Ashland to Cascade Locks (mile 1727 – 2155)

Oregon was a long time coming but our time here has flown by…it’s just 17 days since we left Ashland and here we are looking out over the Columbia river preparing for the final leg of our journey – Washington awaits.

When we first entered Oregon we were a little disappointed. Where was the ‘flat’ Oregon we’d been promised? And why was it so darn hot?! However as we’ve hiked North we’ve fallen more and more in love with this wonderful state.

image

We’ve seen spectacular glacier covered volcanoes, craggy lavafields resembling Mordor, crystal blue lakes, luscious rainforest with incredible lichens and beautiful meadows filled with purple lupins which smelled divine.

image

image

Sisters Wilderness is possibly our favourite area of our journey so far and Crater lake is magnificent; truly a sight to behold. On top of all these geographical wonders we’ve drank some of the best water on the trail here…spring water straight from the source. How will we adjust to chemical tasting tap water again?!

image

The seasons are definitely changing now. We’re starting to see the colours of autumn and the mornings/evenings are getting colder. We’ve woken up several days with a ‘crunchy’ ice-covered tent. It’s much harder to get out of our warm, cosy sleeping bags on a cold morning but something we’ll have to get used to in Washington no doubt!

Physically we were feeling pretty beaten down coming out of Ashland and the journey ahead felt like a pretty overwhelming prospect. We decided to take things steady through Oregon to avoid burnout and it seems to have paid off. We have numerous aches and pains, and nappy rash cream has become an essential item (!), but we’re feeling much better than we were and that little monument at the Canadian border is within our reach.

It’s been a strange feeling this last couple of days as we’ve mailed out our final food packages and sent a big box of hiking stuff back home…the beginning of the end of our big adventure. And what an adventure it’s been! We’re excited to experience the wonders of Washington and we can also start looking forward to seeing family and friends again. All is good!