I set up my tent next to a pretty meadow and snuggled into my quilt and my own personal tent. After about 18 miles, I was glad to call it quits for the day feeling good to have put my body up to a challenge and coming out feeling tired but not completely beat down. I was getting a little hangry for more than just a snack, and after fighting with my water filter, I found myself longing for the shelter (old habits die hard). The last two miles of the day brought me back to long days on the AT. Post lunch we hiked past Ramona Falls and followed the trail along a few ridges and traveled upwards. Our lunch break was splendid, shaded by the sun, feeling proud of myself that I had accomplished a few river crossings without any incident, and jamming my face full of food I would never allow myself to eat off-trail life was good. We lunched at a trail intersection where the PCT and Timberline first part ways. Instead of just hiking by it, we were seeing all aspects of it a unique characteristic that not every mountain will share. The magic of this trail seemed to be the fact of seeing every face of the mountain. I was noting our progress by the changing views of Mount Hood. We stopped to take in the views and stopped to chat with a few fellow Timberline Hikers heading counter-clockwise. The hours and miles easily slipped by on this gradual terrain. We hiked over trail terrain that felt to me like a children’s roller coaster, gentle ups, and downs accompanied by views of Mount Hood always to our right. As I listened I was surprised to find my legs eager to hike carrying me swiftly over the trail, and my breath traveled through my lungs easily. Darwin reflected on the last time he had traveled this same way during his thru-hike and I let him fill the few feet of trail distance between us, with stories. We left a lodge full of hikers charging their electronics with electricity and their bodies with caffeine, for a mostly deserted trail. Our first day we headed out clockwise on the Timberline Trail (which is actually part of the Pacific Crest Trail too). Overall, I was doubting my abilities however, I was willing to give it a go. Descriptions I read discussed sections of rocky trail (flashbacks to Pennsylvania on the AT), river crossings (the worst aspect of hiking for me), and snowy sections (this actually wasn’t a big concern). I had previously hiked in Oregon but had not taken on anything like I was reading the Timberline Trail would be. I was a bit nervous starting out on the Timberline Trail.
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