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[Note: see also my recently updated video postings (videos 24-33 are the new ones) on my YouTube channel.]

The “Bridge of the Gods” over the Columbia River
Me, just about to cross over into Oregon for a huge breakfast in Cascade Locks
Following my own shadow in the early morning
Rainier from a distance
Another misty mountain morning
Mountains beyond mountains

Greetings all- its been a while! I’m writing from the Cascade Motel in Cascade Locks, Oregon, having crossed the “Bridge of the Gods” span over the Columbia River, which also functions as the border between Washington and Oregon. At this point I’ve walked just over 500 miles from the Canadian border and feel my legs and feet gradually adjusting to this “new normal” of walking 25 miles per day, which is what I’ve been averaging the past couple of weeks.

All salt, no pepper in that beard
Another view of Rainier
These cheeky signs made me snort with laughter
The trail beginning to level out a bit
PCTA volunteers out doing trail maintenance
A few elk watching us set up camp in a cabin
And many more waking us up the next morning
Northstar with a trail magic beer provided by European Simon
Improvised paper chess board on the cabin porch

I was hoping to do this update from a library (updates over the phone are tedious) but the local library was not open while I was here so I’m plugging away via phone. For the past 10 days or so I’ve ended up on the same pace as another hiker named Northstar, so we’ve ended up camping together at night and occasionally hiking together during the day. It’s been fun having someone to chat with and compare notes. One of the best recent developments has been that we’ve walked our way south of the worst of the snow. Since Snoqualmie I’ve noticed a dramatic change in the footpath: north of Snoqualmie to the Canadian border was significantly tougher- the hiking has been easy (by comparison) ever since. We’re spending more time walking forests now than mountain peaks, and I’m led to believe that will be the case throughout Washington and into northern California, so that sounds promising!

My next resupply will be at a place called Timberline Lodge in Oregon. If it sounds familiar, you may recall it as the grand old  lodge that served as the setting for the film “The Shining,” so that should be interesting. I’m seeing 15-20 Northbound hikers daily now and should soon be seeing even more as the “bubble” of Nobo hikers keeps moving northward. My apologies for the infrequent postings but the remoteness of this trail limits my ability to do more substantial and frequent posts. I should reach Ashland (far southern Oregon) withing 3 weeks or so. There is one section of trail coming up that is closed due to fire, so I’ll be making my way around that in the coming days. Thanks for listening again! Love to all, Max

Lunch with feet hanging over cliff
Day hiker: “here Max, this fiver is a shot of tequila when you reach Mexico”
The northern Cascades redefined “rugged beauty” for me
Alpine lakes never get old
Impressive snow melt
This registers as “wow!”
Lakes from above are always spectacular
Friendly hikers inviting me to camp with them
PCT marker
Another gorgeous lake
So hard to stop taking photos
Switchbacks from above
Scree field crossing can be challenging on the feet
Skykomish trail angel and all-around good guy
First pair of shoes needed MacGyver lacing

Me taking in the view, courtesy of Northstar

2 Replies to “Into Oregon!”

  1. I really enjoy reading about your adventures and am loving the photos. Stay safe. Aunt Diane

    1. Thanks Diane! Just arrived in Ashland, Oregon and will spend a day or two here planning my hike into California and avoiding the fire closures, etc. Will be adding a couple of blog entries soon so stay tuned and thanks so much for the encouraging words!

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