Day 121: ⛺@ mile 1'750.3 - ⛺ next to HW 140

Date: 06.08.2018 Miles hiked today: 23 miles / 37.01 km Total Mileage: Mile 1'773.4 As we would like to hike around 30 miles each day while in Oregon (Oregon is the state where you can hike big mile days the easiest because of moderate uphills), we have to get up in time. But getting up early sucks, I can't repeat it too often! Specially as the sun rises a little later every day, we now have to get up when it's still dark outside and use our headlights for the first 15 minutes. Also this morning we are the first ones to get up and leave the camp. But then, once one trail it feels wonderful being that early. I've seen about 8 deers this morning within the first couple of miles. Also, checking the elevation for today we have two big uphills to climb. On the profile they both look very steep. But then hiking the first one in the morning it was rather flat and nothing about it was steep. It's so different than in California. This 1'200 feet climb was spread out within 6 miles, so it really can't be steep! What a nice change, which I totally welcome :). We have water sources every 5 to 10 miles today which is also nice. At 10am I've hiked a little more than 10 miles. 10 by 10 (10 miles by 10:00 o'clock) has become a standard now since a couple of weeks. I actually would prefer 11 or 12 miles by 10am, but minimum 10 miles. Just before 11am we've reached a little hut to get water for the next 10 miles. While waiting for Duchess we plan where to stop for lunch and where we possibly could camp. So it's 5 miles more before lunch and about 18 miles until camp, which would be a 31 mile day. Sounds good to me! After leaving the hut we continue hiking through a forest until we reach lava stones. Big black boulders of them whereas the trail is made out if red small lava rocks. What a nice contrast. It's funny to walk on them, it's crunching:) I believe we will walk on more lava while hiking through Oregon. At the moment I'm still enjoying it but that may change! Duchess is already annoyed by them! :) Nearly 5 miles later, it's nearly 1pm already (I took a couple of pictures in between), i find a place to stop for lunch. We break there for more than 1.5 hours and just before we head off, Hitch and Thank (two guys we camped with last Night and i also know them for a while) rushed by. There is Fish Lake Resort in 5.5 miles, beer, food and milkshakes! It is tempting but we told ourselves to pass that one in order to keep moving on. Parmesan however may not withstand the temptation, he just argues with himself. It's his birthday tomorrow (Oh nooo I completely forgot. I didn't get a present or anything!!) And he wants to get some beers to celebrate. My head is spinning. If I walk quickly and leave right now (Parmesan still needs to pack up and he's not the fastest one), I may can get a hitch there before him, buy some beers and snacks and head back to the trail, as Duchess and myself said to hike on. So I hike on, in my fast speed and hike the 5.5 miles in less than 1hrs 30 minutes. On the highway i meet up with Hitch and Tank. They also just arrived. But we don't seem to be lucky. 20 minutes later, when Parmesan arrives, I still didn't manage to get a hitch:( so there goes my plan! Parmesan is surprised to see me there as he assumed I've moved on, as agreed before. So I tell him my plan, when Duchess arrives. Beer and food suddendly sounds too nice. While Hitch, Tank and Parmesan decide to hike the 2 miles there, Duchess and me decide to try 15 more minutes to get a hitch, otherwise we will hike on to our agreed camp spot. Just when the 15 minutes passed and we already had our backpacks back on, heading towards the trail, a car passes and I pull out my thumb, the car stopped! So here weg again, the trail provides and takes decisions, we get a hitch! On the way there we pick up the other guys :) We all had food, beers and milkshakes and it was a dream :) but how to get back to the trailhead? Its already 7pm, and this place it out of nowhere. No one wants to make a decision so we just keep sitting there, till a little later a car parks and two hikers i know jump out. They just got a hitch here, so I wonder if that elderly couple would kindly drive the 2 miles back to the trailhead for us? Well, actually they have to go the other way, but yes 2 miles is not far, they can do it. 3 people will fit in their car. But we are 7 hikers in total?! Well better 3 than none right? So why we chat, the elderly couple realizes that we are 7 in Total. Well, he sais, i can pull a second chair bank in my car, so I can fit 6 or as many as you manage! And see there, 9 people in total, 7 of them stinky hikers with big backpacks, fit in that car, all squeezed together! Who would have thought so? We should have taken a video of getting us and all our gear out of that car! But thank you two sooo much, what an experience:) back on the trailhead we decided to skip the plan of hiking at least 3 more miles and just camp next to the highway on the little dirt parking area covered by trees. So here go all our plans made today! :) but that's the trail too and I love it! 

Hairy trees!

Water pump 

Not that far anymore to canada!

Lava rocks