I finished Oregon with Spooky, a kiwi I met near the start of Oregon. We’ve been hiking together since Bend, OR. We’ve got similar mileage goals, and get along easily.

In Cascade locks I met up with my parents. Seeing them at the end of Oregon was nice. We got a motel with room for spooky and took a day off there. Though the day wasn’t restful, as most of it was planning, buying and packing resupply boxes for Washington. Washington is the most remote section of the trail, and comes upon very few true “towns”. So I shipped 3 boxes, and hoped it would be enough.

The next morning I said goodbye to my parents, and crossed the Bridge of the Gods, and the Colombia River. This is a pretty iconic part of the trail.

Spooky’s tongue started hurting 2 days ago, and he thinks he might have scurvy.

I’m at the Kraker Barrel right now. Not the restaurant, but a gas station in Naches, WA with the same name but different spelling. I picked up my bear can that I’ve shipped at Lake Tahoe, which I’ll carry the last 350 miles of the trail. I’ve also started seeing SOBOS (SouthBound hikers). The permits for going southbound are only given out June-July, so these people would have been hiking just under a month. It’s odd seeing 20 people I’ve never seen before, after recognizing nearly everybody else I’ve seen while hiking north. They’re also so … Fresh. They aren’t nearly as dirty as I am, and they have a lot more hope in their eyes. They’re so far from finishing, to them it’s still the start of this great adventure.

I’m enjoying Washington, Goat Rocks was the first time since the Sierra’s that I was breathless.

I’m looking forward to seeing what else Washington has to offer, but with the end so close I’m also looking forward to finishing.

Thanks for being a fan, Noah