Date: September 4, 2017
Miles: 9.4 miles (15.1km), from mile 2,186 to trailhead at mile 2,195.5.
Health: Feeling frustrated not being able to concentrate on the hiking and having to get off trail all the time. The smoke hurts my eyes.

We wake up early with Indigo and while it's still dark, we can see everything around us is covered in smoke. Despite the smoke, this was one of the most scenic camp spots so far. Instead of hitting the trail immediately we eat breakfast and watch as the first rays of light illuminate the forest and hills down below us.

As the sun rises we see a new, smaller fire has started overnight down in the forest below. The number of fires constantly popping up around the trail is getting ridiculous.

We pack our gear and Indigo heads out first. I stay in camp a little longer so she can do some solo hiking.

We're not hiking far today as the trail is closed ahead of us due to a new fire. We have to get off the trail at mile 2,195.5 and somehow get down to the town of Trout Lake. That means we have less than 10 miles (16km) to do today.

As I get on the trail, I still have some climbing to do before reaching the top. I switch my phone off the airplane mode to check if there's reception and immediately get three bars. As it's early evening back in Finland I call my youngest brother to ask how their wedding went and to inform them about our progress here.

The reception goes on and off as I hike along the ridgeline and finally disappears as I drop down to the forest below. It feels great to speak Finnish for even a short while.

I catch up to Dandy, Fireant, and Roadrunner at the next water source and we hike out together towards the trailhead. The trail is easy and fast to hike and we soon reach the parking lot and the trailhead from where the trail onward is closed.

The trailhead is next to a forest road but with nothing close by. We sit down at the picnic tables to figure out what to do next. As we're sitting there, Indigo arrives. After about ten minutes a US Forest Service worker drops by and gives us more information about the closure. He also informs us that there are about 15 hikers walking down the road towards the town. He has radioed the people in town to let them know that there are hikers up here looking for rides.

Instead of a long road walk, we decide to wait.

We don't have to wait for long as two cars arrive and give us a ride to town. It's a long drive and we're happy we didn't have to walk all the way down.

As we reach the town I see a familiar figure hanging by the grocery store, Blü! We knew he was coming south towards us but now he’s in the same town at the same time as us!

As soon as we get dropped off at the gas station slash restaurant, we rush over to see Blü. It's so good to see him! We hug and go through all the trail stories from the time we've been separated.

The town is full of hikers as everyone is having to get off the trail here. Kendall is also here. The last time I saw her was the day after Sierra City, the day when Sam and I started hiking together. That's so long ago, way back in Northern California.

We head back to the restaurant to get some food and catch up on more trail gossip. The town of Trout Lake is very small, only few buildings and two businesses, the general store and the restaurant. But there are people everywhere as it's Labor Day weekend.

We eat and drink sodas at the restaurant and hang out with all the people we haven't seen in ages. Eventually, Cannonball and Storyteller also show up and it's like one big get-together.

We were supposed to get back on the trail but no one seems to want to leave yet. Indigo wants to hike solo still so she heads back out as everyone else gets back to the general store. We sit on the soft grass by the side of the store, tell stories and have fun.

These are the best parts of the trail!

After hours of just laying on the grass, everyone starts to get hungry and we head back to the restaurant. We start debating whether to get back on the trail or to stay for the night. As this might be the last time we see Blü on the trail, as he's heading southbound, we feel like we should stay. Kendall goes to the road to try to hitch but as she soon comes back without any luck, I make an executive decision that we're all staying. As I don’t want to have to discuss the decision I just start running towards the general store to get beer for everyone as the store is closing in ten minutes.

As I'm in the store my phone rings and it's Sam. He's still on the trail and wondering where we are. He has road walked through the entire fire closure. I tell him everyone’s in town. As I doubt there won’t be any cars going up this late in the night I go outside to look for a trail angel who could still give him a ride back to town. I immediately find one who’s going up to take a group of hikers and ask him to give Sam a ride back down.

I take the beers and meet back with everyone. We finally get Sam to town as well and the rest of the night is spent drinking beer and hanging out on the grass beside the general store. Eventually, we all fall asleep right there on the grass.

Epic day!

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Date: September 3, 2017
Miles: 22.3 miles (35.9km), from Rock Creek to mile 2,186.
Health: Feeling strong but the heat is really getting to me.

I wake up and it's dark around. I feel like I've slept for a long time so I check my watch – it's 1:43 am. I look up and see the thousands of stars above us between the treetops. It's so peaceful and beautiful here in the forest at night. 

My alarm goes off at 5:20 am. I hit snooze and turn around to see if the others are waking up. I don't see any movement so I quickly fall back asleep. I wake up again at 5:50 am – still no movement. We were supposed to wake up at 5:30 am but I don’t mind and quickly fall back asleep. 

I wake up and it's a little past seven and people are starting to wake up. We're getting a late start today. I eat breakfast and pack up my gear. Dandelion is first out of the camp, as always, and we agree to meet up at the water source about ten miles (16km) down the trail. Roadrunner and Fireant leave next and I'm the last to leave. Before I get going I stop to take a few photos of the area around Rock Creek. I really like this spot. 

The trail continues really lush and jungle-like – it's beautiful. The trail meanders along, going around river bends and dried up creek beds. Occasionally there's some climbing but nothing too bad as the trail only gains a few thousand feet (600 meters) of elevation at a pretty easy angle. 

After an hour and a half of climbing, I come to a stream and find Indigo filtering water. She's trying to solo hike this section so I try not to spend too much time talking with her and keep moving after filling up my water bottle.

I keep climbing for another hour and reach a stream from where I stop to get more water. As I'm there, Indigo catches up. We hike together for a while and then I drop back to let her continue to hike solo.

I really like this section even though we're hiking in a green tunnel – it’s a nice change of scenery. I only wish it wasn't this hot. Washington was supposed to be cold but it feels as hot as the desert just with more air humidity. 

On one of the climbs, I get reception and check my phone. I’ve gotten multiple messages saying there's a new fire behind us. That must be the big tower of smoke we saw yesterday while climbing out of the Columbia River Gorge.

I start seeing messages from multiple friends who’re behind us, telling they’re ok but covered in smoke and ash. And then I see an article saying around 150 hikers are trapped between the two fires on the section we just hiked three days ago. That's bad! Sadly there's nothing we can do but to hike on and hope everyone is safe and okay. 

The fires this year have been crazy and I’ve been constantly hoping the approaching autumn would bring some rain to put most of them out. Sadly, for both the fires and us, the heat keeps on. 

On top of all the fires around us, we’ve also been hearing stories about a fire on the Canadian border around the northern end of the PCT. There’s a rumor going around that they might have to close the trail up to the monument due to this fire, meaning we might not be able to finish the trail on the northern terminus. I have no words to describe how much this would suck.

I finally reach the creek we're having our lunch at and everyone's already there. I make my staple, mashed potatoes and salami, and then take a dip in the creek. Due to the late start, we need to keep moving and soon get back on the trail.

We all hike on alone and soon reach the second river. As it’s uncomfortably hot and there’s a big climb right after the river, everyone has stopped here to fill up their water bottles and to take a quick dip in the cooling water. We take another break just to get some relief from the heat but soon have to get back to hiking. Wasn’t Washington supposed to be cold?

While others cross the river and start the next big climb I take advantage of the pit toilets in the campground close by. You don’t want to pass up an opportunity to sit on a porcelain throne – even if it’s in a pit toilet.

As I return to the river I meet a couple of other hikers and they tell me the trail has been closed not far ahead due to another new fire. If I didn’t know better, I’d think we’re in a bad episode of candid camera. I shake my head in disbelief and start climbing up.

The climb is long, hot, and sweaty. And it’s through a long waterless section. At some point, I catch up to Indigo and we keep climbing together. I’m sweating like crazy.

It’s starting to get late and we’re still a long way from the next water source. I definitely underestimated my water needs for this climb. It’s going to be a long and thirsty walk in the dark to the next water source.

Not long after I sip my last drops of water we cross a forest road and there’s an old lady with a pickup truck parked next to the trail. As we come up she offers us some fruits and asks if we need any water.

There’s a saying that goes: the trail provides. I’m not a superstitious or religious person myself, but this type of thing has happened way too often and I now fully understand what the saying means. I’ve seen a friend break their hiking pole and find a discarded pole on the side of the trail the next day, another friend lose their sunglasses only to find a new pair on a rock on the next pass, saying “If we could only get ice-cold soda, cold beer, and pizza, this would be perfect” and then get all of those things the next morning in the middle of nowhere, and countless other similar instances. 

And here I am, out of water, stumbling onto a logging road up in the Cascade Mountains just as it’s getting dark and an old lady comes to my rescue and fills up my water bottles. I don’t know what else to say but to profusely thank her and think to myself – the trail provides. Again.

We leave the road behind and get back to climbing. It’s starting to get dark and I’m starting to feel really weak. All of a sudden everything starts to go dark and I yell “I have to sit down” to Indigo, who’s not far ahead, and she turns around. I’ve totally bonked as I haven’t gotten enough salts during the climb. 

As I’m trying to dig more salt packages from my backpack Indigo notices a great camping spot, not five feet from where I’m sitting. I get back up to discover she found a perfect camping spot where there was not supposed to be one. It’s just big enough for two, it’s flat (we’re in the middle of a climb), and it’s next to a cliff overlooking a gorgeous forest and the rivers below us.

As the trail is closed not far from here, it’s getting dark, and we both have our water bottles full, we decide to call it a night. We stuff our faces with extra dinners as we now have too much food due to the new fire closure ahead while watching the sky turn dark and the stars to come out. Right before falling to sleep, I position my food bag between myself and the cliff right next to us. Would not be a great way to wake up.

Tomorrow we have just a short hike up to the fire closure and then we have to figure some way around this one.

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Date: September 2, 2017
Miles: 19 miles (30.6km), from Cascade Locks to Rock Creek at mile 2,163.7.
Health: Feeling great. Love hiking with old friends again.

We wake up late as last night went kind of late. Cascade Locks is a cool little town and after about a month of not seeing almost no-one else outside of our small bubble, catching up with everyone was super fun.

As I’m laying inside my shelter and trying to collect my thoughts Fireant sends me a message saying they’re arriving in town soon. As I still have to do the resupply for the next six days, I need to start moving.

