PCT: OR Section F - Sentiam Pass to Timberline Lodge (Highway 242 to Highway 35)
Day 129 - 9/12/25 - Big Lake, Smaller Day
Distance: 19.7
Mile Start / End: 1987 - 2006.7
Weather: Sunny, clear
End Location: Summit Lake
Lessons Learned:
Woke up around 6 a.m.
Hurkle durkled until 6:30 a.m.
Thought about going back to bed.
Decided to get moving.
Ate breakfast in the tent, packed up, and left around 7:30 a.m.
8 miles to Big Lake Youth Camp
For the first time in 3 days, it was finally clear and I could see more than 50 yards in front of me
Mt. Washington looked spectacular in the morning light.
I descended the lava field, which was brutal, and then climbed back up the hill towards Mt. Washington.
The sun shined, and I opened my shirt and rolled up my sleeves. I felt good to be warm and sweat again.
Looking back, I finally got a view of the Sisters Range and Mt. Bachelor.
Maybe it was for the best that I couldn’t see them yesterday. I definitely would’ve gone for a summit and wouldn’t have hiked as many miles.
I decided I would do WA southbound and with my parents arriving in 3 days, wherever they pick me up is where my Terminus will be, so I need to get as many miles in as possible.
I’d wanted Cascade Locks to be my terminus, but now I’m shooting for Timberline Lodge. It wouldn’t be bad to end the PCT with a buffet.
Walked past Mt Washington and got a closer and better view
View of 3-fingered Jack at the junction for Big Lake, 10:40 a.m.
1 more mile
Arrived at 11 a.m.
Friko and a couple of section hiking OR, David and Jen
New shoes and resupply box there
Heated up water and made a mysterious hiker box freeze dried meal, likely sausage and chicken with rice, pretty good
Chores, shower, and laundry
Chilled with Hopper and Showgirl
Left at 5:20 p.m.
Gonna try for 9 miles to Summit Lake
New shoes felt amazing
Made it to the road, Santiam Pass, around 6:50 p.m.
4.5 miles left
Entered Mt Jefferson Wilderness
Uphill with house music
Kate bushed it
Sisyphean Sunset
Chatted with some climbers that just did 3 Finger Jack and we’re heading down.
They said Thielsen was sketchier.
Hmm… idea incepted.
Surely I can’t do 3 Finger Jack and hike for 24 hours tomorrow, that would be ridiculous.
But maybe.
Made it to Lake around 8:30 a.m. in the dark.
Many weekend backpackers here
Damn it’s Friday… I didn’t even realize 😅
Found a spot by some guys having a fire, didn’t realize the burn was lifted🤔
Boiled water for the Kung Poa chicken meal that Friko gave me.
Set up tent.
Ate by the water in silence, the stars were amazing.
First time in a few days to see them too, lovely 😌
Went to bed around 9:30 p.m.
Plan is to wake up at 3:30 a.m. and start the 24-hour challenge, hoping to get 60 miles😅
Day 130 - 9/13/25 - 24 Hour Challenge, Jefferson Park
Distance: 42 miles
Mile Start / End: 2006.7 - 2048.7
Weather: sunny then moody and windy
End Location: Ollalie Lake
Lessons Learned: Hiking for 24 hours straight is as hard as it seems
Woke up before alarm at 3:07am - and so it begins.
The 24 hour challenge starts now, and I will end at 3:07am tomorrow.
Weird dream right before I woke up… I wish the brain could come up with different faces.
Packed up, Breaky, left 3:55am.
1st hour no music.
Resumed PCT trail 4:15am.
Quiet and moonlit.
Orion’s Belt and 3-fingered Jack hung out high above.
“Melting Lights” by pigeons stuck in head, so played it.
Top of climb 5:35am.
Great view of Jack.
Down
Passed some hunters with focus in their eyes.
“Did you scope anything for us?” They asked.
“No, not this morning,” but told them about the deer I saw last night by Summit Lake
Mt Jefferson at sunrise.
An immaculate sunrise, a big red glowing ball.
Sat on a cliff overlooking Wasco Lake and enjoyed the view.
Though about obsidian falls again.
Even obsidian
can fade
Into oblivion;
As a memory cools,
A clear stream pools
And washes away
With the current
Of a dream
Uphill.
Beautiful lighting.
Break at rock pile lake, majestic.
2nd Breaky and made coffee to go.
Have gone 10 miles already.
Will try to make it 12 miles to Miller Creek for lunch.
Shirley Lake and Swallow Lake.
