Shelter Cove we hardly got to know you but we are off again. Back to the trail. Guess who would like to stay in the rocker.

We are not alone on this trail. After over 1900 miles we have seen all kinds of animal tracks along the way but only recently did we start seeing these which are elk tracks. This morning on the way to Shelter Cove I looked down and saw these and moments later I heard an Elk call. This is something I have only heard on TV before. I questioned myself and then heard it again. I immediately went into stealth mode and climbed the hill I was on. I crept around the corner only to find a large hunter with a bow and an Elk call. Yes folks it elk season in OR. Apparently their rut begins in a week or so and hunting season has already begun so if you were going to send us those elk antlers to help us become decoys, please hold on to them for just a bit longer. Thanks in advance.

Turtle walking across a Snowfield near Diamond Peak in the Diamond Peak Wilderness. Yes, there is still snow here in August. We were at just above 7000 feet in this picture. We crossed the high point for OR/WA two days ago and we are hoping 7000 ft is the "snow line" and that it is rising while the temperatures are well above freezing.

Turtle and I both have different reasons for being here but some of our reasons are the same. As we are racing against the impending weather that engulfs the Northern Cascades each year it is easy to forget about those reasons and only focus on miles but when you reach campsites like this one which we ranked 5 star primo on our scale of 1-5 we are reminded of why we started this trek in the first place.
This picture shows Summit Lake at Sunrise and you can see Diamond Peak in the distance.

The Oregon woods.

Together at Crater Lake- we found someone willing to get close enough to us to take our picture. I sometimes wonder if the dirt stains will ever come out of my hands and feet, but we do try to stay as clean as possible. Perhaps one of the reasons we're continuing to get along...wet wipes are a wonderful invention. We are often asked, in one version or another, if we are able to stand each other after 4 months in the woods. We were told that a day in the trail is like 7 in the " real" world so it's actually been muchhhhh longer. My response to the curiosity is yes, we are still talking, still laughing, and sometimes even crying together. Ok, maybe it's just me who cries but Drew has become quite my motivator by becoming an expert in Love and Logic ( D&E you'd be proud). I.E. "you want to sleep tonight? Then get off your butt and move!" Or " you want that cheeseburger you've been
craving? 30 more miles. " But seriously, I would not have made it 100 miles without him. And we're still walking together till Canada.

Mt Thielsen before the storm.

Mt Thielsen in the OR Cascades. One of the more dramatic mountains in OR so far. As you can see it is a blue bird day at the time of this photograph. The trail winds around Thielsen to a small creek that was still running due to the excessive snowfall OR received this winter and as soon as we reached the creak the entire peak disappeared behind clouds and fog and the temperature dropped 20° in a matter of minutes. I have not seen a change in the weather like that since the Sierras and we were just below 7500 feet.

One of the great things about being a PCT hiker is that you can camp pretty much anywhere you want. When we came into Crater Lake NP I wanted nothing more than to camp on the rim so that we could see the sunset and the sunrise and that is exactly what we were able to do. This is the view of the sunrise and Lao Rock.
One interesting thing to note: we did not listen to the guidebook which said do not send your long johns and warm clothes ahead to Cascade Locks you will need them. In the spirit of ultralight hiking we got rid of everything we could and we paid the price for it here as the winds came in from the lake which still had some snow covered shores. This is what you call a life lesson.

We are passing by these way too quickly now. At around a 30 mpd (mile per day for those of you paying attention) pace we are passing by these mile markers way too fast now. We are seeing two per week now which is unbelievable considering when we first started this crazy journey we were averaging less than 100 miles per week. So far the Oregon terrain has been quite forgiving with somewhat gentle elevation change but when you are hiking at this pace you still find a few mountains to climb each day but here you are grateful for the climbs because they typically offer the best views. For most of our time here we have been buried deep in the Oregon woods and these woods go on forever and most of the time they forbid sunlight to enter so when you get a chance to see the glory that surrounds you, you rejoice and you bask in it, because you may not be able to see what lies in front of you for
quite some time.
In the beginning of this crazy journey when we passed these mile markers we focused on how far we had come, but now they are a constant reminder of how much time we have left on this trail. Don't get me wrong there is nothing that I look forward to more than a massage and eating the largest Porterhouse Steak that is legal to serve, but at the same time I can't imagine leaving this. Nonetheless whether we want to or not leave it we must. We ran into a SOBO (south bounder) yesterday who had to leave the trail only a few hindred miles from Canada last year due to overwhelming snow and we don't want to finish like that so north we go towards Canada with less than 800 miles to go. We have 4 months of unforgettable memories behind us and only a little over a month of memories left to make. I hope those PCT memories end with me relaxed from a massage and face deep in a side of beef only time
will tell. 753 to go.

