Oh, I really didn’t want to get out of bed this morning. Eric’s condo was toasty warm and dry, something I certainly don’t take for granted. Tabasco and I got packed, Debi helped me get the condo in order, then she drove us up to Timberline Lodge and dropped us off in the parking low so we could resume our hike. Northbound! Thank goodness we’re NOBO’s once again. I was really tired of reading the data book backwards, as was Tabasco reading the guidebook and maps backwards.
The sky was crystal clear blue and we had perfect views looking south. We could see Mt. Jefferson, the Three Sisters wilderness and beyond that more than half of the trail that remains for us to hike. We had a little trouble locating the PCT just above the lodge on Mt. Hood, since there are other trails and paths crisscrossing the ski slope. On the PCT and still within view of the Lodge, I took a step on a root and badly double rolled my right ankle. The pain was immediate and intense, and I tried walking forward and could barely put any weight on the foot. Since a bad ankle roll back in March 2001 on the AT, I haven’t injured my foot that bad. I was determined to hike forward, at my normal gait, hoping beyond hope that no major damage had occurred and that I could continue the journey.
After a couple miles the foot was obviously swelling and was still painful with every step. I stopped for some ibuprofen to keep swelling and pain in check. Tabasco and I were working our way around the western face of Mt. Hood as the morning went on (we had a 9:20am start) and about six miles into the hike encountered a large, deep, steep walled canyon (Zig Zag Canyon). Mt. Hood’s western glaciers were just above us. Near the summit we could see a large jagged rock outcrop called Elimination Point, appropriately named because a fall from up there down to our vantage point would mean certain elimination.
The trail at the edge of the canyon wall disappeared and we searched for its continuation. There were bare spots along a cliff wall, filled with lava dust. We thought the trail might drop and follow the canyon wall, so we started down a very steep slope. After a hundred yards of dropping in unstable loose soil, we stopped, decided collectively that this couldn’t possibly be the PCT (only animal tracks followed this narrow path). We backtracked and Tabasco shot some points with oriented map and compass to determine our location (using Elimination Point as the key bearing). After studying the map we were convinced of our location and confirmed the steep drop, but backed ourselves several yards where we found the PCT making a broad switchback, and we were back on track.
The ibuprofen did a great job numbing my foot, so I was able to maintain normal thru-hiker pace as we hiked on. Around noon we stopped at a ford of the Sandy River, with rushing glacial melt to cross. Fortunately the water was low and we were able to cross dry, but this crossing can be treacherous or fatal at certain times of the year with high water levels. As we cooked some lunch I wondered out loud if we would make the 20 plus miles today. It was 1pm and we had only covered 7 ½ miles and my ankle was very swollen.
After lunch we dropped, then had our one big climb of the day, about 1500 feet on moderate to steep trail. Fortunately as the miles accumulated, the pain in my foot moved from the sides to the top of the foot, and as the afternoon wore on, felt better and better. From mid to late afternoon the trail flattened out and we were able to maintain a fast pace. The crystal blue sky, which had greeted us, had been replaced by gray skies and enough rain to force us to get out the rain gear and put our pack covers on. By 5:30pm, my foot had had enough, and Tabasco and I looked at camping options ahead. Having covered over 20 miles and with no good camping options in another hour of hiking, we decided to stop just beyond a junction with Huckleberry Mountain trail.
Quickly we set up camp as tiny raindroplets fell from the sky. While dinner was cooking I took advantage of a strong cell phone signal and called friends Thom Sumner and Chip “Creeper” Clardy back in Charlotte. I had to flee the log I was perched on for the tent to finish my dinner and make the phone calls when real rain set in for the evening. With a cool, but not cold night, I was able to get some journaling accomplished, until the Tylenol PM got me so sleepy I couldn’t continue. Despite another foot injury (I’ve had more than my fair share this year), it was a good hiking day around Mt. Hood and it’s surrounding hills. Today’s weather: sunny to rainy. Low 39, high 60. Today’s miles: 21.4, cumulative miles 1843.8.
