Date: 2011-06-19
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Troutdale Baptist Church Hostel
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 63Father's Day! It was kinda cool to share Father's Day with Imagine. He left camp before me and I was excited to see if my trail magic was still there.I got to the gap and found the note under a rock "S'mores check out the water!!! HippieLongStockings and the Yuppie Chick" It took me a bit but then I found 3 cans of Yuengling in the stream and 2 empties on the side...one missing. Imagine was waiting at the parking lot and I gave him one and said "Happy Father's Day!" We toasted and sat down for a beer at 9am LOL!From there it was 2 miles of stead up. Imagine had started out before me and I ended up having to go back to the water because I dropped my bandana. As I started back on the trail..so did the rain...sigh. My feet were already in ziplock bags to try to keep my socks protected from my soaking wet boots.I passed Imagine and got to Hurricane Mountain Shelter for lunch at noon. Imagine came in shortly after and I offered to split the last beer, but he said I carried it, I should drink it...so I did! Just another 5 miles to go (in the rain) to get to Troutdale where we were planning on staying at the Church Hostel. It was pretty much downhill and I got to the trail head before 3. I had been apprehensive about hitching alone, but it was like an instinct. I got to the road, a pickup was coming by, I stuck out my thumb and the truck stopped! (Also, at this point...so did the rain)It was a nice older couple and they drove me the 2.6 into Troutdale. The Hostel is up this massive hill (Cruel joke?) behind the Troutdale Baptist Church. They dropped me across the street and I looked at this stupid up...sigh. Just then a pickup came around to the entrance and the driver signaled asking if I was going up. I nodded and jogged to the truck With the older couple, I had offered to just sit in the back of the pickup cause I was soaked, but they insisted on clearing a spot for me in the cab. With this guy, I just said, "I'll jump in the back" and I did. Hitching alone is a little scary and one of the safety tips is to always ride in the bed of a truck with your gear. Or if you ride inside, leave the door open while you get your gear out of the back (which I did) in case they try to take off with your stuff. Well this guy ended up being the "caretaker" of the hostel and he worked at the restaurant down the street and was headed back. He offered me a ride so I put my stuff in a room (looked like Jellybean, SpeedDemon, and Trainwreck were there) and just as I was going to get into the truck...The Voice and Margaret came over the hill. Sigh. They came in from 603 (The gap my trail magic was at) and apparently they had parted ways with Solar Lights (aka Paula).When I got to the diner, the kids were there and I sat with them. They were zeroing because of the rain. They had not done the 23 that everyone else had done because they took their time to enjoy the ponies. They stayed at the Wise Shelter and were there alone. They told me that they had said they liked having the shelter to themselves and the only person they wouldn't mind showing up was me The weather ended up being just beautiful and SpeedDemon and Trainwreck decided to go on. Jellybean said she had started to feel like a 3rd wheel (SpeedDemon and Trainwreck are at trail couple) so she opted to stay behind. Margaret go her ride home and VT and The Voice stayed up at the picnic pavilion. So Jellybean and I shared a room (no mattresses, but pillows with clean cotton pillow cases!!!) and Imagine stayed in the other with the "caretaker" (a hiker that showed up and never left) and his large dog Max.We had a lazy sit on the porch swing kind of evening watching the clouds roll past in the wind and listening to the birds. A bunny hopped by. It was nice.