Turtle at Crater Lake with a view of the Wizard behind her.

We don't have the best phone service here in Ashla...

We don't have the best phone service here in Ashland and it looks like many of the posts are going online out of order. Sorry for any confusion.

As soon as we made it in to Seiad Valley we found out about the trail closure due to another wildfire that was only a mile or so from town. The air was thick with smoke and helicopters patrolled the sky. When faced with his situation we did what any red blooded intelligent Americans would have done we attempted the Seiad Valley Pancake Challenge. You have to eat 5lbs of pancakes in under 2 hours and if you do, the meal is free. Now being as intelligent as we are, we knew that with the fire looming in the distance, we shouldn't both attempt the challenge and order 10lbs of pancakes so we decided to share. I thought this was going to be a piece of cake.

One word: FAIL. We did not even come close. We both ate the majority of 1.5 pancakes which weighed in at 1 pound apiece and still had enough to feed two other hikers. All I can say is that it will be a very long time before either of us eats a pancake again.

Waiting for a hitch to Etna, CA.

This was noted as one of the toughest hitches on the trail. Many people reported waiting up to 4 hours before getting a ride on this little used highway. We did wait for hours with Stonewall from Austin and Taka from Japan, but we found some trail magic that made us forget all about that. One guy drove up and said I can't give you a ride but do you want a pizza? Have you ever heard a hiker turn down pizza? Then another guy drove up who couldn't give us a ride but gave us full access to his cooler. I have never had a more fun time waiting for a hitch on a hot California afternoon.

Russian Wilderness

The only way to travel when you are not walking. Turtle working it on our hitch out of Mt. Shasta. It is always advisable to have the girl as visible as possible when hitching. Usually I hide behind the sign and she shows off her pony tails. I was thinking of making a sign that said to tired to kill you, but this was vetoed.

The view of Mt Shasta from Castle Crags.

The wildflowers in bloom in the Trinity Alps. Smoke looms in the distance from wild fires that creep closer and closer. Even though most of these mountains were 7000 feet or lower the Trinity Alps, Russian Wilderness, and Marble Mountains in Klamath National Forest were some of the most rugged mountains I have experienced. The steepness of these mountains cannot be captured with a photo as many of these peaks stand vertical like a wall and many of these mountains are made of a type of rock that erodes faster than any other which leaves questionable trail conditions from time to time. While at time these areas of wilderness were hair raising they were the most beautiful we have seen since the Sierras and for much of the time we were seemingly alone due to our new pace.

The trail before the Etna hitch.

Does a bear ______ in the woods? Fill in the blank. This should answer that question. Here's some more information where there's scat there is also usually a bear. This proved to be true one early morning outside of Castle Crags State park near Mt. Shasta when Turtle and I were eating breakfast. We heard a light rustling in the leaves which sounded like a deer. There have been tons of deer along this stretch. I ignored it and continued to eat until it go closer. At that point I stood up and looked in the dry creek bed we camped near and saw an adult black bear 30 feet away. I called Turtle over and the bear ducked behind some logs but still did not see us. We could hear him moving in our general direction but he was out of sight until he came on top of the log 10 feet from us saw us and made noises I have never heard before and would be fine with never hearing again. He bowed up on the
log snorting at us when Turtle elected me to yell at him while she took pictures. I think I got the raw end of the deal on that one, but none the less I began yelling with expletives inserted randomly in my speech, but the bear did not seem to understand this. I had read recently that you are supposed to yell at them and if that doesn't make them move on then you throw rocks near them. The book goes on to say later this may only provoke them and entice them to taste you, but I had already played my ace in the hole by dropping my choicest phrases on this guy and he didn't budge. Initiate rock toss. Now I am hurling rocks at a 200-300lb bear (Turtle has pictures) at a bear that can smell pop tarts on my fingers praying that I don't anger him further because he is not face deep in my food bag. After a few shots, he gives one last snort and runs off into the woods. That was the fastest we
have ever packed up a campsite and started hiking. Now I have cracked the morning motivation code. Reporting that there is a bear near may have to be used again once we start having morning rainstorms. Just a thought.

Yes, they are back. Rattlesnakes. No listening to your Ipod along this stretch of trail though this one did not even rattle. I was just lucky and saw him sunning himself in the the afternoon light.

Marble Mountain Wilderness

Walking out of Seiad Valley around mile 1677. Fires closed 14 miles of trail. That os smoke pictured in the valley below. The road on the left of the picture is the forest road we hiked up for 12 miles as the alternate route. If you look at the mountain on the right of the picture you can see a line near the top which is actually another forest road, but right above it there is a fainter line that is the closed PCT.

