Heat, Miles, and Patience

8:26 AM

The more I walk today, the shorter the distance to Cascade Locks will be tomorrow. There I’ll take a zero day to prepare everything for the next state, Oregon.

It’s oppressively warm and there are few campsites on this section, so it’s a gamble whether I can cross two mountains.

A mother and daughter come up to me and ask, “Is there water?” I reply, “Good morning to you too, but no, there’s nothing here.” Grumpily, she walks on.

A little later I catch up with them because the mother is sitting behind a tree to pee. Startled, she jumps up and quickly runs to her daughter. At that point I’ve really done it, so I just keep walking.

But then the two of them start walking right behind me. 😡 I’m not in the mood for that, so I slow down a lot to shake them off.

9:11 AM

Pff, I’ve reached the first summit. It’s such a shame that you then have to go all the way back down into the valley, only to climb up again to the next one.

12:15 PM

At the lowest point I really need to rest for a bit. I sit on a rock with my feet in the water. Meanwhile, I wash my gloves and small towel in the current. The water is quite cold, but with the oppressive heat of the sun it feels wonderful to cool off for a moment.

2:04 PM

The trails seem endless, making it boring again among the trees. The upside is that I’m covering miles, but it feels like it takes forever.

5:28 PM

Finally over the second summit. Now I can descend 6 km and start looking for water and a place to sleep.

7:12 PM

Next to a small flowing stream I find a tiny campsite. I pitch my tent and try something new for dinner: half a packet of noodles with three spoonfuls of potato powder. I pour some boiling water over it and stir until it’s creamy enough. Let it sit for a bit, and with the remaining water I make a nice cup of tea.

Is it edible? 🤔 For this once, yes—but you wouldn’t want this every day. 🤣

Total: 45.17 km in 12 hours and 11 minutes
1,189 m ascent, 1,686 m descent