Day 125

Campsite to campsite - 27.1 miles (we technically should’ve done more but we got a hitch)

Total - 1929.2 miles

Last night I decided to sleep in shorts for the first time as the last couple of nights I’ve sweated my ass off and waking up because of it. Big mistake as it was cold. I was fine though but I could’ve been a teeny tiny bit more warm. But that’s why I’m named Goldilocks so I live up to the name. The moon was also so incredibly bright that I had to make a makeshift sleep mask out of my fleece sleeve. Very innovative and it did the trick. I woke up to everything slightly damp. What a great way to start the day by putting on a cold damp smelly ass sunshirt along with damp smelly socks and pants. Really puts ya in the mood to hike ya know? Marc and I got moving on schedule while rock had no movement in his tent. Classic. It was a cruisy 7 miles to shelter cove pretty much all down hill. We passed some lakes that developed fog on them which was pretty! We also paralleled a stream that reminded me of so many hikes in Washington so that felt like home. Eventually we got to the train track crossing with a loud ass train passing through. Luckily it was short and we made our way into shelter cove. Shelter cove is gorgeous and I would definitely come back just to hang out on a regular camping trip. The lake was huge and had a ton of boats on it despite it being 8 am. The sun was glistening off the surface too making it seem extra special. We set our stuff down and immediately got a resupply going and organized. Way too damn expensive for just 2.5 days. After I got that sorted I went to the grill and got myself a breakfast burrito as I was on the brink of murder from being so hangry. I ended up seeing spooky who we met in etna and chatted with her while we waited for our burritos. 10/10 taste but not big enough. Marc joined after a lil and got some breakfast which meant I had to get ice cream and a mocha at 9:30am. Wouldn’t change a damn thing. That ice cream sandwich hit the spot. After we hung around charging our stuff before heading back to the hiker area where a group of people were all hanging out. Sprinter, a guy that follows the bubble in a van and helps out, was offering rides to others to the trailhead which we immediately hopped onto. Cutting off another 2.7 miles? Oh hell yeah. What do I look like? A purist? Hell no. We met this dog right before leaving that was only scared of pct hikers. Fine with kids, other adults, and everything in between but when it comes to pct hikers, the dog got so nervous lol. I think it’s the smell. We chit chatted before piling in 8 people into Sprinter’s van and cruising up to the trailhead. He was slackpacking them 20 miles before picking them up again and bringing most of them to traildags tomorrow in cascade locks. Last time we saw sprinter was in mammoth, about 1000 miles ago so it was cool to see him again! Right before we left rocklicker showed up so we ended up leaving without him. Plus he’s a purist so he’s gonna walk it instead of hitch. Got to the trailhead and started hiking. Two big climbs which aren’t actually the big or steep but in oregon technically it’s a climb. Cruised up that in the green tunnel and called mom to say hi. Tried to call dad but I lost service by the time he got out of his meeting. Did I mention how excited I am to see her? Super excited!!!!!!!!! Nothing too excited during this stretch. I listened to the album Marc gave me which initially scared me as it’s so far outside my regular music taste but after the first couple of songs I kinda got into it. The album is “POST HUMAN:NeX GEn” by bring me the horizon. It’s metal and very Marc but I did find some songs enjoyable. I would love to listen to it in the car with a heavy bass. Could see myself head banging to it lol. I gave him my full review and I think he was very pleased. We then stopped for a water break and lunch. I am so goddamn tired of fucking bugs omg. I can’t eat in peace anymore without some stupid hornets disturbing my lunch break. They always go in your face and buzz horribly and just when you think they have finally left you alone, another fucker comes out of nowhere. Secondly, the ants are pissing me off as well. The big black carpenter ants make me want to scream sometimes. I’m starting to really enjoy flicking them into another dimension and hurling them through space and time. But somehow they always find a way back to my food and I’m so incredibly tired of always having to be on watch. I hate the thought of squishing them as I can see them pop under my fingers and that gives me the heebie jeebies so I can’t do that. I’m just sick of bugs. We got moving again and the next 7.2 miles felt slow so to pass the time I sang my lil songs. Eventually we made it to the lake that we planned on swimming at! Saw sprinter as this is where he was going to pick up the slack packers. Immediately hopped in to get all the sweat and dirt off. I washed my socks as they were so filthy that they would stand up on their own. I could knock them against a tree and I swear they would clink like metal. They had a layer of dirt so thick I could scrap off flakes. So I had to wash them. Plus one pair has some holes so I can’t use those anymore unless I want blisters. Which I don’t. We then decided to stick to our plan for once and only go 2.5 miles into a burn zone. Apparently the fire happened in 2022 but there is no growth whatsoever. It is so crisp out here that we can actually camp in the burn zone without worrying about widowmakers falling on us. It feels like an apocalypse truly. Kinda scary. The wind also picked up so we found a spot in a divot to mitigate the wind on our tents. Plus now it’s cold so I need a lil block from the wind. We ate dinner of two packets of ramen with a snickers bar (balanced diet of course) with the sight of the three sisters as our view. Tomorrow is a push to make our day into bend easier but I get to see mom so I will do anything lol. Rocklicker is supposed to be at camp but we will probably be asleep when he comes like usual.

Marc and I had a thought to create one of those plates that tell you portions of protein, carbs, grains, fruits, etc but for hikers. So far we got fat, sugar, and protein. Most of my diet is strictly candy I can’t lie and it’s glorious. I love sweets but I have never craved sweets so much in my life. I have a true sugar addiction and it’s going to be hard to break once I am done. Marc does too tho. For breakfast he bought a chocolate chip cookie, and two payday bars. At least there’s peanuts on the bars. It’s pretty foul out here diet wise.