During the few hours sleep, I kept waking repeatedly because my body was struggling after yesterdays long haul. I’d set my alarm for 0900 because the unlimited breakfast buffet at the Timberline Lodge would shut at 1030. Groggily I stumbled down the hill, to run into Big-Bro there, who had also pushed through the night, and had arrived a little after me. Team Canada (Gourmet, Arms and Double-D) and Benjamin Button where just finishing up with their feasting extravaganza! Exhausted but pleased that I’d have a well-deserved breakfast this morning, I got comfortable and hit the buffet. It was great and plentiful, exactly what I needed. I was chatting a little bit with the people seated at the tables around me, when a woman walked over to my corner.
“Are you thru-hiking?”
-“Yes”
“That’s cool, I hiked the PCT in 2014”
-“That’s great! Do you want to join me for a little bit?”
Sara introduced herself as “Happy Feet”, her trail-name from 2014, and we had a great time talking about the trail and our experiences. She’s from California and was visiting Mount Hood with her brother. After rejoining him, she offered to buy me my breakfast, and picked up my tab. So unbelievably sweet! It made me feel even better. She later caught up while I was hanging out with my other hiker buddies, where we chatted some more and later took a picture together. Thanks again Sara!!
Team Canada and Benjamin Button were getting ready to hike out around lunch-time, and as they were sorting out their packages I got comfortable in one of the many chairs in the lodge and embraced not doing anything at all.
The Timberline Lodge is used in the movie The Shining, after the book by Stephen King. The outside of the lodge was shot as the Overlook Hotel from said book. The actual sets were somewhere else though. The keep an axe at the lodge with the text: “here’s Johnny”, same as from the movie. It is allowed to borrow this movie-artecfact. Benjamin Button, who is a screenwriter from LA, took charge and we gathered together for another photo-shoot.
I settled down to upload back-logged entries, and walked around a little bit. My legs were definitely going through full recovery. They did not move too fast.
The Timberline Lodge location is wonderful. It hugs the slopes of Mount Hood, and from here the views of Mount Jefferson are amazing. The weather was beautiful and many people on day-hikes had made the trip up there to enjoy the scene. Lots of people relaxing on sun-beds on the terrace.
Somewhere around 1800, Pops and Jukebox hiked in. Jukebox’ father had driven up with her uncle, providing them with hot-dogs for lunch. They’d had a real good time and upon embarking on my midnight-adventure, I realized that I would be passing up a glorious act of trail-magic…
They pitched their tents nearby and we were joined by Big Bro and got dinner at the lodge. We shared fondue with bread and I got a lamb stew as entree. It was all very hearty and delicious. After dinner we walked back up the hill to get catch up on some sleep.
There’s a rain forecast for tomorrow, so that’ll mix things up. We’re getting close to Washington now, a little under 50 miles to the border. And Washington is where it rains this time of year… We’ll see what happens.
Spring swallowed winter,
bitter swallowed sweet
You said you’re tired of missing the stars
trippin’ on your feet
I’ve been trying to make it better
I’ve been saying it so long
That things will be better soon,
better soon, I know…
Once, twice, three times again
There is no road so far down, beyond recovering
Once, twice, three times again
There is no road so far down, beyond recovering
Beyond recovering….
Recovering – Chris Cardiff
