June 15 | SOBO Miles 555.7 - 582

I was the first one up this morning, and I had two things on my mind: coffee and the breakfast buffet. I packed up and made a beeline back to the lodge, where I enjoyed 3 steaming hot cups of joe before I realized that coffee service was only for hotel guests… woops.

No matter, because my next stop was the buffet, where I dropped the requisite $19 (and a nice fat tip for fhe waiter) to fill my plate (multiple times). I guess I sweet talked my sweet server, because he hooked me up with two giant to-go boxes, unsolicited. I was in.

I enjoyed some serious servings of cheesy scrambled eggs, French toast with whipped cream, watermelon, and hash browns (and two more cups of coffee) before unsurreptitiously loading heaps of breakfast meats, eggs, pastries, and fruit into the boxes for the human garbage disposals awaiting the loot.

I made out like a bandit and delivered the goods to the guys, who sat hungrily in wait on the porch. They made short work of the spoils, and I felt pretty smug myself.

We spent some time chatting with some inquisitive, chill hotel patrons on the patio before setting off late. It was already hot in a big way, but the forecast called for some major downhill.

The day blew by uneventfully–again we got the blessing of a beautiful and uncomplicated day of weather and terrain. The weekend warriors were all out in full force with their kids and dogs in tow. I don’t blame them–it was spectacular today.

We waved goodbye to Mount Hood from a nice shady ridge line.

Around 5 we came to the shore of Timothy Lake and seized the opportunity to jump in, rinsing ourselves and all our clothes in the clear, cool water. Alongside everyone out on the lake for Father’s Day weekend, it felt like we were actually on vacation. A real treat… just one of the many serendipitous gifts we’ve been given in the past three days since our return.

We hiked an industrious 6 more miles to camp through the Golden Hour, crossing swamps and forests and entering the Warm Springs Indian Reservation as mosquitoes threatened every inch of our exposed skin.

By the time we arrived at camp, a little clearing in the trees with some good open sky, my ramen was perfectly soaked, and I threw in some cheese to sweeten the deal. Savory gourmet. As we joked to each other across our tents, the low grumbles of an animal (my money’s on a bear) sounded in the near distance. Having walked a marathon today, that beast is truly the least of our concerns. Dessert first.