I quickly pack up all my gear and head back to the grocery store to once more do a resupply. Thanks to all the hikers in town doing their entire Washington resupply from this one small grocery store, the selection has gone way down from what it was yesterday. I scrape up what I can and hope it’s enough for the next six days.

My pack got heavy fast.

Everyone else is at the restaurant by the bridge having breakfast and I quickly make my way up there. The restaurant is full of hikers and friends but I’m most excited to see Dandelion, Fireant, and Roadrunner again! We all sit together and have breakfast while looking at the view of the Bridge of the Gods right outside the window.

Soon we’ll be in Washington!

After breakfast and charging all our electronics, everyone slowly starts to head out towards the bridge as everybody wants to get to the new state. We say goodbye to Cannonball and Storyteller as they’re staying in town for another night. LL leaves a little bit earlier as she and Indigo are having this thing where they are trying to hike solo for the first time since getting on the trail.

As Indigo stays back in the restaurant and LL has already left, I hike out with Dandelion, Fireant, Roadrunner, and Sam. We walk the short walk up on the bridge, hesitate for a bit, make sure everyone’s together, and then start making our way across. I’ve never been this happy to cross a bridge.

It’s a strange and kind of dangerous to walk on the bridge as there’s no path for foot traffic. The bridge is quite narrow and we’re forced to walk between all the cars. Thankfully all drivers give us as much space as they can.

And then we’re in Washington – the last of the three states on the PCT.

We stop for a short photo session with the bridge and the Washington state sign and then find the small path where the trail continues again. Almost immediately Washington starts kicking our asses.

Columbia River Gorge is the lowest point of the PCT and to get back up on the crest, we have a 10 mile (16km) long climb ahead of us. To add insult to the injury, our packs are heavy with a six-day food carry and since there’s no water for the next 11 miles while climbing up in the midday heat, we have to carry quite a bit of water.

For the first few miles the trail stays under tree cover but it’s still over 95 degrees (35c). As we climb higher the forest opens up and crossing the open areas in the direct sun is quite brutal and I’m sweating buckets in the burning sun.

We finally reach the water source and after filling our bottles start climbing back up. We cross paths with some trail runners who are running a 50k competition. Soon we come to an aid station for the runners and the people running the station offer us trail magic. Getting to sit under a shade and drink ice cold drinks is quite heavenly in this heat. For some reason I thought Washington would be cold and rainy.

Once we reach the top of the climb Fireant and I turn to look back towards the river gorge and see a massive tower of smoke across the river. While there were a couple of small wildfires in that direction, this smoke is way bigger and looks brand new.

(We later learn this was the moment Eagle Creek fire started).

While doing another long climb I start feeling really bonked out. I instantly notice that my salt levels are low due to all the sweating. There’s not much I can do as I didn’t bring any electrolytes since I wasn’t expecting to sweat so much as I thought Washington was the coldest and rainiest state. Thankfully Fireant is close-by and saves me with some Mio Electrolytes. I chuck half a liter of the drink mix down and almost instantly start feeling better.

Sam’s feeling low on energy too and he stops to eat while we continue hiking. To pass the time we talk about Dandy and Fireant coming to Finland next summer and plan what we’d do there. How awesome would it be if that would happen!

The sad part about getting to Washington is that it feels like we can already start to see the end of the trail and the entire adventure. One can’t help but think what will happen once the trail ends. On the other hand we reach the goal we’ve spend the last five months walking towards, but at the same time, it means the end of an amazing adventure. And most significantly, saying goodbye to all the awesome people you’ve met along the trail.

But we have still plenty of miles to cover. Soon we reach a nice river and fill up our water bottles. The trail here is beautiful–lush and green–kind of like a rainforest. I feel like I’m walking in the forests of Endor.

We hike a little down along the river and find a gorgeous spot up on a small hill overlooking the trail. The ground is soft from all the pine needles and it’s a perfect spot for cowboy camping.

We set up camp and I try to keep an eye on the trail for Sam. I’ve left my hiking pole next to the trail so he could see it in case I don’t notice him. Usually, it doesn’t take him this long to eat so I go down and ask some of the other hikers if they’ve seen him and they say Sam went by about 45 minutes ago – dang! Hopefully he doesn’t go too far and we can catch him in the morning.

As we made it to camp a bit earlier, I take the extra time to wash my socks and shorts and take a small dip in the river downstream.

We go to bed early but I stay up late and just stare up towards the sky, looking at the beautiful night sky and the thousands of stars above us. It’s moments like these I love being out here. It’s good to be in Washington.

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Date: September 1, 2017
Miles: 10.5 miles (16.9km), from mile 2,134.1 to town of Cascade Locks.
Health: Well rested and feeling good.

I wake up to the sound of the girls playing Jennifer Hudson’s “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from their phone. It’s still pitch black in the forest but the light of the sun is slowly starting to come through the trees. We cowboy camped right on the trail and while it was a bit cramped and uneven, I feel amazing and well-rested.

Today is a big day for us! Not only is today a town day but we’re also arriving at the town of Cascade Locks, meaning we have hiked the state of Oregon and will be arriving on the Oregon – Washington border. That means later today we have hiked two of the three states of the PCT. Only around 450 miles (724 km) of Washington standing between us and the Canadian border!

Everyone’s in an extra good mood and we take a little longer to enjoy the beautiful sunrise. Soon we’re back hiking and the trail couldn’t be more beautiful. The girls and Sam are really pushing it and I have a bit of a hard time keeping up with them. My knees have been acting up lately and it takes a while for my muscles to warm up in the morning.

Soon we pop out of the forest and get our first views of the Columbia River Gorge below us. The Columbia River Gorge separates the Oregon and Washington states and reaching the Bridge of the Gods along the river is one of the major milestones of a PCT thru-hike.

So far I’ve been nothing but smiles but the trail quickly starts descending towards the river and the steep decline is killing my knees. I have to slow down as each step hurts so bad and soon I lose the sight of Sam and the girls. The downhill feels like an eternity and I find it hard to enjoy the gorgeous scenery and all the little waterfalls along the trail.

Finally, after what felt like an agonizing eternity, I reach the outskirts of the town and the steep downhill ends. My knees sigh in relief as I walk under the highway and reach the town center.

My first priority is to do the resupply for the entire state of Washington. I’m in a bit of a rush as today is Friday and I have to buy food for the next 17 days, package it and mail it all before the Post Office closes. If I can’t get all of it done by today, as next Monday is Labor Day, the next time the Post Office will be open is Tuesday. I really can’t wait for four extra days.

I get to the grocery store and try to guestimate what 17 days' worth of food would look like. Lots of mashed potatoes and candy. I leave all my food with some of the hikers outside the grocery store and head to the Post Office across the street to get boxes for the food. I’m told they’re all out of boxes so I have to head back to the store. Thankfully they find some empty boxes from the back and I get to start dividing up all the food for each section.

As I’m running out of time, I just dump and divide all the food into the boxes and run back across the street to the Post Office. After labeling and addressing all the boxes and paying for the postal fees I’m finally done with the Washington resupply. I’m definitely not a fan of sending food resupplies. It’s expensive, takes too much time and effort, and I have no idea what I want to eat in two weeks.

After all the resupply stuff I ask for my bounce box which I had shipped here earlier. The bounce box holds all my rain gear and mid-layers I need as the Washington section is notoriously rainy and as the autumn is getting closer the air is getting colder. Sadly they tell me my bounce box hasn’t arrived.

As the Post Office is closing I have no option but to ask them to bounce my box to the next town and hope it will be there once I get there.

After all the running around I’m super hungry and head to the Ale House for a combined breakfast and lunch. I meet some hikers I’ve seen before and we share a table.

This place is known for free beer for PCT hikers and their Hiker Trash Burger. The Hiker Trash Burger is a burger and bacon sandwiched between two small salami pizzas and it looks just as gross as it sounds. I had to order one!

After stuffing my face with what I can only assume is a massive amount of salt, grease, and calories, Sam and the girls soon arrive. As they’re hungry and I don’t want to be the only one not eating I order extra fries and a small burger as an appetizer. Hiker hunger is real.

We chill at the Ale House for quite some time but then decide we need some fresh air. We get some chips and PBR (cheap beer) from the store and head out to the Thunder Island along the Columbia River. For the next few hours, we lay on the soft grass, relax, enjoy the sun, and watch all the boats go by.

As the sun is starting to set, we pack up all our gear and head to the campground in the middle of the town and set up our tents. Cascade Locks is a dream town for us hikers. Everything is within a walking distance, there are great breweries around every corner, and there’s a campground right in the center of the town along the riverfront.

After the sun has gone down we message Cannonball and Storyteller and join them and few other hikers at the Thunder Island brewery. There’s good music and food, and the rest of the evening is quite blurry. I just remember laughing a lot.

But since we’re all hikers, we can’t really drink too much or stay up too late so we all soon start heading back to the campground. I don’t feel like going to sleep yet so I take my camera and a couple of leftover PBR’s and walk to the river to take some night shots of the Bridge of the Gods. Sam soon joins me and we have another late night chat while drinking beer and watching all the stars above the river.

We soon run out of beer and both of us are getting sleepy so it’s time to call it a day. We head back to our tents, say good night to the girls, and go to sleep. What an epic day today was!

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Date: August 31, 2017
Miles: 30.2 miles (48.6km), from Sandy River to Benson Camp junction at mile 2,134.1.
Health: Feeling good and motivated. Feels good to be on the trail.

We wake up before the sun rises, pack all our gear and hike the remaining mile to the Ramona Falls. The falls aren’t actually on the PCT but visiting them adds so little extra mileage that it’s well worth the little side trip.

Due to the early start and sleeping so close to the falls, we arrive there so early that we have the falls all to ourselves. We take a ton of photos and pose for our yet-to-be-released album cover under the falls. The falls are gorgeous but we have a full day ahead of us so we march on. We want to reach the city of Cascade Locks by tomorrow and that means we need to do about 30 miles (48.3km) today.

Cascade Locks is our last town in Oregon and the gateway to Washington over the Bridge of Gods. Compared to how long it took us to cover California, Oregon has been a breeze. Granted, we’ve had to skip a good portion of the trail due to all the fire closures but still.

