Library is closing so I'm desperately trying to update everyone last minute so lemme try this...
intro: So again I've been spending library/internet time researching logistics, not updating blog, but I did mention a few details about what I've been doing in emails to Stephen, and since part of this story may involve meeting up with him on his vacation in Oregon, here's the gist of the emails (I trust he won't mind his "participation" being publicized here...)
email "edited transcript":
around Aug 4 I left phone msg w/ Stephen from Cascade Locks, asking about his travel plans
at Aug 5 1pm Stephen replied: (edited)
Hey dad,
I just listened to your message. We've worked out most of our road trip, and in light of the fires that keep popping up in the Eastern Cascades we've limited our time on that side and given ourselves more time on the coast and in Portland. After Portland we'll just be driving by the Cascades and stopping to sleep a night each near Bend and somewhere in southern Oregon, then to Shasta and back home.
I don't think it will make sense to try to meet you somewhere. So, if the only thing keeping you from going to Washington is the possibility of saying hi to us, you should go on to Washington.
I'll take a look at the blog to see what you've been up to. Happy hiking.
at 6pm Aug 5 I replied:
I'm well into Washington now. Spent yesterday at the east side of Mt
St Helens, and this morning at the west side, and think I am now
heading to the west side of Mt Reineir, then across to the east side
tomorrow, then a new decision to make - do I head south to the Mt
Adams area (picking up on the PCT road-crossing & bike route survey I
was trying to do before getting totally off course at Mt St Helens, or
do I "follow" the PCT north, then likely just do an out&back backpack
to the Canadian border, then hike my way back south. Probably the
latter would be most efficient, but probably I "miss out" on meeting
up with some CNPS friends who were talking about meeting me for the
border crossing, probably in September. And, of course I've probably
already missed the opportunity to cross paths with you. But, I'm open
to change my course...
As far as my experience with smoke, as I think I mentioned in my blog,
it cleared out not that far north of Crater Lake (though that may have
been a change in wind direction than distance on the ground - donno.)
It's been getting progressively less hazy as well, though that again
may be weather, not distance.
When are you actually going?
I might have some recommended routes and what to expect there. I did
go through Bend, but in the other direction, from Crater Lake.
One off-hand suggestion might be to take Hwy 30 from Portland area
(not 84 which will blow you by everything interesting) eastward along
the Colombia Gorge, being sure to stop at the several waterfalls (hard
to miss if you're on 30; I was there late afternoon and the sun lit up
the falls nicely. be prepared to take a dip in the pool at the bottom
of horsetail falls.) The Bonneville dam might be worth a half hour (or
a bit more if you take the tour...) and at Cascade Locks there's an
"island-park" for a picnic with nice views.)
If you did think you had a day to spare at that point, a trip north
to Mt St Helens (east side - much better than the west side, IMO)
would be worth the probably 2-3 hrs each way there & back. Cross at
Cascade Locks, briefly east on 14 to Carson, north there on the "Wind
River Hwy" following signs to Mt St Helens. Stop at the Fish hatchery
info booth about a half hour after Carson to get good free maps.
You'll pass about three FS campgrounds along that road, camp at one of
these for an early start next day at the Volcano. Once in the park,
you hit a "T" with a FS info station a short distance on the left, but
then take the right branch and then Road 99 to the end at Spirit Lake,
stay for one of the early afternoon talks, and walk up the stairs to
the ridge overlooking spirit lake (and good views of Mt Adams. I
walked along that ridge a ways, going from barren ground to full lush
vegetation, with views of Spirit Lake the whole time. In the
afternoon, backtrack to Cascade locks, though it might make sense to
camp again at one of those FS campgrounds.
From Hood River, head south on 35, past Mt Hood (would be in good
light in the morning from that side) then 26 to... um... eventually,
Bend... I was zigzagging past all the PCT road-crossings along the
"Crest" through central Or, but you'd probably continue southeast to
Madras then 97 to Bend.
From Bend, you might consider taking 46 west, past Mt Bachelor and
views of the Three Sisters from a very scenic lake-dotted meadowey
valley before 46 turns south for quite a scenic while, then bends east
back to hwy 97 at Crescent.
Finally, if you haven't already hit Crater Lake on the way up, it
would be a shame to just pass it by just a few miles east of there on
97, so just take that 20 mile jog west on 138 then south into the
north entrance to Crater Lake. There is some construction with
one-way-road delay on the west leg of the rim road, so you might
consider going clockwise around the east side first (maybe taking the
I think 8 mile side-trip to the Pinnacles (and a 20 minute walk to
view those interesting features,) but then also continuing part way
around the south-west side for the must-see views of spirit island
from that side (but turning around before you hit the construction at
the northwest side of the rim loop.) Exit the park via 62 to the
southeast (you'll want to stop at the Annie Falls Overlook along that
road, but then at Ft Klamath take 34 along the west shore of Klamath
Lake (should have nice late-afternoon light of idyllic pasture land
and marshy wetland,) then 140 (south) east back to 97 at Klamath
Falls.
Of course you should budget at least a half day to Crater with all the
stops you'll make around the rim. Assuming you've overnighted at Bend,
with an early start you could do the 46 loop past mt Bachelor & the
Sisters with good morning light on the peaks), and be in Crater lake
by midday, Klamath Falls by evening. I'm assuming you'll likely be
hotelling more than camping. I would also argue it would be better on
Abe and parents' mood to have frequent breaks than be crunched up in a
car seat hours nonstop, no matter everyone's state of tiredness.
Well, I did get some picts downloaded here in Chehalis off of I5,
which has been my 1st wifi opportunity in a while, though I didn't
want to spend much daylight here. Now I want to catch Mt Rainier by
evening light, so will postpone updating my Blog for the last few days
probably for another few days, given I won't be near any large towns
for an upcoming while. I may not get any reply you send for a few
days...
at 4pm Aug 7 I emailed a followup:
just another update on where I'm at (physically, mentally and planning-wise.)
I'm at the library in Randle. I was expecting to upload a bunch of
awesome picts form my drive (and half-day walk) at Mt Raineir, but it
seems the CF card that I just pulled out of my camera taking picts OK
all day today, plugged into my computer "corrupted", and recovery
program showing nothing to recover. This is a bit devastating, to say
the least... I was setting myself up to do a pretty ambitious bike
ride beginning tomorrow and hike about 6 days, from just north of Mt
Adams to east-north east of Mt Rainier. Now I may hold off some
because I'm unsure about the state of my CF cards (some others I've
tested just now also had some weird behavior, and I'm beginning to
wonder whether my last picture loss that I blamed on a "disk crash" is
acually CF-card related. My cards may be at the end of their lifetime
maybe (I've used them heavily for several years now.) I need to try to
sort that out first!)
The main reason I'm emailing you this rather than just update my blog
is because there may still be an opportunity to bump into each other,
depending on when you are heading back from your vacation.
In my last email I was assuming my "momentum" would find my further
north in Washington by now, but the circumstances (timing of where I'm
at at the moment and what I could "optimally" do next seems to have
headed me south. The "section" I'm about to do (was about to do?)
started off as a short overnight just east of mt Rainier, but in
looking at how it would fit into adjacent sections I would have to
then do, It's become larger, and now has me starting half way back to
the Colombia River Gorge, meaning that a "next logical" section would
be from Cascade Locks to just north of Mt Adams. So, depending on the
timing, It might not be out of my way to meet you at Cascade Locks (or
thereabouts.)
I know you probably told me verbally when your trip was, but I
didn't really process what you said. When are you going/returning?
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