Surely Shirley Swallows Lake 😅😂
I know this area. A friend of mine flew out from Boston and we backpacked a loop around here. Feels good to know the land.
Buddha Pod.
Dignity of stillness.
Forest of people.
Delusion divides stillness into turmoil.
Enlightenment is without good and bad.
Walk from the Harra.
A spinning wheel, the center is still - that is the mind.
Liberty through motion.
Met German hiker Gearhead cleaning up his path from skipped fire sections from PCT 2022.
Closer and closer to Mt. Jeffy.
Just a beautiful crisp autumn day.
“You will never see a hearse with a trailer hitch”, love that verse.
The mushies are back.
Harvested King Bolete but as I was trimming realized it was a bit moldy and discarded it.
Gearhead passed me but then paced with me and we chatted about the trail and life.
He just got done with the CDT.
We hiked down and stopped at Shale Lake and had lunch together.
He left and I went for a swim, needing the cold to jump-start me for the next 12-hour shift 😅
I remember being at this lake with my friends a few years ago, but we had caught it in the morning.
Either way, it’s still one of the best views of Jeffy you can get.
Left around 2 p.m.
Olallie Lake in 23 miles.
Have already done 20 miles.
Maples are green but some are already turning red.
Remembered more about the trip from a few years ago.
Armani, Lucas Le, Brandon, and Cobalt - what an interesting squad 😅
We talked about Armani’s kombucha starter, got stung by hornets, and I foraged my first wild mushroom on a backpacking trip: chicken of the woods / sulphur shelf.
I boiled it and put it in my stir fry - it wasn’t very good but I was glad it didn’t kill me😂
Very tired upon arriving at Miller Creek.
Filled up water.
Some guy with a complete disregard for personal space got way too close to me and told me about rain coming tonight around 9 p.m.
Didn’t remember asking him lol.
When I looked at the forecast yesterday, it said it would rain in morning.
I hate when people give me unsolicited advice, especially when it conflicts with my thoughts.
Left at 4:30 p.m.
Uphill.
All burnt to shit.
But fun hiking.
The second wind kicked in and I put on some groovy house music.
As soon as I entered Jefferson Park, the views got insane.
Silty streams like milk flowed downward.
I realized mountains have an inherently seductive nature.
So beautiful, dangerous and fickle
But can’t escape the idea that if you try hard enough you can be happy
“La Vie en Rose” sung in French by Lady Gaga serenaded the moment
Bickering winds blew.
Passed nice people with a dog, pet the dog.
Explained I was doing the 24-hour challenge, they were surprised at how chipper I was 😅
Indecisive and conflicted about where and when to have dinner with the energy in the wind and clouds.
But filled up water at a stream by Park Butte, 1 mile from the top.
Then dinner at a protected spot with a decent view of the sunset’s peach glow reflecting on Jefferson.
I’ve walked 30 miles today.
Changed into warm clothes and night hiking gear.
Left at 8:15 p.m.
12.5 more miles to Olallie Lake
8:55pm, Top of Jefferson Park, exited park through lava rock
Windy af
This was some intense hiking lol
Just kept going
Dropping a glove while peeing
Realized pretty quickly and went back for it
Exhaustion was showing its ugly face
Made it to Ollalie Lake around 1:00am
My feet were absolutely cooked
Filled up water, grabbed hiker box ramen
Saw Showgirl passed out
Bed 2:35am
Didn’t make it the full 24 hours but fuck it, I was exhausted
Turns out hiking for 24 hours straight is as hard as it seems 🥲 …lesson learned
Day 131 - 9/14/24 - Sore, Wet, and Cold
Distance: 19.6
Mile Start / End: 2048.7 - 2068.3
Weather: Rainy, Cold
End Location: Spring at Warm Springs Reservation
Lessons Learned:
Started at 10 a.m.