The loop trail which gets us back to the PCT from the Ramona Falls is also really pretty. The path feels like we’re in a fairytale as we walk between little mossy hills and old-growth trees. I don’t enjoy walking in a green tunnel that much but this I like!

As the loop trail is much wider than the PCT, we can walk side-by-side and this makes talking within a group so much easier. We talk about weird songs and I soon learn that I have a massive hole in my music knowledge as the girls teach me the lyrics to the Safety Dance by Men Without Hats. How have I not heard about this song before?

We soon join the PCT again and everyone kind of goes back to doing their own thing. I hike mostly alone but catch up to LL and Sam when they’re crossing a river over two fallen trees.

After the exciting morning, the rest of the day feels kind of slow. Some days you feel like you’re not making any progress and today’s one of those. The trail is pretty uneventful and doesn’t have many views other than Mt. Hood occasionally popping up between the trees.

After more time in the forest, I stumble out of the forest on to a forest road and find everyone enjoying some trail magic. We enjoy sitting in chairs and some fresh fruits and vegetables. I also join some of the guys and end up downing a couple of beers – not the greatest decision. As I haven’t had much alcohol in a long time, I get an instant buzz which isn’t so nice when you have a mountain to climb in the mid-day heat.

After the trail magic the trail climbs up and the views get much nicer. Hiking along the top of the mountains on the ridgeline is exactly the kind of hiking I came here to do. My mood gets instantly better and the light buzz I was feeling earlier disappears.

At some point I notice a smoke bloom appear down to the left of the trail, on the opposite side of the valley. From where I’m standing it doesn’t look big until I see the helicopters and see how tiny they are in comparison to the smoke. The fire doesn’t look too bad but, oh boy, what a year it has been.

Soon the trail dips back down to the forest and I find Sam and LL on a snack break by a small lake. The same lake is used by the helicopters to get water to put out the fire I just saw. Indigo soon arrives as well and we eat while watching the helicopters fly back and forth.

We leave as the sun is starting to set and we still have miles to cover. The trail stays lower and we occasionally get a good view of the fire we saw earlier. It has spread a little but looks to be mainly smoldering now. If there’s something positive about all the smoke from the fires it’s that the sunsets are absolutely gorgeous. Again we watch all the yellow and pinkish hues of the sky as the sun slowly drops below the horizon.

We put our headlamps on and keep walking.

After walking so much in the dark we often opt to walk as close to each other as we can. This way we have more light around us and you don’t feel as surrounded by the darkness as you’d feel just by yourself. This also makes for some good storytimes and today is no exception. We hike long into the night and amuse ourselves with all kinds of stories.

Well past midnight we finally reach the 30-mile marker and decide to call it a night. Sadly there aren’t any camp spots close by so after some searching we end up camping right on a small side-trail intersecting with the PCT. As there’s no room to set up anything we all just pile up together on a small flat part of the trail and cowboy camp on the dirt.

Today was a long day but it was well worth it. We had fun and tomorrow we’re done with Oregon. Only one more state left!

Sponsored by:

Date: August 30, 2017
Miles: 9.6 miles (15.4km), from Timberline Lodge to Sandy River at mile 2,103.9.
Health: Feeling really fresh, motivated, and well rested.

I wake up late, around 8 am, and hear the others are already up. It was hard falling asleep last night as I haven't done any kind of physical activity for the past couple of days. My body is so used to hiking long days that just walking around town and doing city chores is not enough activity to tire me out.

Indigo makes us all a really good breakfast and as Kenny plays us some Ween on the stereos, we pack our gear and start heading out. Today we need to get from Bend to Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood. As the trail is closed due to wildfires, Kenny has graciously offered to drive us there. It's about two and a half-hour drive one way.

We load all five of us, plus our gear, into the car and start driving. The air is really bad today. There's no visibility and the smoke is hurting my eyes.

The drive goes by quick and we soon start seeing the shape of Mt. Hood between the smoke. As we get closer the air suddenly clears up and we see blue sky. It feels so good to be able to properly breathe again.

The Timberline Lodge is famous among thru-hikers for the all-you-can-eat breakfast and lunch buffet. We missed the breakfast but after the drive from Bend, we're all ready for lunch. The Lodge is also famous for being the place where they shot some of the exterior shots for the movie The Shining.

As we drive up to the lodge the place looks amazing! The massive wooden building stands right below Mt. Hood with views towards the mountain, and down towards Mt. Jefferson far in the distance. I'm so glad that the air is clearer today and we can see the views around us.

As we go inside the lodge, we discover it's built like a maze. On the way here I messaged with Cannonball and Storyteller and I know they're both here, I just can't find them as getting anywhere is like a miniature puzzle. Eventually, I pump into Storyteller on one of the many staircases and we hug and exchange trail stories. She's heading down but tells me Cannonball is right up the same staircase.

I climb up and find Cannonball sitting there. She’s wearing her headphones so I get to surprise her. I've missed these two for so long. They've left me messages on the trail registers along the way and we finally caught up.

Cannonball and Storyteller have already eaten so they stay back while everyone else heads towards the lunch buffet. We get our table and just a quick glance towards the food selection tells us this is going to be pretty awesome.

For the next few hours, we stuff our faces with all the delicious foods and deserts the restaurant offers – it's so good! Having the hiker hunger really comes handy at places like this.

After lunch, we wander around the lodge for a while and then Kenny needs to head back to Bend. We thank him for his help and say our goodbyes.

We should get back on the trail as well but none of us want to leave this place so soon. A day doesn’t feel like enough time to enjoy the lodge and I really want to come back here again. Preferably during winter!

To get the most out of the Lodge we go get drinks at the bar, play some table tennis, goof around with the axe from The Shining and just wander around the place.

The tempo of our hike has changed a bit and this allows us to spend a little bit more time in places like this. Due to all the fire-closures and having to skip around them, we went from being in a rush to get to Canada before winter, to having more than enough time to comfortably make it.

We've all realized that in less than a month this epic adventure is coming to an end and as that happens, we all need to go back to our regular lives. While for the past four months I've dreamed of nothing but reaching the monument, now, as it's getting closer, I don't want the hike to end so soon. I want to keep this adventure going, seeing new places every day, and spending every single moment of the day in the beautiful wilderness. And most of all, I want to keep having fun with all the wonderful people I've had the privilege and pleasure to share this trail with.

I know that once we reach the monument and have our celebrations, we might have a few days together in Vancouver, and then everyone slowly but surely starts heading back to their homes. Some of us go back to Europe, some to Australia, and most to different states around the US. And I'm going to miss all these people so much.

When you hike with someone day in and day out for months on end, you get to know them on a deeper level. You see people at their truest selves, at their weakest moments, when they’re absolutely exhausted and tired, and at the highest of their highs. And you have nothing but time to talk all day. You feel a different kind of connection with the people you hike with than you could ever form with anyone in normal life.

But now it's time for us to get back on the trail. Cannonball and Storyteller stay back at the lodge and we meet either later in the evening on the trail, or at Cascade Locks the day after tomorrow. Indigo, LL, Sam, and I head back on the trail.

The trail follows around the base of Mt. Hood and it's really easy to walk on. We make quick miles and run into a lot of day and section hikers along the way. The scenery is beautiful and the trail well-graded, no wonder there are so many people on the trail.

We wanted to do a little over 10 miles to the Ramona Falls but run out of daylight and decide to camp just under a mile short along a gorgeous river, looking up on Mt. Hood. We set up for the night, eat dinner and tell stories until it gets dark and then fall asleep under the starry skies while listening to the sounds of the river.

I'm going to miss moments like these.

Sponsored by:

Date: August 27 – 29, 2017
Miles: -
Health: Well rested. 

After a good night's sleep under the sink in the small two-person motel room the five of us shared, we all have breakfast and then head out to wander around the city of Bend. Our first stop is visiting the local REI for some gear purchases. I need to replace my shorts as they’re pretty much destroyed at this point and I’m afraid they’ll rip apart at any moment.

We ride around town on Uber and spend all day in different outdoor shopping malls and restaurants. People here seem to enjoy outdoors, good food and beer. I could definitely see myself living here. The proximity to the surrounding beautiful mountains doesn’t hurt.

The Patagonia Strider Pro shorts are all sold-out at REI so while we’re eating at a taco place close to the city center, I visit the Patagonia store close by and find the shorts but only in size small. They’re a bit tight but have to do as for some reason the Strider Pro’s are sold out everywhere.

We spend the day doing nothing particular but it’s just so much fun to hang out with everyone again. To finish the day we stuff our faces full with burgers and milkshakes at the Five Guys next to our motel and then head back to our room to watch some Netflix.

The next morning Dandy, Fireant, Roller, and Roadrunner head back out to the trail. I’m staying back as I promised Sam and the girls I’d wait for them in Bend. It’s hard to say goodbye to everyone as it took me so long to finally catch up to them, but I also miss Sam, Indigo, and LL.

I decide to stay at the same motel for the next night as there are good stores for resupplying close by, and the Five Guys next door. I wander around town for a bit and meet some trail friends for lunch. In the evening I visit the Five Guys again and stuff myself full. With the milkshake to-go, I head back to the motel to rest and work on some blog posts.

The next morning I do a gear shakedown and get rid of some extra gear I have no use for anymore, like the Thermarest Z Lite sleeping pad. I don’t like how the Z Lite fits inside the Pa’lante so I’ve carried a torso length part of the 1/8’’ Thinlight pad since Sierra as my back panel for my backpack.

I don’t like how the Z Lite sits on top of my backpack so I’m opting to sleep solely on the 1/8’’ (3mm) Thinlight. I’m a little hesitant about how well I’ll sleep on such a thin pad, but the best way to find out is to have no other option.

Soon I get a message from Sam telling me they’re on their way to Bend. Indigo’s family friend lives in Bend and they’ve offered to take us all in. They pick me up and we head to Jenny and Kenny’s place. They live a little outside the center in a beautiful house. While the others do all their off-trail chores, I take the opportunity to play with Jenny and Kenny’s dog Rico.

After everyone’s reasonably clean, we head back to town and visit the breweries and get our resupplies done for the next section. While we come out of the grocery store the air is suddenly covered in smoke. The wind changed its direction and blew all the smoke from the wildfires over the city. It gets hard to breathe and nobody wants to spend any time outdoor. We go to bed early and get ready for getting back on the trail tomorrow.

