8/12/20; mile: 1,714; elevation: 5,200 ft.
It’s finally here, a change of state. California is done. And the icing on the cake is that I got to Ashland a day earlier than planned, with a little cheating involved.
I was up and gone before Polar Bear and Bambi, but not by much. Not soon after leaving camp, I came across Rong Way in his tent still. We chatted a bit (I really like his Tigerwall tent compared to mine) and he expressed his need/desire to hit a dispensary in Ashland, he was “dry”. I pulled out my wallet of trail “currency” and paid it forward. Probably not up to his standards, but any port in a storm as the saying goes. I’ve never seen a thru hiker turn down a ride, food, booze or weed. I’m just happy I could help a dude out. Not only does it lighten my load (OK, that’s a pipe dream….) but I still like to be a Savior.
It’s only a couple of miles from camp to the Oregon border. Along the way is an old log cabin being restored by volunteers who normally offer trail magic to hikers during high season. But not during Covid. Ahh, the theme of a thru hike this year. Fuck Covid. While Bambi and Polar Bear divert to the cabin to use the outhouse, I continue on to the border. It’s non-descript excepting the sign and logbook housing next to the trail. I pulled out some of my valuables (candy and weed) to share with my hiking friends to celebrate. Polar Bear and Bambi had a flask of bourbon. Rong Way finally showed up to make it a party so to speak. It seems weird to be so happy about a geo-political boundary like this as opposed to something significant like a major pass or river; something provided by nature to signify a change of location. This is just a spot on the trail. But in our thru-hiker minds, this is significant. We’re done with California. On to the green tunnel of Oregon.
Of course, it isn’t instantaneous like that. The next several miles looks just like the previous several miles. It’s ridge walking with sun exposures broken up by areas of shade. Water is again sporadic but not too far apart. The closer you get to I-5, you start to see more infrastructure and then homes. And then indications of a ski resort. No snow now of course, so the area is empty of ski traffic. One of the home along the way provides a picnic table and water faucet, which is a nice reprieve from collecting and filtering water.
Along this last stretch, I’ve been in contact with Sarah and Peter. They were scheduled to pick me up tomorrow morning after checking into our hotel in Ashland, but they’re very close to the offramp that leads to the road that I just happen to be paralleling right now. To save them time from having to come back tomorrow, I suggest they get off the freeway now and pick me up a little early from official I-5 trail crossing. Great idea for all involved except for the construction which has closed the offramp for them, so they had to go several miles onwards only to turn around and come back to get me…..and Rong Way. During this time, he caught up with me and I told him of my plans so I offered him a ride to town.
Sarah and Peter eventually got back to the exit and proceeded to make it to the pin drop I sent them. By this time, Rong Way and I were done walking and were just chilling by the side of the road waiting for our personal Uber. Since they didn’t get to go to the hotel to unload their shit, the car was very packed. Poor Peter and Sarah having to deal with two stinky-ass hikers and their backpacks. God bless their souls (and noses). The drive to Ashland was longer than I thought, but at this point it didn’t matter since I wasn’t setting up my tent and cooking some dried/dehydrated mush on the trail. There’s a shower, beer, restaurants and a bed very soon in my future. Not that beds work well for me now that I’ve gotten used to sleeping on my pad in the dirt. But there’s beer!
Ahh, town stops. Time to relax and rest, right? No need to walk, no miles to make. All you have to do is rest, eat, do your laundry, eat, shop for your upcoming food drops, eat, mail off your resupply boxes, eat, repair your clothing/gear, eat, spend time with your family (eating of course), then eat some more.
The first night in town, I discovered how messed up my feet really were. I’ve worn Birkenstocks for years, yet now the loosey-goosey fit was wreaking havoc with my toes. I had to tighten the straps to keep the tips of my toes from striking the front of the foot bed. Curious. As much as I liked hiking in the Hoka’s I got in Shasta, part of my plan for this hike was to switch back to my old reliable Altra Timp’s that I used at the beginning of this little sojourn. Oregon is not as steep, not as high, and no snow. This is where you do big miles. What takes months to get through California, some try to finish Oregon in less than 4 weeks.
So, here’s to a couple of zeros to get my act together, rest my body and mind and oh ya, spend time with my family.
Savior out.