Was in a surprisingly good mood to start off
Thought about my plan to go SOBO through WA
It was definitely unconventional, but I was excited to pass a bunch of people I had met during my time on the trail
Thought about leaving gifts for some people at the terminus
With the red-blonde beard, I already look like Chris Kringle, I might as well live up to my appearance😅
Every now and then,
You meet a person
And quickly know,
That life would worsen
If you never took the chance
To make them smile
Just one more time
Before you walk
The other way
Light rain
Then heavy rain
Cold and wet
Dense evergreen forest with huckleberries, no views
Didn’t write much due to having gloves on
Was annoyed by the weather and the water falling off the huckleberry bushes and soaking my shoes and socks
Shouted profanities but kept going
Eventually got too cold to keep going
After 10 miles, I stopped for lunch under the shelter of a spruce tree
Changed into fleece and jacket
Made a hot meal that I got from Olallie Lake Resort
Someone wasn’t going to be able to pick up their box, so the store owner disbursed the contents to Showgirl and me
Pretty sure it was the peak meal venison, which I added instant mashed potatoes to, delicious
Draped a rain jacket over my legs while I ate
Was still cold but felt better
Kept going, only 10 more miles to a spring for possible camp
Listened to a podcast about a high school climbing group that got stuck in a snowstorm on Mt. Hood, which also made me feel better
At least I wasn’t trapped in a snow cave in freezing temps😅
As I walked, the green, wet moss told me I was in a good spot for mushrooms
Chanterelles (more white than orange) began popping up around the trail
They were mostly underground, probably trying to stay warm, but dug out a few and threw them in my side pocket
Made it to the spring around 7 p.m.
Showgirl was lying under his tarp.
My legs and feet were shot from the 24-hour challenge yesterday.
Wanted to go farther, but with being sore, wet, and cold, this seemed like a fine place to stop.
My parents were picking me up tomorrow, and I had wanted to meet them at Timberline Lodge, but that was 30 miles away.
Timothy Lake was only 10 miles away and still accessible by car.
So I messaged them on Garmin and told them that Timothy Lake was the new rendezvous.
Ate dinner in the tent to stay warm.
Sautéed some more chanterelles and made a bomb with what I had left: ramen, potatoes, and the rest of the venison peak meat, yum.
The chanterelles go great with that venison meal.
Watched an episode of Geordie Shore while I ate dinner and went to bed just after 8:30 p.m.
Day 132 - 9/15/25 - Meet the Parents
Distance: 11 miles
Mile Start / End: 2068.3 - 2079
Weather: foggy then sunny
End Location: Bend, OR
Lessons Learned: wet gloves are better than no gloves
Set alarm for 5am
Snoozed until 5:30am, it was really cold out
The rain from yesterday made it a damp cold that chilled my bones
Ate cinnamon bun in bed and made coffee to go
Wanted to heat up the coffee but knew that hiking would warm me up faster
Packed up and left with Showgirl around 6:30am
I wore my tights, fleece, and rain jacket
I told Showgirl we could give him a ride to Bend if he wanted and after the few days of rain we’d endured, he thought that sounded like a good idea
The plan was to meet my parents at Timothy Lake around 10:30am and hopefully drive up to the Timberline Lodge in time for the breakfast buffet
It was foggy, damp, and cold but luckily not raining
My gloves were wet from yesterday so I didn’t put them on to start
But my fingers were freezing
So I put them on even though they were wet and instantly felt better
I guess wet gloves are better than no gloves… lesson learned
They hiking was pretty typical for OR, tall evergreen trees with huckleberry and blueberry bushes below
I listened to music and then finished a podcast
Showgirl and I made it to Highway 57 just before 10am and walked the road towards Timothy Lake
I told my parents to meet us at Hood View Campground on the South Shore
As we walked the road we saw a campground called Oak Fork and joked that it sounded like a Minnesota person saying “oh fuck”
A red jeep Cherokee, drove past and came to a quick stop and turned into the campground, “Oak Fork I think that was the turn!” I joked, imitating what the people in the car might’ve been saying
The Cherokee turned around and I recognized the faces in the car
It was my parents!
I ran over to give them a hug
It was so good to see them 😌
My parents said they hardly recognized me hahaha
But they liked my tights😂
My dad gave us some pastries, then we all piled in the car, and left for Timberline Lodge
We made it to Timberline Lodge just after 11am and were informed that the breakfast buffet was over
Sad
But there was another restaurant there so we grabbed seats there
I went downstairs to use the restroom and bumped into Cecilia and then we walked around and looked for Will
Caught up with them and then introduced them to my parents
My dad had bought a ton of snacks and told me to give down and give them to them
I was extremely hungry and just wanted to sit and eat but agreed and left my order with my mom
Showgirl and I walked down with them through the parking lot and back down to the car
Loaded them up on snacks: beef jerky, pbjs, fig newtons, pastries, Pringles, etc
My dad had done a decent job shopping but faltered when he bough Diet Cascade Ice, which had no calories
Burning thousands of calories each day, the hikers declined the empty but flavorful drinks
We sent Will and Cecilia on their way and went back up to eat
The food was delicious, I got the tri-tip sandwich with a Dr Pepper, then ate whatever my parents couldn’t finish
We left the Timberline Lodge around 1pm and headed towards Bend