Sponsored by:

Date: August 26, 2017
Miles: -
Health: -

I wake up later than usual as I only have a short hike to the Shelter Cove Resort where I’m meeting up with the others. I’m quickly out of camp as I’m planning to make it to the resort for breakfast. Using Halfmile’s app I get back on the trail and keep on hiking.

The trail goes by a horse camp and as I spot a pit toilet I do a quick stop to get some morning business done. After I’m finished I get back on the trail. Soon the trail crosses a short dirt path. I see a little, unused footpath leading to the left and the trail leading to the right.

The footpath leading to the left is too small to be the OST but I keep my eye on the Halfmile app to make sure I’m not getting on the wrong trail. After about a half a mile the app still says I’m on the trail so I’m happy and put the phone away.

The trail keeps following along the Crescent Lake and keeps turning to the east. I’m fairly certain I should be going to the west so I take out my phone to double-check. Halfmile’s app still says I’m on the trail but something feels off. I keep walking but I can’t help feeling like I’m going in the wrong direction.

Soon the trail gets right next to a paved road and I get a little bit of cell signal. I manage to download just enough map tiles to confirm I’m heading in the wrong direction. I restart Halfmile’s app and now it’s telling me I’m over two miles off-trail – great!

Looking at the map there’s a mountain between me and the OST. Not wanting to backtrack all the way back as that would cost me almost two hours, I decide to do a short road walk to the bigger road and hitch a ride to Highway 58 and to hitch from there to Odell Lake from where I should be able to walk to the resort.

As it’s early in the morning and I’m on a small forest road, there aren’t any cars going to my direction and I end up walking all the way to a bigger road. Finally, I get a hitch on a bed of a truck to Highway 58. As I’m getting dropped off at the intersection I realize this might have been a bad idea. Not only do I look very out of place here, but it also doesn’t look like a spot anyone would pick up a dirty guy in short shorts and a backpack.

But before hitching, I need to get some food so I head into one of the roadside diners for a late breakfast. My thru-hiker uniform (tiny shorts, shirt, and a backpack) and dirty appearance get some funny looks from the denim glad truckers so I make sure to answer as loudly as I can when the waitress asks me what I’m doing here. After hearing what I’m doing, I have some nice conversations about the trail with the other occupants.

I try to clean myself up in the bathroom and get out to try hitch a ride. After over an hour of no takers, I start to get desperate. Realizing I might not get a ride to the resort, and feeling really shitty about the entire morning, I decide to try to get away from the highway and see if I can get a ride to the next location – Elk Lake Resort.

I roadwalk along the highway for about 3 miles (4.8km) to an intersection and in a couple of minutes I get a ride. Not only do I get a ride but Christopher, an avid hiker, is on his way to pick up his girlfriend – a PCT hiker – from Elk Lake Resort.

There’s a fire closure which has closed the trail from Elk Lake forward all through the Three Sister Wilderness – one of the highlights of the Oregon section of the PCT. My plan is to wait for the others at Elk Lake and then hitch with them to Bend.

When we get to Elk Lake Resort I get my stuff and step out but I’m immediately told to get back in and that we’re going straight to Bend. Pipes, Christopher’s girlfriend, tells me to hop on and before I have time to think we’re all heading to Bend.

I send out some messages and learn that Dandy, Fireant, Roller, and Roadrunner are in Bend. While this day has been a disaster so far regarding hiking, at least I get to see these guys! I send Sam a message briefly telling him I got lost, ended up getting a ride all the way to Bend, and that I’d wait for them there.

Once in Bend, I get dropped off where everyone is eating and soon we’re reunited. Rest of the day is spent eating, getting a motel, and enjoying many of the breweries in Bend.

In hindsight, this day was a chain of poorly made decisions by me – made worse by being tired and the decision to not eat breakfast. Luckily I was close to the civilization and all it cost me was missing about 46 trail miles (74km), some pointless road walking and bruises to my ego.

Sponsored by:

Date: August 25, 2017
Miles: 31.2 miles (50.2km), from Thielsen Creek to Windigo Pass and from there along the Oregon Skyline Trail alternate to Crescent Lake.
Health: Feeling good.

We wake up early to try to get most of the 22 mile (35.4km) dry section done before it gets hot. Everyone else was up except for Topo. I go over to see if I can wake him up. As he doesn’t wake up I write him a note to let him know what our plan for the day is. Just as I’m about to leave the note he wakes up and we have a short chat.

We walk back to the creek to get water for the dry section. I camel up a bit and then fill up 2.75 liters, my full water capacity. I wasn’t expecting Oregon to be this dry so I got rid of my extra water bottles.

We’re hiking before 6 am and the trail is soft and easy, just like yesterday. The air is nice and cool — we make easy miles. On the way, we meet a few southbounders and hear there’s still plenty of water left at Windigo Pass — our next water source.

After a few hours, we reach the highest point of the PCT in Oregon and Washington. At 7560 feet (2,304m) it doesn’t feel that high. The fact that the point is also on a small hill doesn’t help. We take a quick snack break and then keep on hiking.

Even if the trail isn’t anything special today, the mood is high. Sam and the girls are getting along well and having more people around makes the time fly faster.

At one point Topo catches up to us. With all the talking and taking breaks, our pace has been a little slower than usual.

While hiking along a ridgeline I find some cell reception and make a call to Finland to discuss some work related stuff. I still don’t have any idea what I want to do after the trail when I get back home, but it’s time to start figuring something out.

I spend over an hour on the phone and once I’m finished, start hiking again. I hike for less than a minute to find everyone else having a lunch break not far from where I was sitting talking on the phone. They are already finishing and ready to leave so I take out some snacks and hike out with the others.

The trail is easy and I soon reach Windigo Pass with over a liter of water left. That was an easy dry section. There’s a well-stocked water cache at the pass and once everyone arrives, we stop for a second lunch.

I’ve read comments and recommendations about an alternate called Oregon Skyline Trail (OST) from Windigo Pass. The alternate cuts about 7 miles (11.2km) loop off from PCT and is supposed to be nice. While I feel like seeing something new, others want to stick to the PCT. We agree to meet up at Shelter Cove Resort the next day.

While the others continue straight on the PCT, I take a right from the pass and soon find the OST. After a short dirt road, the trail heads back into the forest and is pretty easy to follow. This is great since I don’t have a map for this trail and I’m following directions on an app called Halfmile. The app tells you when and where to turn, and whether you’re on or off the trail.

While I’ve been hiking alone a lot on the PCT, it never felt like I was actually alone. The PCT is so well traveled that if I’d sit down, someone would surely come by soon. The OST feels much less traveled and I don’t see any hikers at all. It feels kind of nice to really be alone on the trail.

At one point I have to stop to get some of the volcanic sand out of my shoes and socks. The volcanic sand gets everywhere and is really hard on your feet. I add some Leukotape to my feet and keep hiking.

I come to a fork on the trail and as the app doesn’t mention this I hesitate for a moment. The path to the right looks more worn out and it would make sense that would be the OST. I head to the right but keep my eye on the Halfmile app to see if I’ve left the trail. After about 500 feet (150m) the app says I’m off-trail. I walk back to the fork and head left. I keep checking the app every few minutes but it says I’m on the trail so I’m happy.

I soon make it to Crescent Lake where I had planned to camp and I’m almost done with the OST alternate. From here on it’ll be a short walk to Shelter Cove and I’ll be there early next morning way before the others. I made good time on the easy trail.

As I don’t have a map, and there are no signs, I can’t find the campsite mentioned in the trail notes. After walking around on a small forest road I find some people camping with a big horse trailer. I walk over to ask for directions.

The people seem surprised to see me and before I get directions they offer me food and cold beverages. It’s really hard to say no and I soon find myself sitting on a lawn chair with an ice cold beer and a nice big burger. We talk about the trail and they tell me about the horses and all the work they do here. Before I notice it’s getting dark and I have to find a place to sleep.

I apologize for having to leave so early and start heading out to find a spot for the night. Before I leave they fill up my water bottles and hand me one more cold beer for the night. I thank them for all their hospitality and then head on.

I find a nice camp spot close by and set up my shelter. I drink the ice cold beer while laying in my sleeping bag, all nice and warm with my tummy full of burger. This was a lovely surprise.

Sponsored by:

Date: August 24, 2017
Miles: 26.1 miles (42km), from Crater Lake Cafe to Thielsen Creek at mile 1,853.6.
Health: Happy and well rested.

We all wake up early, well before the sunrise. It’s still dark and cold outside and I decide to put the tourist center's facilities to good use. When I'm done with the morning chores I quickly walk to the rim to see if the sun has already started to rise. I don’t see much in the dark but what I can see is smoke. Lots of it.

I get back to our camp and we all get ready to move. As the sun is starting to rise we all make our way to the rim of the crater. Instead of a gorgeous sunrise, we see a grey, smoke-filled view with a lake somewhere down below. We don't see the crater nor the lake. This was hardly worth waking up this early.

We eat breakfast on the rim, watch the sun rise above all the smoke and try to catch even a small glimpse of the lake. While not what we hoped for, the yellow sunrise created by all the smoke is still pretty unique.

As the part of the PCT around Crater Lake is closed due to an active fire, we have to take a detour along the West Rim Trail. This is not an issue as most hikers opt for the more picturesque West Rim Trail as it follows along the rim of the crater.

We start walking as we see first of the tourists slowly arriving. The soft sand, constant up and down, and not seeing anything due to the smoke gets tiresome after a while and we decide to switch the trail to the Rim Road. It’s much faster and easier to walk on a road than on the soft sand of the trail.

While the road is easier and faster to walk on, it’s also more monotonous and boring as there’s not much to see. At least the temperature is nice and having more company makes time fly by faster. We tell jokes, sing songs, and generally, just goof around.

At times the smoke gets so bad that we have to use wet bandanas to cover our faces. The girls have been smart and they’ve bought proper face masks for the smoke. I’m not sure if they actually work, but at least they're easier to breathe with.

We stop at one of the scenic spots along the road and finally see the lake. After a short road walk, we finally reach the spot where the West Rim road crosses with the PCT. This is also the spot where the PCT fire closure ends and we can get back on the trail.

