I'm in Bend with my awesome friends Stephanie and Dave! I am so happy to be here. The have been absolutely amazing and I don't know how I'll ever thank them enough for everything they've done. It is also super late so I'm going to keep this short.
The hiking went fast this morning. We knocked out the 12 miles to the road by noon. There was a cooler with fresh fruit about a mile before the highway. So nice! The last mile was rocky and tedious.....lots of lava and more to come! Definitely hard on the feet.
We'd been planning to meet Stephanie at McKenzie Pass, but my SPOT transmissions hadn't gone out so she didn't know when to show up. Instead, we wound up hitching into the town of Sisters (on the way to Bend) and she picked us up there. I was glad it worked out and we didn't somehow miss her. Amigo, Shameless, and I got a ride from a really nice woman who had hiked a section of the PCT a few weeks ago and discovered the world of thru hiking. She was actually at the pass looking for hikers to take into Sisters. Smiles, Mud Flap, and a guy name High Life were able to get lifts all the way to Bend, and we rendezvoused with them at a place called McMenniman's for lunch after dropping off our gear and Lander the dog at Stephanie's house.
After lunch, Stephanie drove Smiles, Mud Flap, Shameless, and Amigo back home so they could get started with showers and laundry. Stephanie and I then took off to pick up Mellow and Action Pack who had been dropped off at a Mexican joint and were eating lunch. It was great to get Stephanie to myself if only for a few minutes, and we enjoyed a pleasant hour or so on the deck of the restaurant with Mellow and Action Pack.
We eventually made our way back to Stephanie and Dave's townhouse where the PCT had pretty much taken over. Before I forget, I want to thank Stephanie and Dave for the awesome plate they decorated with a dry-erase welcome message. So sweet! Anyways, showers, internet use, laundry, movie watching, and eating and drinking were in full swing. Action Pack, Mellow, and I joined the rotation and then we proceeded to raid Stephanie and Dave's closet for clothes to wear out for the night. All of us girls found super hot dresses (thank you Khanh, for giving Stephanie the one I wore!) and I think we finally managed to impress our boys. And I couldn't stop smiling at Mellow, my Jersey boy with a mohawk, who was sporting a Vert Fest t-shirt and Carharts. He definitely could have passed for one of my Seattle homeys! So cute, though his smile and baby blues can always melt my heart!
Anyway, dinner was a blast. We went to the world famous Deschutes Brewery. Due to limited car space, Stephanie, Kevin (a friend of Stephanie and Dave's who was joining us for dinner) and I rode bikes into town. It was all downhill and as always it felt great to be on a bike. We weren't able to get a table right away, but there was live music upstairs and we got to hang out there until our name came up.
After dinner, Dave, Smiles, Kevin, the car and the bikes went home while the rest of us (Action Pack, Mellow, Shameless, Amigo, Mud Flap, Stephanie, and me) hit a dive bar down the street. We had a good time there before eventually calling a cab to get home.
I can't thank Stephanie and Dave enough for all they're doing for us. They have welcomed seven guests (thru-hikers, no less!) into their home, and let us take over their lives. Seeing them has been good for me not only because they are great friends, but because they've brought back a connection to my Seattle world. My Seattle life has felt very distant lately. Right now, going home seems scary but it's a reality. I'm going to have to face in less than a month and a half. It felt so good to talk about friends from home and the world of skiing and climbing which I'm missing out here. It was awesome to think about all the friends and adventures I have waiting for me after the PCT.
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