Day 91, Muddy Fork to Timberline Lodge

The trail from our campsite was easy and flat for a short distance, then gradually climbed to Sandy River.

The day warmed quickly. I struggled with my energy and sweated a lot, but I think Dave, Dane, and Austin were feeling the weather too. We didn’t move fast at first.

True to its name, there was a lot of sand on Sandy River's wide banks, but there were also many boulders. We spent several minutes walking up and down the river, looking for a suitable place to cross.

With so many boulders around, we kept thinking there was bound to be a place to rock hop across the stream, so we continued to look. Many spots appeared at first as if they might work, but the rocks were either unstable or weren’t placed ideally for hopping across.

Eventually, we found a place where someone had laid a couple of branches to bridge between some rocks. They had also tied a rope across the stream, but this was not needed.

I began to think while I walked about how I was going to handle the next couple of days. At about noon, I stopped when I came to an overlook of a broad valley carved long ago by a glacier from Mt. Hood. I needed time to look at my options in the trail guide.

I considered a camping spot near Timberline Lodge, which included the rare benefit of having a strong cell signal. The downside of camping here was it was an exposed area. Being a warm day as it was, that might not be pleasant, especially if I was going to be here two days.

I also rejected this option because there were no showers available to hikers without checking into a room at the lodge, and that would be pricey.

There were a few cheaper options in the town of Government Camp and I discovered a shuttle bus was available to get there. I decided to call Huckleberry Inn and reserve a room for two nights. Chances are, I thought, I’d find Growler or another hiker who would be willing to split the cost with me, so I reserved a room with two beds.

At any rate, this would be more comfortable than camping on an exposed part of the mountain. And as a bonus, the Huckleberry Inn had laundry facilities.

I knew I was near the lodge when I saw a ski chairlift. This one wasn’t running, but skiing takes place all year long on Mt. Hood because some of the glaciers are skiable.

Finally, the views of the mountain were good. For most of the day it wasn't possible to see the peak, despite being so close to it.

When I arrived at the lodge at 2:15 p.m., I was unsure where to go to find the resupply box Kim had sent me. That problem was easily solved, however, when I saw a hiker sitting outside in the shade of the lodge with his resupply box. He told me the guest services office was located in a different building, across the parking lot from the lodge.

I had read the office closed at 3 p.m., so I wasn’t able to spend much time looking around the lodge. And by now, I figured Dave had already left, so I didn’t try to look for him. I hoped to see more of the place when I returned here the day after tomorrow to resume hiking.

Compared to the stately lodge, the building that housed guest services, along with a couple of restaurants, a gift shop, and ski rentals, was an appalling architectural monstrosity. When I found the guest services window, I had to pay $10 to retrieve my box, then I took it to a nearby area used by hikers.

At last, I could sit and relax a little. I was exhausted.

Once I had cooled down and rested a few minutes, I decided I was thirsty, so I went to a bar upstairs to buy a beer. As I set down my pack and trekking poles at a table, I noticed Growler was sitting at the bar, so I joined him there.

I told him about the room I reserved and offered to share it with him. At first, he was a little unsure of what he wanted to do, but soon he agreed with me that it was too hot to camp near the lodge.

Although Government Camp was 6.2 miles away, the shuttle bus ran a regular schedule, so getting there from the lodge was easy. We caught the 4:45 bus to town, then walked a short distance to Huckleberry Inn.

After getting cleaned up, we walked down the street to Ratskeller Pizzeria for dinner.

Later in the evening, I received a text message from Sunkist. She was camping tonight with Bluejay a few miles away from the lodge, but still within range of cell service. She said they planned to get to the lodge in the morning in time for the legendary all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. After that, they were thinking of staying in Government Camp, so I told her about Huckleberry Inn.

My energy lagged a little today, but my spirit didn’t. I was glad to get that back.

At least part of the gang will be back together tomorrow, and Dave promised he will catch up to us in a few days. It will be good to be with my SOBO tramily again.