Day 37 (7/30)
Today’s Miles: 0
In the morning, I take a 10 minute bus ride from Government Camp back to the Timberline Lodge. I have lots of time to kill today, as my bus from Government Camp to Bend doesn’t leave until 5 pm. It’ll be the first legit zero I have taken on trail since Day 8, when I rejoined the trail after sitting out the heatwave and waiting for snowmelt in Bellingham. Now don’t get me wrong- I’ve had a decent amount of nearos including a day or two where I hiked less than 5 miles. But still. Yay for my first legit zero in a while!
Back at Timberline Lodge, I meet up with Grace. We’ve been texting and she made breakfast buffet reservations with another hiker named Shaggy at 9:30 am. She invited me and I join them for my second buffet in the past 24 hours. I tell them that, under absolutely no circumstance, can I be here at this buffet for a 3rd time. At that point, I can no longer credibly claim to be hiking the trail.
After the buffet, Grace and I kick it around the Lodge killing time before I have to catch my bus and Grace meets up with her friend. The afternoon rolls around and I catch my bus to Bend, departing from Government Camp. Upon arriving to Bend, my friend Rhea comes to pick me with two of her friends, driving up in a colorful purple van with flowers painted on it. Welcome to Bend.
I head back to Rhea’s and find two blessed packages awaiting me. One of the boxes is a resupply sent from my Mom that I had put together before my trip. However, this box is special as I asked to her to pack new shoes that I anticipated I’d be needing right about now. The other package is a shipment from Zpacks, with replacement tent poles from the broken tent pole that was lost in the morning battle with the mosquitos heading into White Pass. Ha! I feel I have evened the score with the four-legged beasts.
The night is amazing as Rhea’s boyfriend, Nico, grills up an epic assortment of meats and veggies. He’s from Chile and as is their custom, their bbqs last for hours with the continuous slow grilling of foods. It’s a great way to enjoy food and friends and I shock myself by staying up past legit midnight, not even hiker midnight (9 pm).
Day 38:
Today’s Miles: 6
In the morning, I grab an Uber to the nearest Target in Bend to grab some replacement items. In the past few weeks, I have lost my headphones and my shaker bottle. I also grab some extra food and drink items, mainly crystal light packets to add to drinks and nut butters to add to my morning oatmeal. In order to drink enough water and to get down the oatmeal, I find it pretty essential that I have these two things.
Earlier this week I found out that Nathan, who I live with back in Bear Valley, is currently in Bend also. I call him and he picks me up and drives me to the post office so I can bounce a resupply box down to Ashland. Out front of the post office, I see a group of 5 people with food sprawled everywhere and the men with long scraggly beards. Ah, the Northbound hikers have made it to Bend also…
The rest of the afternoon is relaxed and Rhea, Nathan, myself, and a few others walk down the block to an awesome coffee shop. I order my 4th coffee of the day, eat an amazingly fresh egg frittata, and get a breakfast burrito to-go to eat out on trail that night.
As 5 pm rolls around, I say goodbye to Rhea and Nico, and hop in Nathan’s car. He’s driving me to Santiam Pass, about 45 minutes from Bend, where I will rejoin the PCT. As he drops me off at the trail, I feel something like the new kid at school with my new shoes, clean clothes, and some new equipment. I’m sure that soon enough I’ll be dirty again.
The 5 miles I hike that evening is amazing. I sit in my tent, eating my breakfast burrito and watching the sunset, feeling completely rejuvenated. It’s hard to believe I only spent 24 hours in Bend as it seems so much happened in that short period of time. A million thanks to Nathan for driving me and to Rhea and Nico for hosting me and providing a bed, some awesome BBQ, and great company.
Awesome.