From here on out the PCT is pretty flat and easy to walk on. The trail goes on in a straight line with almost no elevation change and no turns. While this makes for easy hiking, it’s also pretty boring as there are no views. Still better than walking on the road.

We all switch to cruising mode and I’m soon walking alone. Miles go by fast on a trail like this and soon it's time for lunch. We all gather to the side of the trail and soon we have a large party as more hikers stop next to us as well. After lunch, we quickly do the rest of the miles to reach Highway 138. This is the spot where Blis’s wife Meg cached all the water for us yesterday.

Right as we cross the highway a car drives up and stops next to the road. A guy hops out and starts carrying boxes of Gatorade, water, and all kinds of candy to a cache nearby. We all go out to help him and have a nice talk with him. He’s from a group of people who maintain this cache and just happened to arrive at the same time as we did.

We drink some cold Gatorade and eat some candy. As we all still have plenty of water left, we leave our gallons of water for the next hikers to enjoy. It’s so dry up here that someone is going to find some use for it at some point.

After the highway, the forest turns greener and the trail softer. With a little bit of up and down the trail comes more enjoyable to walk. I’m really enjoying this kind of hiking.

At one point I catch up to Topo while he’s having a break and enjoying the views of Mt Thielsen. I stop for a while to take in the views as well and then push on. The trail follows along the side of the mountain and the views are gorgeous. This part of the trail feels like a highway. It’s well maintained, easy to walk on, and you don't have to look where you step or where you’re going.

Soon I arrive on a small creek. This is the last water source before a 22 mile (35.4 km) long waterless section. It’s still early enough to do another 5-7 miles (8-11 km) but that would mean having to carry water for both, dry camping and the rest of the dry section tomorrow.

I see LL coming down the switchbacks and soon Sam and Indigo arrive as well. After a short strategy session, we all agree that it’s better to stay here, close to the water, and to deal with the waterless section in one go tomorrow.

There was a nice big camp spot some way back up on the trail. We fill our bottles from the creek, walk back up the trail, and start settling in for the night. Topo arrives soon as well and he agrees with the plan. As it’s still early we spend the rest of the evening eating, telling jokes and basically having a good time.

We make a plan to get up early to beat the heat and get as much of the dry section done before it gets hot. We all drop one by one and everyone’s sleeping well before hiker midnight. I stay up a little longer transferring photos to my phone and writing blog posts. Today was a good day!

Sponsored by:

Date: August 23, 2017
Miles: No trail miles.
Health: Frustrated but healthy.

I wake up to the sound of a truck driving by. I slept pretty well considering how close to the road we camped. We slowly pack our backpacks, take out some bars for breakfast and move to the side of the road. It’s still early and there’s not much traffic so we are in no hurry.

We figure out which way we need to hitch, set our packs down so that they are visible to the passing cars, and then throw out our thumbs. There’s not much traffic going by so we spend most of the time talking and taking photos.

None of the cars going our way are stopping. It’s still pretty early in the morning and two dirty guys standing next to small dirt road aren’t exactly screaming “pick us up”. We’re too far from the PCT for anyone driving by to know why we are here so our chances of getting a ride are pretty slim.

As we have no luck with hitching, we decide to walk. It would take us roughly two days to walk along the roads to Crater Lake so getting a ride would be a real blessing.

We walk along the road and dodge the oncoming traffic as there’s not much of a shoulder to walk on. Whenever there’s a car going our way we put our thumbs up but get no takers. We’re dirty and covered in dust, surrounded by fields of cows. I don’t see anyone picking us up any time soon.

After a couple of hours of walking, we stop at a small crossing and put our packs down. Finally, after 3 hours of trying to get a ride, a German couple turns around after passing us once and picks us up. They are on a US road trip and decided to take pity on us after passing us by. They happen to be going to Crater Lake too, so we’re going in the same direction. We thank them immensely for the ride and sigh in relief not having to spend the two days road walking.

After a few hours drive, we get dropped off at Mazama Village, which is right below Crater Lake. We thank the couple for the ride and as they head up towards the lake, we stay down at the village to take care of our resupplies.

Before getting our resupply packages we hit the restaurant and order some burgers. While we wait for our food to arrive we find a place to recharge our electronics. My new charger is extremely slow. It’s actually so slow that it would take forever to fill up my battery bank so I have to order a better one soon.

After finishing our burgers we’re both still hungry so we order pizzas as well. One of the great things about hiker hunger is that you’re like a bottomless eating machine. How often can you finish two meals on one go and feel good about it?

While eating we see two familiar hikers – Indigo and LL. The last time I saw them was in Sonora Pass and it’s so great to see them again. It’s funny because Sam has heard me tell all these stories about them, but he’s actually never met the girls in person.

While we’re catching up on all the stories since we last met we see another familiar figure enter the restaurant. It’s Topo! I can’t remember the last time I saw him. It’s like a big get together and I couldn’t be happier!

After everyone has eaten we head back outside and go pick our resupply packages from the post office out back. For the next few hours, we hang around, sorting out our resupplies, and catching up. Soon Happy Feet, Blis, and Blis’s wife Meg join us too. The party keeps getting better and better.

Blis’s wife Meg is driving further north to cache some water for us for a long dry section of the trail. Happy Feet is going along with her as he’s skipping north to the Oregon–Washington border to get ahead of all the fires. This makes a lot of sense as we’re all getting really tired of hiking in the smoke day in, day out. Not only does it make hiking boring, but we’re also all getting worried about the health factors of breathing all the smoke for long periods of time.

After all the logistics are done, it’s time to continue with the hike. Our plan for today is to hike the short hike up to the crater so that we can watch the sunrise on the rim tomorrow morning. Slowly we get our gear together and head back on the trail.

We climb the trail up to the rim and find a nice camp spot 0.2 miles from the lake. We get to the camp just as it gets dark and set up our shelters on soft ground. We’re so close to the crater that we can use all the facilities at the tourist center close by. Running water and real toilets – luxury!

Our camp is filled with laughter, jokes, and stories. It's so great to be hiking with a big group of friends again!

Sponsored by:

Date: August 22, 2017
Miles: 19.3 miles (31.1km) + 1.7 non-PCT miles (2.7km), from mile 1,782,4 to Sevenmile Trail Junction at mile 1,801.7.
Health: Feeling better but still need more sleep.

It’s a slow morning. We fill our water bottles up to full capacity as we’re heading into a long waterless section. Before the hike, I had this image that once we reach Oregon it would be all rainforests and waterfalls but somehow it feels more like the desert. It’s hot and dry with long waterless sections and we’ve had to start keeping a close eye on our next water sources – something we haven’t had to do in a long time.

We walk through big burn areas and the scenery is pretty miserable. The overhanging smoke and smell of fire are everywhere. I feel like the entire PCT section of Oregon has either just burned down, or is currently on fire. With the massive fires this year, I wonder how much of unburned trail is there going to be left in few years. Feels sad to walk through all these parts thinking this was probably a really pretty forest before it burned down.

At one point I catch up to Sam as he’s sitting right on the trail, using the small spot with cell signal, to take care of some personal things. I walk a little further up and sit down to do the same. I check and reply to some comments and messages and check the trail conditions ahead. We can’t walk far today as the trail has been closed not far from where we are due to a new fire which started yesterday.

As we have no rush we walk on for a bit until we reach water and then take a long lunch break by the creek. Our mood is a bit down as we have to skip miles again and finding a way around the new closure is going to be another extra headache.

After lunch, the trail is pretty easy and we cruise down fast. I reach the 1800 mile marker and decide to wait for Sam to catch up. In a few minutes he comes by and we walk the last 1.7 miles to the trail closure. From there it’s another 1.7 miles to the Sevenmiles trailhead to get off the trail.

We get to the trailhead early and try to make some sense of the complicated instructions on how to get off the mountain. As there are few cars at the trailhead, instead of trying to walk the 10-mile road walk along a dirt road, we decide to do the next best thing: sit down and wait.

As we wait a car drives up with two guys inside, looking like they’re about to go hiking. We instantly strike up a conversation, hoping to somehow yogi a ride back down. As they realize they might not make it far with the trail closure, they start to think of a plan b. For over two hours we stay close to them and keep a conversation going, hoping they’d decide to turn around and we’d get a ride along with them.

Finally, right before dark, they decide to head back and we get a ride with them. While driving down we’re happy we got the ride as there are several intersections and getting lost would’ve been a real possibility. Also, it would’ve been a pretty boring and long walk.

Once we reach the highway they drop us off and we thank them for the ride. Sadly it’s already dark and too late to hitch. With a quick scoping of our surroundings, we realize our only option is to sleep on the small patch of semi even ground right next to the highway. The patch is barely wide enough for our shelters.

Just as we’re getting our shelters up it starts to rain. While my shelter is not fully setup I dash in to take cover from the rain. Soon the wind picks up and I have to go outside in the dark and rain to properly stake down my shelter. Just as I get everything tight the wind really picks up and a thunderstorm swoops over us.

The lightning lights the sky around us and we can see every strike through our shelter walls. We’re happy to be down from the mountain but can’t help but to think if the thunder is going to cause more fires. I soon fall asleep with the sound of thunder and trucks going by every few minutes. Not my favorite camp spot along the PCT.

Sponsored by:

Date: August 21, 2017
Miles: 29.7 miles (47.8km), from mile 1,752.8 to Christi's Spring at mile 1,782.4.
Health: Need more sleep.

It’s cold when we wake up in the morning and we have to wear our jackets. No-one else is up yet which is strange as everyone was already sleeping when we got here early last night. We fill our bottles from the water source, find our way back to the trail and start walking.

The trail goes through a forest and stays cool until the sun comes up and the temperature starts rising again. In the middle of our conversation, Sam suddenly curses out loud – his backpack has failed yet again. It’s the load lifters. Again. We stop to the side of the trail so Sam can fix his pack. This is something that happens every few days. If it’s not the load lifters, it’s the frame, or hip belt, or something else. Definitely not a good advertisement for Zpacks.

While Sam is fixing his pack I head off little further from the trail to take care of some paper business. While digging a hole I notice we’re right next to a forest road. Looking at the map I see the trail wiggles along the road for a long time, basically going right next to it. As the trail is rather boring and slow, we decide to walk on the straight forest road. This way we don’t have to do all the unnecessary loops and wiggles the trail does. The road is also easier to walk on than the narrow trail, allowing us to walk side by side, making talking to each other easier.

