pee at 6 and Rice Krispies is already gone, just a bare dry spot where her poncho tarp was. … Continue reading Day 90: Hypothermia in Oregon in July, and other exciting things that can happen on the PCT

July 22 Mileage 28 Mile 1941.5 to mile 1968.5 (plus 1 mile to Elk Lake) I wake up in the worst mood. Mosquitoes swarm the tent. The whole lot of us emerge from our shelters around 6:30, we pack up, we walk as quickly as we can, hoping we don't have to poop, or snack, … Continue reading Day 89: The sky is a tempest/Three Sisters Wilderness

July 21 Mileage 30.5 Mile 1913 to mile 1941.5 (plus 2 miles from Shelter cove back to the trail) Sleeping long on the gravelly ground waking to the overcast morning seven a.m., everyone still curled up fetal in their damp sleeping bags, rubbing the dust from my face, Susan (Guthrie's mom) puts out French toast … Continue reading Day 88: praying for rain

July 20 Mileage 21 Mile 1884 to mile 1913 It's cold in the morning- cold! And hard to get up. I wake at 5:30, drift in and out, finally crawl from the tent to assemble my morning oatmeal. The mosquitoes are awake. It's 7 a.m. when Twinkle and I start hiking. I'm tired today. So … Continue reading Day 87: plodding through the dust to Shelter Cove

July 19 Mileage 31.5 Mile 1852.5 to mile 1884 Sleeping in, going slow, taking breaks. Only a 31 mile today, so why rush? Climbing and climbing, Thielsen peak rising over everything, views of Oregon down low, forested and dry. The hot, dusty part of Oregon, the tinderbox. I miss the wet part of Oregon. I … Continue reading Day 86: oregon will be over before we know it

July 18 Mileage 19 Mile 1829 to mile 1852.5. I wake early but put my earplugs in and a shirt over my eyes and sleep in until 7. My god, that feels good. Everyone's up already, I sit in the cafe and eat the remnants of their breakfasts. The shower is 75 cents for 4 … Continue reading Day 85: Crater Lake day