Farewell Washington

34 days after we started, Washington is DONE! We crossed over the Bridge of the Gods into Cascade Locks earlier this afternoon. The bridge was one of the sketchier parts of the trail so far, thanks to the wind, cars and lack of sidewalk. Crossing that bridge without injury means we can do pretty much anything that lies ahead!

One state down, two to go.

We stopped for lunch at a popular hiker spot, Locks of Dogs & Treats. I usually take pride in my ability to eat whatever is put in front of me faster than anyone else at the table, but this place humbled me. The portions are MASSIVE, and even with my hiker hunger, I couldn’t finish my hot dog (they have vegan options!). Shame.

We had a tiny bit of time to kill after lunch and before catching a bus to Portland, which meant I had time to get a trail magic beer at Thunder Island Brewing Co. I may not have had room to finish my lunch, but forcing down some liquid bread still sounded like a good idea. Bar patrons can buy a pint that’ll be gifted to the next hiker that comes through and I couldn’t pass that up. Such a sweet idea.

I’m writing this post from the bus. We’ve gone 13 miles in 30 minutes, which is basically hyperspeed.

We’ll spend tonight and tomorrow night at Evan’s friend’s house in Portland. Tomorrow will be a “rest” day, full of eating, REI exchanging, grocery shopping, post officing…and minimal walking. Then my friend Kate will give us a ride back to the trail on Thursday morning.

Oregon is supposedly flat and easy, so I’m looking forward to cruising along. California isn’t too far away!