Today is kind of a special day as there’s a total solar eclipse happening in a few hours. While the path of the total eclipse is over a hundred miles north, we’re still pretty close to the path. The issue is, we’re currently in a thick forest with barely any view of the sky. Not wanting to miss the eclipse we start hauling ass hoping to either find an open area or reach the next highway hoping to have a view of the eclipse.

With no open areas with a good view of the sky, we make it to the road with only minutes to spare. We take out the eclipse glasses we got a few days earlier and sit next to the road waiting.

As nothing happens I decide to use the time to eat. All of a sudden we notice it’s really quiet and the air gets chillier. Looking around it’s also getting darker – the eclipse has started!

We get back on the road with our glasses and marvel at the sight. We’ve heard the news that the areas on the path of the total eclipse are overcrowded and full of people. We have the entire road to ourselves and there’s not a soul in sight. It’s actually strangely silent as there are no cars on the road and even the birds have gone silent.

Once the eclipse is over we get back on the trail. There’s a news flyer telling about the fires around Crater Lake and the surrounding areas. It seems most of the PCT in Oregon is on fire and we might not be able to make it all the way to Crater Lake due to trail closure.

After some time in the forest, we get out and the trail transforms into volcanic rock. While not as bad as what Oregon has coming up, it’s still bad enough and really hurts to walk on. And as we’re not in the shade of the forest anymore, the temperature rises again. I have to stop to recover and get some electrolytes.

I’m not feeling this part at all. At one point I accidentally kick a stick between my feet and the stick rips through my shoe and punches straight to the bones on the side of my feet. I feel like I’m completely done. I’m tired, I’m hot, my shoe’s torn up, my feet hurt, and the trail feels like it’s winning. Being alone in the middle of all this volcanic rock that hurts my feet is the icing on the cake. I have a small meltdown.

Finally, the volcanic rock ends and I reach a road and find Sam sitting in the trees next to a stream on the other side. I curse and vent for a while and Sam just laughs at me. The trail breaks us all at different times, and in different ways, and having someone there to laugh at you and to remind you that it’s going to be okay is crucial.

After steaming for a little while and getting all the frustration out of my system I sit down and have a lunch. I’m feeling better already.

While eating I notice Sam’s feet are looking pretty bad. Mine are just dirty but his feet are pretty torn up. I investigate the damage from the stick and it seems the only damage is the gaping hole on the side of my shoe and a little soreness around the point of impact.

We soon get up and get some water from the stream before getting back on the trail. The rest of the day we follow the trail in a forest with not much to see – it’s like walking in a green tunnel. We make it to camp just after dark and set up camp. It’s getting dark earlier and earlier each day and I can’t help but to think of the approaching winter and how far we still have to walk to reach the Canadian border.

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Date: August 20, 2017
Miles: 27.1 miles (43.6km), from mile 1,725.6 to mile 1,752.8.
Health: Tired, both mentally and physically.

We wake up early and get back on the trail. Sam speeds ahead as I stay a little back – I’m always super slow in the morning. Judging by the heat this early in the morning it’s going to be another hot day.

After a few miles, I reach a trailhead with a few cars and what every hiker wants to see early in the morning: a toilet. I drop my pack and take advantage of the pit toilets. Sitting on a toilet beats digging holes in the woods any day.

What I didn’t take into consideration was that the closed pit toilet heats up really quick in the morning sun. I soon have to rush out to get fresh air as the inside of the toilet turns into an oven with the scent of poop. I sign the trail register at the trailhead, shoulder my pack and start walking again. Feeling little lighter after the quick “pit stop”.

The scenery doesn’t look anything like I thought Oregon would look like. Instead of green, everything looks burned yellow. I feel like I’m back in the desert hills again.

The trail goes in and out of forests, climbs small sunburned hills, and dips back into a forest. The monotonous scenery is made worse by the ever-present smoke that blocks the visibility further than few hills ahead and I’m having a hard time staying motivated.

Around midday, I find a small lake with a dam and decide to take a lunch break in the shade of some trees next to a stream. Sam soon arrives there as well, I must have passed him at some point. We eat lunch and talk with the few fellow hikers who stop to get water from the small stream coming from the dam.

After lunch, we get back on the trail and I fall behind again. Not feeling like talking I just walk while listening to some music. Before leaving for the trail I thought I synced a massive amount of music to my iPhone. For some reason only a few artists actually synced and I’m getting tired of listening to the same songs over and over and over again. One of the only artists whose entire collection did sync is Iron Maiden and this means every third song I listen to is theirs. I generally listen around 10 to 14 hours of music per day so that’s a lot of Iron Maiden.

The only bright spot of the day is seeing a message from Cannonball and Storyteller on one of the trail registers. While I was supposed to be only a few miles behind them, spending an extra night and day in Tahoe meant I’m now at least two days behind them. Sadly, as we’re all doing around the same mileage each day, that means they’re too far ahead for me to catch up by hiking.

Rest of the day consists of walking in a green forest. While this means fewer sights, it’s a bit cooler in the shade of the trees. I make good mileage on the soft trail and catch up to Sam late in the day. We decide to stop for a camp a bit earlier as there’s a good spot in the shade of some trees and there’s a water source close by. This way we also get to go to sleep a bit earlier today.

To our surprise, there are already many people sleeping in their tents this early. They must be super early risers as I don’t think we’ve ever gone to sleep this early in the evening. We try to be super careful not to make any sound and quietly go to sleep. The ground is nice and soft, it’s going to be a comfortable night.

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Date: August 19, 2017
Miles: 8.9 miles (14.3km), from mile 1,716.7 to mile 1,725.6.
Health: Feeling fresh after having laundry and shower in town.

We try to sleep late but the habit of waking up early every morning wakes us up not long after sunrise. We eat breakfast, play around with the dogs, and then pack our packs. Switching back to clean trail clothes feels strange as I’m so accustomed to them being dirty all the time.

I try to backflush my filter but quickly come to the conclusion I need a new one. I’m getting tired of taking forever to filter water at every water source.

After saying goodbye to Sue and thanking her for all the hospitality, Rick takes us first to Walmart so I can get a new filter and then to In-n-out burger to fill our stomachs one last time before getting back on the trail.

We visit the Post office one last time and this time my charger from Etna has arrived. Huge thank you to the Post Master in Etna for repackaging and shipping it for me. The box with all my valuable rain and thermal gear is still missing. I’m not going to need it yet but we’ll be in Washington soon and I don’t really want to buy new gear to replace gear I already own.

After Post Office Rick drives us to the trailhead and after saying goodbye and thanking him for all the help and time, we get back on the trail. It feels good to hike with someone again. Hiking alone can get pretty boring at this point.

As it’s already late we only hike for a short while and once we reach a beautiful spot next to a flowing spring on the side of the mountain we decide to call it a day.

We set up our shelters and eat a little. We’re still close enough to the town to have cell reception so I try to work on my blog. Before I get too far I fall asleep. I’m still sleep deprived and need to catch up on my rest. We should get to Crater Lake in three or four days.

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Date: August 18, 2017
Miles: 14.8 miles (23.8km), from mile 1,701.4 to mile 1,716.2.
Health: Happy to get to town.

My alarm goes off and I feel slightly better about waking up than the previous few mornings. I have all my gear packed and ready in record time and after filling my bottles from the spring I’m back on the trail. The other people are still sound asleep.

The views are nothing special but I make quick miles. At one point I notice I have cell reception and as it’s still early evening in Finland I call my brother. We talk for a while about his coming wedding and everything going on back home.

I’m going to miss his wedding as they had to change the dates from autumn to summer and I was already on my way to the trail at that point. Flying back home for a weekend would pretty much mean I’d have to quit the trail. The price of the flights, the time it would take and the approaching winter, and the logistics of getting off and back on the trail would mean my hike would be over. As much as it sucks to miss my brother's wedding, we’ve agreed to have a new celebration once I get back home.

I must be getting closer to town as I see a group of kids trail running along the trail. I step aside to let them pass. I reach a small dirt road and their teacher hands me some watermelon and juice while I walk by.

After a small climb, I reach a small pass and find two coolers with trail magic. They’re almost empty but there’s one Diet Shasta Cola left and I drink it happily.

After the trail magic, the trail starts to drop down for quite a long time. After endless switchbacks and crossing a road multiple times, I finally reach the trailhead, throw out my thumb and get a ride instantly. Not knowing where to go I just ask for a ride to Ashland.

After getting dropped off at a small mall with a Subway I message everyone with my location but it seems everyone’s so spread out that organizing anything is going to be hard. Sam sends me a message that he’ll come to the same mall and we soon meet up. We do a quick resupply for the next section and prepare one resupply package to be shipped to Mazama Village at Crater Lake.

Sam’s family friend lives in Ashland and they’ve promised to take us in. We soon meet Rick at the parking lot and he takes us to the Post Office so we can ship our resupply packages forward. I also check for my other packages but only one of three has arrived. One of the missing packages has all my rain gear and thermals in it. Not good. I can’t find the tracking number for the missing packages so there’s not much we can do.

We take a short drive to Rick’s house. He lives in a really nice place overlooking a beautiful valley with mountains on the opposite side.

Sue, Rick’s wife, gives us clean loaner clothes so we can put all our dirty ones in the laundry and then we take long showers. Feels great to finally be clean again. We eat some awesome food and have a few drinks. We sit outside with Sam for a while, looking at the dark night sky, and then head to sleep.

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Date: August 17, 2017
Miles: 33.2 miles (53.4km), from mile 1,668.2 to mile 1,701.4.
Health: Feeling tired from the lack of sleep.

I wake up late to the sound of everyone leaving one by one. For the past couple of nights, I’ve slept way too little and that’s starting to take a toll on me. My mood and energy are low and getting up in the morning is really hard.

I force myself out of my sleeping bag and shelter and slowly start packing all my gear. By the time I’m done everyone else is long gone.

The air is clear and except for some ash on the ground, there are no signs of the fire and smoke from last night. I get on the trail and slowly start heading the same way others did.

