The past few days have been very gruelling both physically and mentally but fortunately we only had 4 miles to get to the road at Santiam Pass.

We originally intended to go to the town of Sisters but were fortunate to get a lift further on to the town of Bend, which had cheaper motel options. And a welcome lunch!

We were up at 5 to get an early start as it is easier going on the crisp frozen morning snow. Before setting off Rob and OG had a careful look at the maps to see what the gradient was like on the slopes ahead. We are wanting primarily to keep safe and traversing the tops of steep snowy slopes is quite scary. One wrong step is a very fast way to the bottom!

We decided to get down as best we could off the snow and onto lower ground. That allowed us to avoid some exposed ridges but of course we then had to get back up through snow to a saddle and work our way back to the trail.

After that for a few miles we were happy on dry trail but the path headed up to another saddle with even steeper slopes. By hiking beside the snow up a cliff of loose rock we avoided one steep part but at the saddle we rejoined the track as it turned and then commenced descent all through miles of snowy slopes! Anyway with Rob leading again (and catching me when I slipped) we have made it safely most of the way down and are again camped surrounded by snow.

We didn’t count on being out here tonight but fortunately carried an extra dinner so we aren’t going to bed hungry. Hoping for a quick and easy hike out to town tomorrow.

Although we had a short section of snow free trail, most of the day today was again spent slogging through deep snow with no visible trail. At times we were traversing across steep slopes with Robert blazing the trail by cutting footsteps for himself one at a time, I followed closely behind in the prints he left.

Twice we decided to bush bash up the steep slopes instead of risking very steep snow traverses with long drops.

Once it worked out well and we could rejoin the trail easily but the second time the top was steep with loose rocks and dead wood and we had to carefully make our way back down to the trail.

We were still hiking at 7:30 and nowhere near our planned campsite so we have set up our tent on a flattish snow free spot surrounded by snow. Unfortunately there are small trees under our tent! We hope that with the undulating floor and freezing cold we will be able to get some sleep. We were only able to hike 16 miles today so we have a similar length to do tomorrow as we hope to finish this section and hitch a ride into town.

Our trail wound higher past several beautiful lakes.

We also got great views of Ollali Butte Mt Jefferson and back to Mt Hood. At one point we could see Mt St Helen in the distance.

The downside of our elevation gain was more and more snow covering the track. Most of the afternoon there was no sign of the track at all so it was navigation by gps. This plus a climb to over 7000′ meant very slow going.

At 8:00pm we finally found a small patch of bare ground just big enough for two tents. We cheered ourselves up with our favourite dehydrated meal of mushroom risotto.

It was a fine but cold night so we had incentive to walk briskly when we set out at 6:30am.

We had nice views of the misty lake before the trail turned away.

Like yesterday we walked through miles of beautiful forest. Twenty three miles brought us to a good campsite – the only problem is the thousands of mosquitoes. Fortunately OG lent us some repellent, and we lit a smokey fire. I think this will be pretty standard from now on, now that the snows are melting and the weather is warming up (we think).

Today and yesterday were the first days where we did not meet any other hikers doing the PCT.

It was overcast and still raining lightly when we woke up. We got a bus up to Timberline Lodge and picked up a parcel of food we had shipped there. The lodge is a ski resort. We must have looked a bit out of place as we trudged up the slopes looking for the PCT, past snowboarders and people getting mountain safety training in preparation for climbing Mt Hood.

As well as ski tracks we came across animal tracks.

We were able to find some traces of the trail although it was mostly covered with snow. The weather cleared and we were actually quite hot as we descended a spur. As we got lower the snow became more patchy.

Eventually we were walking through lovely fir tree forests with no snow at all.

It was a great day altogether after all the bad weather, and to cap it off, we were able to camp right beside a pretty lake AND have a campfire!

Let me tell you that it is very hard to get going in the morning when you are cosy in your warmish sleeping bag and it is cold and raining outside, and you know that your planned 25 miles includes covering an unknown amount of snow drifts on the way to Timberline Lodge and Mt Hood.We got going by 7am but the rain turned to snow. We decided digression was the better part of valour and after 8 miles, when we crossed a forestry road, we started walking towards a highway.After about 6 miles we got a lift to the highway from a girl who had taken a wrong turn. OG found a hostel with rooms for $50 a night. It turned out the owner is away, but we were let in and have a huge house all to ourselves. Plenty of room to dry everything out.Tomorrow the weather is supposed to improve so we will get a bus up to Timberline Lodge and try again.

To recap: we have skipped north to the Oregon /Washington border and have started hiking the PCT southwards to avoid the heavy snow in the Sierras.This morning we decided to hike an alternate route that would take us to some waterfalls. We hiked two and a half miles to the trailhead only to find that the trail was closed due to a recent bushfire. Fortunately we got a lift back to our starting point.This point is the lowest elevation on the whole trail, so naturally we started by climbing up 3300′. The path wound through lovely forests (and also some burnt out sections).

Around 3pm the weather turned worse and we ended up with rain, hail and even a bit of snow. It was a long trudge to one of the few tent sites and we were glad to be able to pitch our tent at 7:45 with the rain almost stopped. We expect a cold night.

We had a day of preparation for commencing the Oregon section of the trail. That involved grocery shopping, sorting our food into parcels, posting off the supplies to different trail points and finally getting a ride to Cascade Locks. We were thankful for the assistance of OG’s brother in law who kindly drove us to the campground there. On the way we visited Multnomah Falls.

Our tent site is on a carpet of soft grass beside the Columbia River. We can hear traffic passing across the Bridge of the Gods which is where the PCT enters the state of Washington.

Occasionally we also hear the barking of a sea lion of mammoth proportions who has swum up from San Francisco to feed on the salmon.Tomorrow morning we will finally be back on trail heading south through Oregon state.

The drive was long but uneventful. We pulled in to OG’s sister in law’s place at about 3:30am and slept in the car for an hour or so until they woke up. Then slept another couple of hours before taking the rental car back to the depot near the airport.

From the airport we caught the light rail to downtown Portland and went to REI store to get new shoes (!) and other stuff.

We took Mary and Jerry to dinner at a local Thai restaurant to thank them for their hospitality and help.