An Israeli couple — trail-named Bugs and Bunny — hiking with speakers atop their backpacks, listening to rock music? Check. Yours truly, deep in the Washington state forest and having not seen a human being all day, ducking into an out-of-nowhere outhouse for the luxury of an actual pit stop – and suddenly being interrupted by a hiker from Minnesota rapping frantically at the door? Check. And this year: two days from completing a 190-mile stretch from Dunsmuir, Calif., to the

This isn’t how our trip was supposed to end. But a fire near he Oregon-California border has once again curtailed a Pacific Crest Trail hike. And I’m OK with that. Originally, my book about hiking the entire 2,650-mile, Mexico-to-Canada PCT was going to be called “Seven Summers.” Now I’ve changed it to “Seven Summers — And a Few Bummers.” Because my brother-in-law, Glenn Petersen, and I aren’t going to get it done in seven summers. We’ve been knocked off the trail three of t

Monday Much has happened since Sunday morning’s report. First, having been told by the forest service that the Dollar Lake Fire had closed the Pacific Crest Trail and that a USFS and PCTA-approved alternative route would be at least a day or two in the making we made arrangements to be picked up and come home, disappointed that we’d been stymied only two days’ hiking from the WAshington border. Then, in swept a USFS employee named Mary Ellen with just such a plan, sending us

Headlamps on, just a hint of pink to the east lightening an otherwise black sky, Glenn and I had just gotten on the PCT trail at a trip-record 5:31 a.m. Sunday when it happened. Glenn led us by a PCT sign just north of Timberline Lodge. I followed. For some reason, something beneath the wood sign caught my eye. Trail Closure. The Dollar Lake Fire had forced the closure of the PCT about 6 miles from here. Rotten news. A “walk around” would be posted by Mt. Hood National Fores

Sat blog Arrived, after a windy 2,500-foot climb punctuated with a sand storm, at Timberline Lodge at 10 a.m. Saturday. After six straight 20-plus mile days, brother-in-law Glenn Petersen and I are rewarding ourselves with rest, football on TV and the all-you-can-pack-into-your-gorp-heavy-gut buffet. With us in the dining area — cool, woody place, Timberline — was a young man from Japan whom we met on the trail yesterday — just as a couple from Israel stopped to talk after tu

Finally got cell connection after two days without, so here are shots From last three days. The one of me in front of the wood stove at The Ollalie Lake store suggests we had a little change in the weather. 45.207374-121.747682 #PCT

Friday Pct It’s 4:20 pm Friday and Mount Hood is stretched out in front of me like a well-melted ice cream cone that beckons a few licks. After 22 days on the trail — seven in our final phase — it finally seems like the Washington border, our goal, is within reach. We’ve done 20 miles today from the Warm Springs River and, just three miles shy of Highway 26, will try for another five of six to make Saturday’s steep climb to Timberline Lodge a bit easier. What awaits us there

Sorry for lack of blog posts but once we left Three Fingered Jack cell coverage pestered out. Update: we are now just north of Olallie Lake, where we spent the night after hiking 24 miles around and beyond Mt. Jefferson. Unfortunately,’winter arrived early and clouds precluded a full view of it. Temp was 38 and wind howling just north of Jeff Park at 6,000-plus feet. Ice pellets falling from trees. Weird, considering two days ago we were baking. We have averaged 22.5 miles i

A few more pics from south and west flanks of Three Fingered Jack. Awesome morning up here. Looks cloudy in the valley. 44.487287-121.854189 #PCT

Woke up to 40 degrees, fog and cool wind. But can’t beat the views from the side of Three Fingered Jack. Will probably lose cell coverage now that we’re distancing ourselves from the tower on HooDoo. I’ll be back! 45.022614-123.512053 #PCT

Most beautiful stretch of Pacific Crest Trail I’ve experienced: Elk Lake to top of McKenzie Pass. Hardest no-snow stretch? The few miles of lava just south and north of Highway 242. Scariest thing? Crossing Highway 20 a few minutes ago. On toward Three Fingered Jack. 44.424137-121.849885 #PCT

Monday, 2 pm. @ Big Lake Youth Camp. Have done 42 miles in two days and an evening, and will try for 6 more tonight. Spotty cell coverage thus far but am using the Spot Connect satellite with solar-powered iPhone to give 41-character msgs and our location. They’re on the Twitter feed. Spent Sunday night at Lava Camp where a “trail angel” had a nice setup for PCTers, including s’mores. (Yeah, baby!) Other hikers from Georgia, New Hampshire, Australia and Germany. Glenn wowed

On a bluff about five miles south of Dee Wright Observatory we see a fire that looks to be on Santiam Pass, our destination tomorrow. Disconcerting. Look like Big Lake area or east of that. 44.215795-121.786735 #PCT

Sunrise on Wickiup Plain. Beautiful! 44.05274-121.809085 #PCT

Don’t expect much cell coverage next 2 days. Still have Spot Connect (see photo) so we can update position us add 41-character messages. Temp 85 at start. Thunderclouds above. Mosquitoes 2 on a scale of 10. Headed for Sisters Mirror Lake tonight. 43.995278-121.827653 #PCT

Welch, Petersen start Phase II of Oregon PCT adventure. 43.983242-121.811609 #PCT

Date: Aug. 5 Location: Elk Lake, west of Mt. Bachelor on Cascade Lakes Highway Elev. 4,884 ft. Days hiked: 15 Days left on first segment: 0 Miles hiked today: 21 Miles hiked total: 259 Avg. Per day: 17.3 Percent of trip completed at end of Phase I: 56.9%. Arrived at Elk Lake at 5.30 pm Friday, a day earlier than originally scheduled, to complete the first of two phases to walk the 459-mile Oregon portion of the Pacific Crest Trail. I walked all but the last mile alone

Date: Aug. 4 Location: Mink Lake Basin, between Waldo Lake and Elk Lake in the Three Sisters Wilderness Area. Elev. 6,657 ft. Days hiked: 14 Days left on first segment: 1 Miles hiked today: 22 Miles hiked total: 238 Avg. Per day. 17.0 Percent of journey completed: 47.7% Surprised by more snow on the ridge east of Waldo Lake. Lunched at Charlton Lake, then hiked through that North Waldo burn into Mink Lake Basin. Duct tape applied on my boots By Mike Jones, a fishing

Date: Aug. 3 Location: Upper Rosary Lake, north of Odell Lake off Highway 58. Elev. 5,850 ft. Days hiked: 13 Days left on first segment: 2 Miles hiked today: 22 Miles hiked total: 216 Avg. Per day. 16.4 Percent of journey completed: 43.4% Worn to the bone tonight after 25 miles (counting getting to and from Shady Cove Resort at Odell Lake and back on trail), the final three uphill to Rosary Lakes. But first day in a week without significant trail snow. Beautiful trai

43.502123-122.092406 #PCT