The trail climbs right back up and at the top of the ridge, on a small spring, I meet two hikers I haven’t seen before. We chat for a while and they tell me how they slept on the ridge and saw the fire down in the valley not far from where we slept. Thankfully it seems the firefighters have managed to get the fire under control as there’s no sight of it.

I leave the guys at the spring and get back to hiking. I’m not feeling the trail at all today and getting into the flow seems impossible. I feel like I’m not moving anywhere. Luckily, unless something unexpected happens, I’m walking into Oregon later today and I’ll finally be done with California.

Little way up I notice a hiker with colorful shorts climbing on the opposite side and it looks like it could be Sam. I use the telephoto lens on my camera and try to capture a photo of the hiker. As I zoom in I notice it’s not him.

At the top of the climb the view opens up and the entire scenery is covered in smoke. There’s a thick layer of smoke hovering over the mountaintops as far as the eye can see.

I feel so sluggish that I have to take a break on the next water source. The actual water source is down a steep climb and I leave my backpack at the top as I don’t want to carry it both ways. It takes me about ten minutes to climb down and back up.

After getting some water I cold soak some noodles and eat some candy, hoping the sugar would cheer me up. First, a southbound hiker joins me and goes down to get some water, and a little later a northbound hiker joins us. We chat for a while about the trail and hear stories about Oregon and Washington. We are about to hit the Oregon border later today and the SoBo just arrived to California so there’s a mutual feeling of something new happening.

We share whatever small tips we can about heading south but I’m a little weary about sharing any knowledge as there’s a saying on the trail that you should never trust any trail information SoBo’s share. I figure SoBo’s have the same saying about us northbounders so I try not to be “the guy who gave us the wrong info”.

Leaving the two I start walking again with new vigor from all the sugar and noodles. The trail starts heading down and soon the scenery changes. It’s getting greener and grassier and I walk past many cows. I must be getting closer to Oregon.

I do a quick stop at the Donomore Cabin and sign the trail register there. Sunshine and Iced Tea have been here a few hours earlier.

I pass a couple more southbounders. It seems we’re in the middle of a small SoBo bubble. This year was a bad year for going southbound due to the snow and how late the passes opened up in Washington. Still, it’s good to see some have made it. They have to boogie now to make it south of Kearsarge Pass before the autumn storms arrive.

Looking at Guthooks I notice I just finished my last climb in California and I’m 1 mile (1.6km) from the California–Oregon border. I make the last few zig-zags and see a tree with a small sign I’ve been waiting to see for the past 109 days. I’ve reached the Oregon border!

I celebrate for a while but it feels kind of empty to be here alone. I take some selfies with the little adapter I’ve carried all the way here but can’t get the camera to focus properly. I sign the trail register with a small comment and notice Iced Tea and Sam (Nobody) were here just a short time ago.

I make a short video for Anthony and Annie, the trail angels from Tahoe. They told me how they do this ritual of hopping right before crossing a border and I do the same, hopping from California to Oregon.

Just as I’m about to leave I hear a noise from behind and see a hiker called Sunkist approach. As it sucked to celebrate alone I stay and congratulate her for reaching the border. I take a photo of her with the sign and ask her to take one of me as well. We talk for a while and then I leave her with the border.

Now in Oregon, the trail looks pretty much the same. It seems nothing has changed except there’s maybe a little bit more green everywhere. And maybe the hills are a little bit less pointy.

I still feel super slow but the beautiful evening light and gorgeous scenery put me in a better mood. Being in a new state feels great too. I pass one more SoBo and then see no-one. The sky is beautiful with pink and blue hues and the air is nice and cool – perfect hiking weather.

Trying to cover as many miles as I can I keep walking long into the night. Hiking along a mountainside I can see city lights far in the distance and down below. Feels strange being alone here in the dark, walking on this dusty trail while all these people are at home, probably watching Netflix with their loved ones, eating good food and going to sleep in their comfortable beds.

I pass the 1700 mile (2 736km) marker at one point but it doesn’t feel like much as I have not walked all the way here due to all the skipped miles.

It’s almost 11 pm when I reach a small camp spot next to a water source but it’s occupied. Luckily the comments on Guthooks mention that there’s an old forest road little up from the spot and after some climbing I find it. I locate a small flat spot on the part of the road that’s not yet overgrown and quickly set up my shelter. Just as I’m getting into my sleeping bag I hear voices and see two headlamps climbing up and starting to set up their shelters down the road.

Tomorrow is town day as we get to Ashland. We’ve made plans to meet there with Sam. Hopefully, the Aussies and Roadrunner will be there too.

Sponsored by:

Date: August 16, 2017
Miles: 21.2 miles (34.1km), from Grider Creek Campground through Seiad Valley to mile 1,668.2.
Health: Feeling tired from the lack of sleep, but good otherwise.

I wake up to Sam knocking on my tarp. I left him a note last night outside of his shelter and he came to wake me up as I had asked. Having only slept for about 3 hours I don’t feel particularly well rested but I manage to gather my gear and start hiking with Sam. Chalk this up as one of those days you’d rather stay in bed than hike.

From the campground, we start the 6.4 mile (10.3km) road walk to Seiad Valley where our next resupply is. Wolf is also here and joins us for the walk.

The road walk starts as a dirt road and soon we reach small houses along the river going through the valley. The reason for the long road walk is that we’re on the wrong side of the river and the only bridge is in the opposite direction we have to go. So we first walk a few miles towards the bridge, then the same distance back on the other side.

My feet still hurt from last night and the hard road is making the situation worse. We’re all pretty fed up with the road walk and even talk about swimming across the river to cut back on the walk. Suddenly there’s a car approaching from behind and I instinctively throw my thumb up. To my surprise, the car stops and I decide to save my feet by skipping the last few miles of the road walk. We would’ve soon reached pavement and that would’ve been even worse to walk on.

Seiad Valley is not much else except a few houses and the Café. I walk the last bit to the Café and find Iced Tea there. I set all my gear to dry on the grass while getting to know some of the hikers already here. My sleeping bag is still moist from two nights ago.

The Café is known for one particular thing on the trail: the infamous pancake challenge. If you finish all five of the massive pancakes in under 2 hours, the pancakes are on the house and you’ll get your name on the wall. After seeing the size of just one pancake I instantly know I’m not up for the challenge. Instead, I opt for two regular breakfasts, a soda, and a milkshake.

We sit on the counter and soon everyone else arrives. Sam goes to pick up his new headlamp from the store slash Post Office next door. He ordered the same model I have. He got tired of being outshined on all the night hikes. Contrary to what I read before the hike, we’ve done a ton of night hiking. Part of it is the rush we have this year because of the snow, part of it is the constant heat waves. It’s so much easier to get the miles done after the sun has gone down and you’re not sweating buckets.

Seiad Valley is also known for one other thing: the rather large and steep climb out of the valley. You gain little over 4,600 feet (1 400m) in under 9 miles (14.5km). And as today is another excruciatingly hot day, no-one really wants to tackle the climb in the middle of the day.

We all procrastinate inside next to the AC, trying to come up with ways to avoid the climb but there’s no getting around it. Soon Sam and I head out and do the short road walk to the trailhead. I hate walking on these narrow roads as the cars drive by so fast and there’s really no place to dodge. Getting hit by a car while out hiking is not something I’m looking forward to.

After we reach the trailhead we climb a bit until we reach a spring. We fill up our bottles as this is the only water source on the entire climb. As we’re filling up, Iced Tea comes by and we chat for a while. We tell him to be on the lookout for the poison oak as it’s everywhere. He tells us he doesn’t know what poison oak looks like so we point it out for him.

Then it’s time to climb some more. The heat and the lack of sleep last night get to me really fast and I tell Sam to go on. It’s over 100 degrees (38c) and I’m just melting. After the trail rises above the tree line there’s no shade from the midday sun and my pace slows down to an agonizing crawl.

It’s simply too hot for me. When I find a nice little shaded spot with a little wind blowing through, I decide to wait out the heat. Sunshine soon catches up and after a short chat, she keeps climbing.

I watch the wind bring the smoke from the close by wildfires and the scenery gets even smokier. There are couple of wildfires around here and one that we need to keep our eyes on. If the wind direction would shift it could move towards us quickly but so far the trail is still open.

After taking a short nap I feel better and start climbing again. It was a long climb and I make it to the top just as the sun starts to set. The smoke from the fires makes the sunset even prettier.

The trail follows along the ridge of the mountains, at times dipping down for a bit. I stop at a small alpine lake to fill up my bottles and meet a hiker I haven’t seen before. We talk about the fires for a bit and then I hike on.

Soon the trail turns around the mountain and starts dropping down. Earlier the mountain was blocking all the wind but now the winds bring all the smoke from the fires directly at me.

I’m walking on a narrow path cut to the side of the mountain and due to the smoke and darkness, I can barely see 10 feet (3m) ahead of me. I have to wrap my bandana around my face and douse it with water just to be able to breathe.

As I keep going lower and lower the winds bring ash and at times it looks like it’s snowing. I’m getting really worried and start to wonder if I should turn around. As it’s dark and the air is covered in smoke I can’t really see anything around me. I try to look down below to see if I’m descending down to a burning forest but can’t see a thing.

I take out the map and notice that the closest evacuation spot is down in the forest in the direction I’m heading. The other evacuation spot being all the way back in the valley we started. As I didn’t see any fires close by earlier from the top of the mountain while looking down towards this direction I decide to push on.

At times I can only see the next couple of steps ahead of me so the progress is really slow. Finally, I reach the forest below and the air clears up significantly. There are no sights of fire and there are no trail closures so I push forwards towards the road and possible camp spot.

Once I reach the road I find everyone else camping there except for Sam. I ask Sunshine if she saw him but she didn’t. He must have pushed on.

Feeling a little sketched out about the smoke and flying ash I decide to camp here with the others and not push on alone. If something goes wrong, at least I’m next to a road with multiple people around.

I set up my cowboy camp and start heading to sleep. Just as I’m crawling into my quilt I hear faint footsteps on my groundsheet and as I turn around my headlamp barely catches a scorpion as it hides under my pillow. Great! I take a stick and move the scorpion further, hoping it would choose another direction but as soon as it hits the ground it zeros back towards my pillow. Sleeping with a scorpion is a hard nope from me so I set up my tarp about a hundred feet down the road to a new spot. Hopefully with less crawlies.

