Day 113 – Grim!

August 17
Miles hiked today – 21.0
Camped at mile  – 2101.0

I got up at 5:45 am and was on trail at 6:30 am. We had to hike 14 miles to reach Timberline Lodge where I needed to pick up my resupply box and a box from home. While there we would also eat lunch.  The first nine miles were pretty easy, but the last five were a pretty big up.

Not long into our hike we could see a nice view of Mount Hood with clouds in the valley in front of it. It was very pretty. It was hard to get a good picture because of the trees. 

While we were hiking Frank said he hoped he could get a milk shake when we reached the lodge today. Each time we’ve been on our way to a lodge, resort or store Frank has said he was going to get a milk shake. So today when he said it I told him his trail name should be Milk Shake, but I think he plans to stick with Frank.

A little further up trail I saw a guy hiking south towards me. I stepped off trail to let him pass and I said good morning.  He walked up to me to shake hands and said, “I’m Grim.” I realized then that he was a guy I had met on my AT thru-hike in 2013. I had hiked with him for a week or more and saw him off and on for a couple months.  We hugged and I told him it was awesome to run in to him. I didn’t know he was hiking the PCT this year, southbound at that. He did the Continental Divide Trail last year so when he finishes the PCT he will have completed the triple crown, that’s when you have hiked the AT, CDT and the PCT.  We talked for several minutes.  It was really great to see him again.  I wish I had more time to spend with him, but we were headed in opposite directions,  and Frank and I needed to reach the Lodge in time for the lunch buffet.  This is Grim and me.

After we completed most of the big up, we were getting much closer to Mount Hood. The second picture is of Frank and another guy a little further up trail.

When I was able to see Timberline Lodge I felt an extra burst of energy because I knew I would soon be eating a great lunch.  Actually reaching the Lodge was great. It is a pretty structure. It was built in 1936 and is a National Historic Landmark.  Exterior shots of the lodge were used in the 1980 movie The Shining.

Mount Hood set directly behind the lodge.

When we went inside we saw a lot of thru-hikers. It was awesome! I first saw Blue Moon, we talked for a few minutes before he headed out. He had got here this morning in time for breakfast.  I also saw Red Riding Hood, Scrapbook,  Woodchuck  (I hadn’t seen her for two months), Texas, Term, Candy Man, Sour, Swag, Young Blood, Irish Matt, Queen Bee, Bath Dance, Rock Bitter, Hollywood and 500. I’m sure I forgot a few additional names. It’s always nice when we bunch up and get to visit with people we’ve got to know over the course of our hike.

The building was beautiful inside. They even had a staff member giving tours to groups of visitors. Frank and I  went to the dinning room to have the lunch buffet,  we sat with Irish Matt and Queen Bee.

The four of us all ate a tremendous amount of food. I had two large plates full of food along with several small deserts and I had one waffle. I was so stuffed that if I ate one more bite I know I would have got sick. I slowly made my way to the lobby and sat on a couch. Frank wasn’t feeling to well either. He laid down on another couch as he rebounded from the large meal. I have never been a fan of the buffet, and now I remember why – I always eat too much.

I then got my mail drop boxes at the gift shop next door. I brought them back to the lobby where I organized my food and maps so that frank and I could get back on trail.

I checked cell phone for text messages and saw one from Morning Glory. She said that the interview she did of me for a podcast on Sounds of the Trail was available to be heard. I didn’t know anything about podcast so Frank showed me how to get it on my phone. It was cool to hear it, Morning Glory did a nice job doing the interview.

At about 4:00 pm we left the lodge and got back on trail. Frank got a little ahead of me so I ran up one hill to catch him.

We hiked for about seven miles when we saw a nice place to camp.  We would get to see a nice sunset behind a series on mountain ranges.  500 got to our spot a little later. The three of us talked for an hour or more as we enjoyed the view. I started to feel hungry so I ate tuna and Ramen and had a handful of Sour Patch Kids. From where I was cowboy camping I could watch the sunset. There weren’t any clouds in the sky so the sunset wasn’t spectacular,  but it was still beautiful.