Before leaving Ashland, my mom gave me money to get a massage. On the way to get it, I saw a music store and decided to stop in. While in the store I fell in love with ukulele. After a call with my mom it was decided and I spent the massage money on the instrument. So there is now music on the trail!
I loved my time in town but no matter how nice Ashland was, I was happy to start this new stage of my journey in an all new state .
Oregon is famous on the PCT for its beautiful forests and flat trail. In fact the trail is so flat that there is a challenge where you backpack across the whole state in two weeks. Even though I didn’t want to rush through Oregon, I was stills able to do close to 30 every day without killing myself. Additionally every few miles is a beautiful lake so I have been able to stay pretty clean.
Before I left, I heard rumors of the mosquitos that plagued the trail in this section. I didn’t take heed of these warnings and left without bug spray. For this I paid the price. Only a day after getting back on trail had over 50 bites all over my body. Even while walking I would be getting bitten by multiple bugs at a time. This was extremely frustrating but on a positive note it made taking breaks hard to do so I pushed farther, inevitably doing more miles per day.
The bugs aside, the shady forrests and plentiful lakes and rivers have made for amazing hiking. Every day is a new adventure in this new state and I love it.
Noel Nelson (mile 1819)
Love following your adventures. Congrats on nearing the 2,000 mile mark and for appreciating the pain AND pleasure of the great outdoors! 😉