Date: 2013-06-18
From: Buena Vista

To: Spy Rock Road/Dutch Haus
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night High Tide and Blockade Runner came to our room with pineapple and watermelon to which we added strawberries and yoghurt. We spent the evening eating fruit salad and discussing the news both international and trail.When we hitch hike we always seem to meet such interesting people - today was no exception. A gentleman driving an older pick-up pulling a fifth-wheel horse trailer stopped beside us. It was raining gently so he opened up the horse trailer to put our packs inside to keep them dry. Inside there was a workshop filled with power tools and hand tools. He explained to us that he is a farrier (he shoes horses).He asked is where we were from. When we told him British Columbia he told us that when he was a young man he and a friend hitch hiked on a shoestring budget to Vancouver Island and visited Victoria. There they went into the Provincial Museum and he became fascinated with the masks, totems, and culture of the First Nations people.He went on to tell us that in the summer of 1981, a year after the eruption of Mount St. Helens, he and a friend hiked a thousand miles on the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington and Oregon. They saved their money for a year then he bought a mule and a truck; his friend bought other equipment for the trip. They traveled up to Northern California where they picked almonds and figs to take with them as part of their food supplies. They each wore their backpack and with the help of the mule they were able to carry enough supplies to last them up to a month at a time. Sometimes they lost the trail and wandered for days but being lost didn't bother them, they knew they had lots of food. On his buddy's 21st birthday the two of them climbed Mount Hood - no crampons, no ice axes - Yikes! He told us that he still has the mule. "Yes, that mule has the golden parachute. My wife is a veterinarian so my mule has free medical!" When we arrived at the trail he said, "The ride seemed way too short. Gee, the things we've talked about over the last nine miles we could probably talk about for the next two days." We walked back to the trailer to get our packs. As we put them on he said wistfully, "I wish I could go with you right now." We asked him to give his mule a big, fresh carrot for us when he gets home today!We started hiking up the mountain in a light rain. After an hour the rain started to fall seriously and pretty soon the trail was a flowing stream - we told each other, "...we're aqua blazing!" We had been walking for quite awhile and were ready to have a pick-me-up snack. The problem was that it was still raining so heavily that we would have to open Guardian's pack to get to our food and in the process get everything in his pack wet. As we rounded a corner in the trail and headed downhill to Salt Log Gap we spied two coolers - trail magic! The first cooler we opened was full of soft drinks and energy drinks on ice. The second cooler was chock full of hiker delights - individually wrapped, sugary cookies and cakes, Snicker bars and granola bars. We couldn't believe our good fortune! Soon Wings and her friend Becky arrived. The four of us must have been a sight as we gleefully tore open packaging and consumed the desserts and drinks. thank you to 'Goman and Wife', a former thru-hiker, for the timely trail magic.At about 1:30 the rain stopped and we were walking in the mist. With each gust of wind you would think it was beginning to rain again but it was just the water on the leaves being shaken from the trees.By the time we arrived at Spy Rock Road we could see patches of blue sky. We had arranged to be picked up and taken to the Dutch Haus B&B for the night. Marcia, a former thru-hiker, is running the B&B while the owners, Lois and Earl, are away. We were shown to a lovely bedroom and given thick robes to wear while our hiking clothes were laundered. Marcia served us, Tennessee, Jeff, Sandman, and Bill a meal she had been working on all day - with pumpkin pie for dessert!Tomorrow we are going on our first slack pack. The hike will take us 19.8 miles over some steep terrain and we don't have to carry our packs. Marcia is going to loan us each a daypack to put some essential things in for the day. She will shuttle Tennessee and us to the trailhead. Then Sandy will meet us at the end of the day at Reeds Gap with our packs. We'll hike a little further with our packs and find a campsite. Tennessee will return to the B&B for the night because his resupply box has not yet arrived.The forecast tomorrow is looking a lot more promising - partly sunny with only a 20% chance of rain - we can only hope!