As I sit here in Ashland with my feet up, we are nearly 1000mi closer to Mexico and over 1/3 of the way towards our final destination. California is just over the horizon and a sense of routine is starting to settle into the trip. Its been 48 days since we left our first footprint at the Canadian border. Most days I amble along with the overwhelming notion that this expedition does not seem realistic, too far-fetched, and frankly too painful at times. My body is moving, same as it always has, progress is made, but on the other hand this looming feeling that something BIG is going to end the trip just around the next bend. We’ve anticipated a lot during our planning, but what is going to be the big oversight that shuts the trip down? Despite best laid plans, everyday feels like a new hurdle to jump through and hoop to jump over. Yes, I said that right. With the shadow of the Cascades placed prominently behind us, a veil of hope is starting to wash over us. Maybe we can actually pull this off?

    Upon leaving Bend we entered into the Three Sisters Wilderness with a storm cycle that had new snow levels hovering around 6000ft. This is always noteworthy information when we leave town because it informs us what variety of slogging and suffering we will see at different elevations along the trail. Below ~5500’ you’re probably going to see lots of rain, heavy wet snow and lots and lots of standing water. Above say 6500’ and that’s where things get deep and powdery, likely wind loaded and assuredly slower in progress. The irony is that in order for conditions to improve and for progress to expedite, conditions likely have to worsen. If you want clear trail, the fastest way to melt snow is with lots of rain. If you want a hard crust to walk on, lots of wind and cold are in order. You have to be choosy what you wish for out here. The reality is that you tend to get everything in the wrong order, at the wrong time, or at the wrong elevation. Plan on being wet regardless.

    Conversely, post storms tend to blanket everything in white and breathe new life into the surroundings and things are quite pleasant again. That is as long as the post-holing isn’t too deep. If the sun manages to come out, even better. The last 300 miles of trail we’ve seen just about every condition possible. Wind swept ridges and blue skies turned to pouring rain through the Three Sisters Wilderness. I now know what a sad-faced drowned rat in a snow suit must feel like.

    An overnight storm dropped another ~12-18” of snow on top of the already deep base above 7000’ through the Mt. Thielsen Wilderness. I knew that day was going to be <exciting?> for two reasons. Despite best efforts to keep our shelter clear of snow, that night Trauma and I both woke to the sound of a loud CRACK. If you can imagine what it must be like when a parachutist lands in the ocean at night and gets wrapped up in their canopy, I felt a similar sensation trying to locate my headlamp while swimming through sopping wet tarp fabric and accumulated snow to see what the hell just happened. Frozen water is a force not to be reckoned with. The weight of the snow had snapped my trekking pole in half, at the joint! The next morning we knew conditions were going to be slow when the entire length of my trekking pole sunk down through the snow to find ground level. For all you skiers out there, that gives you an idea of how much snow is currently covering the high point of Oregon and Washington; a nondescript saddle totaling 7560’ in elevation. (The PCT actually goes over 7800’ around Crater Lake, but who’s counting?) We spent two well deserved days off in Diamond Lake after that event :)

    We’ve been hearing rumors the entire time that there’s been no snow reported around the Ashland area. Coming into Fish Lake Resort, the trail dips below 5500’ and the holy grail began to materialize. Could it be true? Trauma and I felt like giddy school children frolicking down snow-free trail for over 60 miles! A view ahead looks like it could be more of the same. Can that be my only Christmas present for the year? A gift card for snow-free trail at any point of my choosing?

    So that brings me back to where I started. Hope and dreams. Reality and fantasy. On one hand the next ~400 miles tend to dip well below snow-level for long period of time, BUT as we merge deeper into December the really BIG storm could be just around the next bend. We’ve become acquainted with what to expect, now its just playing the game of when to expect it. Can we push through and get a handful of easier miles before the next cold front slows progress? Its an emotional roller-coaster for the gamblin’ man.

    Our plan from here is to push hard until Christmas break. We’ll cross the OR/CA border sometime later this week, and if all goes to plan we could be as far south as Burney before taking a few days off for Christmas. That would be a huge chunk of Norcal completed and almost 1200mi completed, nearing the halfway point. Lots of land marks to look forward to for inspiration. Pancake challenge in Seiad, Trinity Alps,......ummmm yeah Norcal’s nice, I swear.

    As always, lots of photos for viewing by following this link to facebook.

    PS: The feet are healing nicely. Thanks for asking :)