A picture to show the size of the pancakes. Please note two pancakes are in the process of being eaten and that is a huge double bacon cheeseburger on top the thru hiker that ordered it only ate half.

Sign at the Oregon/California border.

It is with disbelief, total amazement, and absolute glee that I write this post to you all from the great state of Oregon. That is correct we made it to Oregon. Not that there is anything wrong with California. In fact it is the most beautiful and diverse state that I have ever been to, but after 111 days and 1699 miles we were ready to move on to a new state. As I type those words, I still cannot believe it 111 days (counting rest days) of sleeping in a tent, eating out of a ziplock bag, and going without a shower while engaging in the most physical activities of our lives and yet we trek on. We have under 1000 miles left and just two states to go until we make it to Canada. Our mileage is up. We are now basically doing at least a marathon each day averaging over 25 miles per day for weeks now and we hope to increase our mileage to 30+ per day while in OR to make it through WA before
the snow starts. That is a total lie. I hope to increase our miles to 30+ per day without having Turtle beat me. I will update on that later.

For the next couple of days we are in Ashland, OR our first real town for weeks. As soon as we made it to the Trail head one of the locals pulled over and offered us a ride without us even sticking out our thumbs. That is how you know this is a great town. So for now we are just laying around filling our bellies with town food and ordering new equipment. We just ordered our 4th pair of shoes, I am having my backpack replaced for free (REI is the best), and we are having our 2nd set of tent poles sent out. One cannot help but think that all of this equipment that is supposed to last for a lifetime is breaking down but somehow our bodies are continuing to move forward granted with a healthy diet of alleve, advil, emergen-c, and crystal light energy but our feet are still moving.

We made it out of California on opening day of deer hunting season. They currently can only use bows. I talked to a hunter and he let me know that most hunters were sober enough to tell the difference between a hiker and a deer but that we may want to make some noise anyway. OR deer season doesn't start for 3 weeks and our goal is to be out of here by then. 500 miles in 3 weeks I think it can be done. How many times will Turtle hit me is the only question.

The lava field.

Back in the desert again?

The view of the top of Hat Creek Rim. We spoke with a local in Burney this afternoon and she said it reached 108 there yesterday. I don't think it reached that, but we were close.

1400 miles appropriately made with Lava Rocks.

The view from Hat Creek Rim.

The view of Lassen from Hat Creek Rim at sunrise.

We awoke to rain falling in to the tent. I rushed outside to throw the rain fly on the tent and then glanced at my watch...4:57am. 3 minutes before we were supposed to get up anyway. That is the great thing about thru-hiking. You always know what you are going to be doing wake up and it's raining guess what you're hiking. It's snowing...start walking. It's almost 100° outside time to go hiking. No decisions to be made. So the rain was our wake up call for the infamous Hat Creek Rim 30 mile waterless section of the PCT that traverses the ridge it is named for that is an exposed section due to past fires and it's volcanic surroundings. Today we had to go back to our desert teachings and carry our weight in water. I only had a 6 liter capacity and Turtle only had 4 which meant we had to start early take a long lunch break and then end late. Many people were night hiking but that did not work out with our schedule as we hiked 28 miles to make it to the starting point and were exhausted to say the least when we arrived.

So we did what you do and started walking under ominous skies. The rain subsided quickly but the black clouds remained. Electrical storms were forecasted for the morning which is not what you want to hear when you are walking a ridge and you are the tallest being on the trail, but what can you do?

The clouds dissipated by mid morning and let the sun shine in. We had to do like everything else that was alive on the rim and retreat to shade that could only be found under a bush. Truth be told this was my favorite part of thr desert long lunch breaks and by long I mean we hid under that bush for 3.5 hours.

After our break we headed on towards the lava fields. We found a fully stocked water cache at mile 17 though I believe we would have been ok without it. By night the clouds were back and the wind picked up to 30+mph. We headed down the rim to do something I have to say I have never done before which was sleep in a lava field.

Lassen was a new world and Volcanoes seem to be the order of the day as Mt Shasta came into view today as well. At over 14,000 feet Shasta is supposed to be in view for the next 300 miles. Pictures of Shasta to come soon.

We made it the entire 30 miles and are now in Burney for the afternoon and then back on the trail. We made time for an all you can eat pizza buffet. I thought Kristi and I would be the stars here but we witnessed a kid eat so much pizza that he passed out on the table. The amazing deat was that when he woke up, he ate more pizza. I think we may have a future thru-hiker on our hands. Now we are off to Mt. Shasta the town. It is almost 100 miles away and we have to be there by Friday to pick up a package. This pizza should do the trick.

