Hard rain pelted the roof of the Government Camp condominium all night long. I couldn’t get much excited about a soggy cold hike, but the fact that today the long journey would end was a powerful force that motivated me to get up and going to meet Tabasco at our appointed 7:30am time. Debi drove me to the roadside rendezvous point and when we arrived, Tabasco emerged donned in rain gear with pack on his back and tent and ground cloth in hand. He ducked inside the car to escape the driving rain for a few moments, arranging his pack with a few necessary items and leaving behind pointless gear to lighten the load.
We began our seven mile road hike with rain that never abated. Miles flew by and soon we reached a trailhead parking lot where the PCT crossed Hwy 26. We both sought temporary refuge from the deluge in separate bathrooms, where I ate a snack and made some adjustments to my pack. Now on the PCT, Tabasco and I continued a brisk pace just to avoid certain hypothermia if we paused for any length of time for a break. After a couple miles we warmed, though my hands were cold and numb and useless except to hold on to my hiking poles as I pushed forward.
After 5 trail miles we crossed Hwy 35 and began the final 5 mile ascent to the Timberline Lodge on the face of Mt. Hood. I knew that the 2000 foot climb out of forest into exposed lava fields would mean deteriorating conditions to hike in. Two miles into the climb we encountered patches of snow, which soon became dominant along and on the trail. We stopped for a minute and I successfully got one glove on my right hand, but couldn’t get a glove onto my left hand. Not wanting to stand still any longer in the horrible weather conditions, we resumed our ascent and soon broke out above treeline to the exposed face of Mt. Hood.
Now hiking in deepening snow, the trail became obscure in places and our pace slowed as we worked to take steps and to battle the heavy wind blowing pelting rain into our face. With extremely low visibility I had no idea how much longer we would have to endure the near blizzard conditions except that my altimeter gave me a clue that we were nearing the same elevation as the Timberline Lodge at almost 6000 feet. We forded two engorged streams choked with debris and mud with combined snow and glacier melt as well as runoff from the enduring rainstorm. Thankfully we were just below the snow level, else we would have been trudging through a foot or more of fresh snow on top of the snow already laying deep on the trail.
The trail traversed deep cuts on the steep face of Mt. Hood and I kept thinking that soon this would be over and I relished thinking about the warm fireplace in the lodge. Around 12:30pm Tabasco and I reached a PCT sign on the trail which was laying flat against the ground. It looked familiar to me and I stopped and gazed down the slope of the mountain. Faintly, so faintly, I made out a dark silhouette of a large building. The Lodge!!! We were done!!! I exclaimed that we were done to Tabasco, who by now also had realized that we were back to our starting point on the PCT, where just a few weeks ago we had hiked north to the Washington border. We managed to shoot a brief video before retreating the 200 yards down to the welcome sight of the Lodge.
Inside now, we walked straight to the huge fireplace that was being carefully tended by a Lodge employee. We stood by the warmth for several minutes, trying to warm our frozen hands as the water dripped from our soaked bodies to the stone floor. I left the fireplace for the men’s bathroom to run hot water over my still numb hands for several minutes. I returned to the fireplace, then went upstairs to find Debi, whose car I had seen as we hiked into the Lodge. She was sitting comfortably by another fireplace, writing as I approached. We hugged in warm excited embrace and she congratulated me on finishing this amazing adventure.
I returned to Tabasco to bring him upstairs for a celebratory drink at the bar. Debi presented us both a card of congratulations, then the three of us sat down on bar stools and drank a cold beer. We left the Lodge and drove down to Government Camp for hot showers and a hearty lunch at the Huckleberry Inn. We relaxed the balance of the afternoon, waiting for Tabasco’s friend, Allison, to arrive from her drive from Seattle. When she arrived, the celebration continued with drinks at Charlie’s Bar in the center of the Camp village. Tabasco and I celebrated with an Irish Car Bomb, now a tradition, I suppose, at the end of a long distance hike, just as we had done in Millinocket, ME, at the end of our AT journey.
We returned to the condo for the balance of the evening where we had a few more drinks and talked about various memories of our journey. I was exhausted, relieved, and sad, all at the same time that the journey has ended. Soon I will write a final entry to try and capture some of the feelings and memories and highlights of this memorable time of my life, following my heart’s desire to hike the long trail from Mexico to Canada. One last report on the day’s weather and miles covered. Today’s weather: heavy rain, wind, cold, nasty, unforgettable. Low 39, high 39. Today’s miles: 17.0; cumulative miles, 2267.0.