Looking at my mileage when going to sleep I also notice we have less than thousand miles to go. I fall asleep hoping I won’t wake up to a burning inferno around me.

Sponsored by:

Date: August 15, 2017
Miles: 39.2 miles (63.1km), from Shelly Meadows to Grider Creek Campground at mile 1,647.
Health: Tired.

We wake early, pack our packs and start walking. I’m on the trail 6:15 am. The spot I chose to cowboy camp last night was a bit too close to a meadow and the small creek running through it so my sleeping bag got wet from condensation.

We plan to push for 35 miles (56.3km) today to a small spot in a canyon with no other camping spots close by. As the trail starts to climb back up I enjoy the beautiful scenery and how great my new shoes feel. When all you do is walk all day, the shoes become your best friends.

The climb is a long one. While the scenery is gorgeous, there’s not much happening – I just walk. I’ve grown tired of all the music on my phone, and as I don’t have any new audiobooks to listen to, the time goes by really slow.

The trail goes up and over a ridgeline, back down a bit, then again over the ridgeline, and so on. This is what we do every day – walk up and down mountains. At one point the trail goes through a part that looks like an old burn section.

I catch up to Sunshine and her crew and hike with them for about an hour but as they want to hike at a faster pace I soon hang back as I’m in no rush. Other than Sunshine’s crew I don’t see anyone on the trail all day.

After about 21 miles (33.8km) I stop for lunch alone. Not a single soul walks by the entire time I eat. After lunch, I pack more bars in the bottom pocket of my pack so that I can walk without stopping for the rest of the day. I’m planning to eat dinner in camp.

After lunch, the trail drops down to a forest and after a while down to the canyon where we’ve planned to camp. As I walk further the canyon gets narrower and narrower. There are hardly any flat spots beside the small river running at the bottom. This explains why there’s only one camp spot on this entire section.

The trail gets really lush and at times a bit overgrown. I keep crossing the river multiple times over small bridges, hopping from one side of the canyon to the other.

Soon it gets dark but I’m still a few miles from the camp. I hike the last miles with my headlamp out and once I reach the camp spot, I find it’s just a small outcropping next to a bridge, barely big enough for Sunshine’s crew. They’ve all huddled up on a single groundcloth as that’s all the space there is.

They’re already sleeping but they wake up and tell me they’ll make room at the foot end. I don’t really want to squeeze myself into such a small space and wake them up more. I tell them I’m ok and that I’ll walk back up to the previous bridge hoping to find some flat spots there.

I walk back the 0.2 miles to the previous bridge but there are no possible spots to sleep in there either. I turn around and walk back to the next bridge trying to find any flat spots I could squeeze into on the way. I look for a spot under the bridge and even contemplate sleeping on the bridge but as it’s so narrow and not really flat, I’m scared I’ll fall to the river while sleeping.

The next marked camp spot is almost 5 miles down the trail where the canyon ends. It’s already 11 pm, meaning I’ve been on the trail for almost 17 hours by now and I’m tired. My legs are sore from all the climbing, and my eyes hurt from watching the trail in the beam of the headlight. But there’s not much I can do.

I keep walking on hoping to find a small patch of flat ground to camp on. Sadly the canyon is shaped like a V, with the trail cut into the wall, so there really aren’t any flat spots around. The fact that it’s pitch black at this point doesn’t help either.

After about 20 minutes of searching, I see what appears to be a small flat area down by the river. I start climbing down but end up almost causing a small rock slide and realize if I fall down here and hurt myself, it’s going to be a while before anyone’s going to find me.

I get down to the river safely by climbing a fallen tree and start to get ready to camp. As I’m unpacking my pack I notice there are a lot of fallen trees around here and the ones that are still standing are making a strange noise in the wind. I put my headlamp on full power and realize I’m in the middle of a burn area with all the trees badly burned and barely standing. I quickly remember how the firemen told us not to spend too much time in the burn areas as the trees can fall and snap unpredictably. As I’ve already seen this couple of times myself, this is the last place I want to sleep tonight.

I quickly gather my things and climb back up on the trail and decide to haul ass and get to the next campsite, making this a long night and totaling over 40 walked miles for today.

Feeling kind of spooked about the burn area, and noticing that the trail is covered in poison oak, I put my phone on the shoulder pocket, blast some Slayer at full volume, and put my headlamp on full power. I’m hoping that the music will let all the mountain lions know I’ll fight if I have to, and the headlamp is so that I can see the poison oak better.

And then I start running down the trail.

All I can see for the next hour and a half is the small circle of light from my headlamp penetrating the darkness and lighting up the trail. I don’t remember much about this section other than it was dark, I was tired, and there was a ton of poison oak. Or so it looked like in the dark.

Finally, little past 1 am, I reach the end of the canyon and find a camp spot across the river. Trying not to wake other hikers camping here I scout for a secluded spot a little of to the side and start setting up my camp. As I’m doing so I notice a familiar tent not far – Sam? I recognize his pack, poles, and shoes so it’s his for sure. I caught up to him!

I leave a note outside of his tent letting him know where I’m at and to wake me up in the morning.

19 hours of walking and almost 40 trail miles done. Today was a really long day but I’m happy I made it here.

Sponsored by:

Date: August 14, 2017
Miles: 10.7 miles (17.2km), from Sawyers Bar Road to Shelly Meadows at mile 1,607.9.
Health: Feeling well rested and like I want to hike again.

I slept late. It feels really good not having to rush anywhere in the morning. While Sam was taking down his shelter and putting all his stuff together, I did a pack shakedown. All kinds of small stuff start to accumulate, and old stuff I thought I’d have a use for has been untouched at the bottom of my pack, so it’s good to shake things up every now and then.

Going through all my gear I mostly end up throwing away small stuff no-one has any use for. All the other things I put in the hiker box in case anyone needs them. When you’re out on the trail this long, you get to understand how little you actually need to live by. Wish I would’ve had all this knowledge before starting the trail.

As the morning progresses Sunshine sends a message that she’s in town. We make plans to go eat breakfast together. I pack the rest of my stuff and Sam and I start walking towards the town. On the way, we hit the Post Office as I’m hoping my packages would have already arrived. Sadly they haven’t.

We walk to the diner where we agreed to meet Sunshine and join her and her crew for breakfast. She has a new trail family and we hang around with them for a while. After the breakfast, it’s time for Sam to head out back on the trail and he gets a ride pretty soon.

After Sam has left I tag along with Sunshine as she picks up a package from the Post Office. Mine still hasn’t arrived. As it’s starting to get really hot, and as there’s not much else to do, we decide to hit the public pool for a swim. The water feels amazing and it’s great to catch up with Sunshine. It’s been a while since the last time I saw her.

After thoroughly soaking up our weary bones in the pool it’s time to visit the Post Office again. One of my packages had arrived – I got my new shoes! But the package with my new charger was still missing. I was happy to have the new shoes as without those I couldn’t get back on the trail. As the charger wasn’t mission critical, nor very expensive, it wasn’t worth staying in town to wait for it to arrive.

I decided to ship some of my gear from the mornings shakedown forward on the trail to Ashland, and some that I have no use, back to Mikko in San Diego. The Post Master has been following our discussion the entire time and as I mention the issue with my still missing package, he tells me he’s going to open it, repackage it, and ship it to me to Ashland. As I ask for the price to pay for the shipping and the new packaging, he says he doesn’t accept any money and that he’ll pay for my shipping once the package arrives. The kindness of strangers out here is amazing!

I thank the Post Master and after giving him my contact information, we head out. I’m super happy to have my new shoes and knowing I’ll get the charger once I’m in Ashland.

Walking down the Main Street we meet Airplane Mode. After chatting for a while on the street we head for a quick lunch in the cafe. It was nice seeing her again.

After lunch, we gather our stuff and hitch out to the trailhead. Before getting a ride we meet some firefighters and ask them about the conditions up in the mountains. They radio up and we hear it’s all good for the trail.

We get a ride up the mountain and it takes a while to climb all the way up to the top. It’s a lovely ride through a beautiful forest. We get dropped off and thank our ride again. We do the final check on our gear and then one by one start hiking up the mountain. I trail behind others as I want to use the cell reception to send a couple of messages out.

The trail climbs up and the views are gorgeous. About three miles in I get a message from Airplane Mode telling us the fire has moved within a mile from the trail and that the trail has been closed. Right at this moment, the trail crosses over a ridge to the other side of the mountains and I lose reception. I hike back a little and send Sunshine a message but as the trail stays on the other side of the range for quite some time, I don’t think she’s going to have a reception before the next town.

Crossing the range I can see the fire up ahead. I can either turn around and walk the three miles back to the trailhead or try to catch the others. I decide to go forward and try to catch the others – either to tell them the news or if the trail is still passable, get through this section with them. I figure that if I don’t catch them, the trail should be closed from where the fire is as there are crews of firefighters around this fire.

All the messaging and going back and forth lost me so much time that Sunshine and her crew have gotten too far for me to catch. They’re all fast hikers and unless they stop for a break, I’d have to run for miles to catch them.

On one of the wider parts of the trail, I meet a section hiker about to go to sleep. I tell him the news about the fire and he tells me he saw it from the trail earlier but it was still some ways from where the trail goes. I wish him good luck and push forward.

The views on this part of the trail are simply amazing! I watch the helicopters fly back and forth from the fire and the rising smoke makes the sky glow in beautiful colors against the setting sun.

The trail follows along the mountain range and the fire is in the forest right below. I try to look for escape routes in case the fire would start to climb up the mountain but there are not many places to go. On the left is a drop down to the forest with the fire, and on the right is a steep mountainside that would be pretty hard to climb. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.

As the sun sets and it gets dark I can see small patches of fire down in the forest below. It looks like the firefighters have managed to get the fire under control for the night but the air is still full of smoke. I wear my wetted out bandana around my face to make it easier to breathe but it’s not helping much.

Just as it gets completely dark I reach a forest and after a short walk see headlamps ahead. It’s Sunshine and her crew. I tell them the news about the trail being closed and we figure we were the last ones that made it through this section. We eat a quick dinner and then go to sleep. We all cowboy camp next to a big tree on the soft forest floor. As I close my eyes I hope that the wind doesn’t pick up during the night and reignite the fire not far from us.

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