So why did our packs weigh so much this time out? Here is a good reason why. This sandwich is made with fresh avocado, bacon, colby jack, and a bagel. Being in the woods for this long you learn that many of the items they say need refrigeration actually do not. Cheese can last for days even up to a week. Apparently bacon can last a few days as well. We even have a friend hiking with mayonnaise for up to a week. Don't believe the hype most food can last for a few days out here if the bears don't get it. Wait, how long does it take for the symptoms of botulism to begin to appear?

Back on the trail, I took it upon myself to make a halfway point since the forest fire consumed the genuine sign. I needed the visual recognition I guess, though it's somehow anticlimactic now. Onward we go and yeah for us!

We made it back onto the trail after a couple of days off in Chester. The wildfire in Belden became more severe and they shut down the trail for close to 100 miles before it. Many people had to hitch for 70+ miles to reach Chester and get around the flames. It appears we were the last people that were allowed on the alternate.

We missed those flames only to run into this smoke or steam. We went through Lassen National Forest which is complete with hot springs, mud pots, cinder cones, volcanoes, and geysers. In this picture you see me next to Terminal Geyser which was releasing sulfur and boiling water into the evening sky. Believe it or not even though we are rarely showered thru-hikers we could still smell it.

Motivate...motivate...motivate. A cinnamon roll the size of your head really does not help motivate you as much as you would think it would. Trying to leave Chester.

We walked the final 13 miles before lunch and then got an easy hitch to Chester, CA. Turtle is becoming quite proficient with this skill. Upon arriving in Chester we found out that "The wildfire in Plumas had exploded from 300 acres to 2,400 acres almost overnight and that the alternate route we took was closed almost immediately after we took it. We are very happy to be in Chester to say the least.
The great thing about Chester other than the amazing shakes that are found at the Pine Shack is that it is the closest town to the PCT midpoint. That means we have completed over 50% of the trail. Over 1300 miles and arguably the most difficult. Don't get me wrong there is still fun to be had. Rattlesnakes are now back as we have been greeted by two timber rattlers in the last 4 days. We also have a 30 mile waterless stretch coming up on extremely hot Northern California terrain. Also much of the trail in Oregon is still covered with snow. Most of this will likely melt before we walk the final 300 miles in California. The melting snow will add to the excitement of river crossings which tried to practice in Austin. Yes, there is water in TX. Maybe those armed locals were right we are crazy.

Nonetheless we head back to the trail tomorrow and in Lassen Volcanic Park. The Pine Shack in Chester was offering a free order if Lassen erupted while you were ordering. We had no such luck though. We are extremely well rested though as there is not much else to do in Chester other than eat constantly and sleep. Kristi got her wish and ate a huge piece of "halfway finished" celebration cake. I on the other hand have been shown the light and found Wonka chocolate truffle ice cream. I am not sure if we are ever going to be able to stop walking less we risk being the stars of the cautionary tale about the 800lb retired thru hikers who just couldn't change their 5000 calorie a day diet who had to be lifted out of their house by crane. We will cross that bridge when we come to it. We still have another 1330 or so miles to go. We are trying to push our daily mileage average to 25 per day and
we even hit 28 miles and some change the other day. Granted we walked from 8am to 930pm but 28 miles is 28 miles. Tomorrow we will be walking past the Drakesbad Guest Ranch which offers a 50% discount to PCT hikers on food. Not staying there more than 7 days could be our biggest challenge yet. We will keep everyone posted on how this turns out. For now I have a date with a Butterfinger milkshake, a can of Pringles, and the Olympics. I can't help but wonder if the Olympians train for their events the same way we do. I can only hope they do.

We did what we had to and threw on our shoes and hiked the last 13 miles most of which was along the glorious Butt Valley Reservoir. I am still searching for the origin of this name as I know there has to be a good story there.

Who is the incident base?

We survived the detour around the PCT and Chips Fire near Belden, CA in Plumas National Forest. Almost all of our fellow hikers decided to jump on a bus and ride to Chester vs. taking the walking route with is. That was absolutely the safe route to go. Instead we wandered along 3 miles of highway, followed by 7 miles of narrow winding mountain roads, and then we finished off with 15 miles of forest roads meandering along a man made reservoir in the middle of nowhere. For the most part the walking was ok until we started climbing the mountain and night started settling in on us. Ash began to fall from the sky as we hit the ridge line. We were also stopped by locals who said that we were crazy for walking and for not packing a few firearms due to the fact that these here woods are loaded with momma bears with cubs and mountain lions with babies. Somehow we survived all of those animals
and heavily armed locals and woke up the next day to an orange sky and an ash covered tent with 13 miles left to walk.