Day 114: mile 2075.3-2097.4 (Timberline)
I woke up feeling a little spoiled between the stop at Olallie Lake, the trail magic yesterday, and the fact I’d be eating a hot meal at Timberline Lodge tonight. Spoiled, but totally ok with it!
Even though I was feeling motivated to get to Timberline, I made a quick stop at Little Crater Lake. I dropped my pack and headed down the path, feeling extra light! It was well worth the short side trip. I couldn’t believe the color! It was so bright it looked manmade. Hopefully you can zoom in on the photo and check out how it formed. Nature is amazing!
Thankfully Yeti danger was only medium today, so I continued on.
I began to climb, and as I turned the corner, Mt Hood came into view. Looking across at it seemed like far more than the 11 miles my GPS said it was. That gave me a little burst of energy, pizza here I come!
Most of the afternoon was pretty uneventful, and the trail was easy enough. What I didn’t know (thankfully) is that the last part of the climb to the lodge was all sand. Those of you who have hiked in sand, or have even just been to the beach know just how fun that can be. The beautiful views distracted me a little bit from the extra challenge added to the uphill, but I definitely recall getting a bit frustrated once Timberline came into view and it still seemed to take forever to actually get there.
I finally made it, set up my tent just above the lodge as quickly as possible, and booked it down to the restaurant. It was getting late and I was not about to miss my pizza and beer. They had vegan cheese, which is a rarity in a big city, so the fact they have it on the trail is a miracle! Phew, I made it with time to spare. Another hiker joined me and we chatted until the restaurant closed at 8 pm, then headed back to our tents before dark. I’m hoping this wind dies down a bit up here so I can get some sleep.
Goodnight!
XOXO Becks