Day 119

(Originally written on Monday, August 31)

Another atypical day on the trail today, which was fine with me! We started out in Bend which was unexpected a mere 18 hours earlier. (I see "we" because Mark, Andrea, and Jakob were with me.) After getting our morning coffee we headed off to the trailhead, about 30 minutes away. I was looking forward to hiking with a lighter pack, because most of my overnight gear was getting jumped up to Lava Camp Lake where I was planning to camp for the night.

We adopted a relaxed pace going up the mountain while Jakob did his best thru-hiker impression and got moderately dirty and dusty in a short amount of time. It was fun to watch, but I was happy that I didn't have to wash him!

They hiked with me until about 11:15 am when I had my interview with KGAL. After that they headed down the way we came up and I continued on my way north. The plan was that I would move quickly with a light pack and meet Mark at Lava Camp Lake, 30 miles away. I moved faster than I otherwise would have, but not as fast as I would have liked. I'm not sure why, but recently my energy level just has not been what it should be--quite frustrating to say the least! As it turned out, I didn't get to the campsite until about 10 pm, which meant I had hiked by headlamp for about 1.5 hours.

So now I'm going to bed because I am totally beat. Another early day tomorrow is in store as Mark, Kristin (my other sister), and I go from Hwy 242 where Mark and I are tonight to US Highway 20, about 18 miles away. From there I get a ride from my parents down to the Willamette Valley for some home-cookin' and a hot shower. Can't wait.