Today was an unbelievable day! I am in Portland! I reached the Washington border at Cascade Locks this afternoon. The hike into town was beautiful. I got my first view of Mt. Rainier, a moment I've been fantasizing about for the last four months. It almost brought me to tears. I spent most of my day on the Eagle Creek Trail, a scenic 15.4 mile alternate route that passed many waterfalls including one that I was able to walk behind. Lots of down, as Cascade Locks is the low point for the entire PCT. After lunch, I peeled out ahead of my posse in order to get to cell service ASAP. I wanted to call my best friend, Kirsten, who lives in Portland. I'd last spoken to her at Timberline, and we had tentative plans to rendezvous in Cascade Locks this evening though I had told her there was a chance the group would decide to head into Portland, though we had nixed this idea after zeroing at Timberline. I was hoping Kirsten could still make it out to Cascade Locks.
Kirsten and her brother, Andrew, who was visiting from the Bay area, wound up beating me to Cascade Locks, and we had a wonderful reunion in the CharBurger parking lot. It was amazing to walk up and see them standing there and I immediately decided to head back to Portland for the night after Kirsten promised to return me to Cascade first thing in the morning.
I've had a perfect evening. It is so special to be here. Kirsten, Andrew, Colin (Kirsten's husband) and I just got back from dinner and ice cream. I feel like I'm home. This is the first time I've strayed from the trail or my trail family. I am so happy here but in some ways the PCT feels like a dream. This scares me. When it's all over, I want the trail to stay close. I don't want to lose the connection. Right now, I feel like I'm going to wake up in the morning and drive back to Seattle.
It's also strange to think about the last time I was in Portland. It was the weekend after Joe and I moved out of our house, and I drove down for the kind of TLC that only a best friend can provide. At the time I was clinging to my PCT dream, and remember thinking that perhaps my next visit to Portland would be via the trail. Back then, it seemed like such a long shot.....I don't know if I actually believed I would get on the trail, let alone make it through all of California and Oregon. Yet here I am! In many ways, being here seems as surreal if not more surreal than the trail! It's a strange world!
Off to bed. Thanks to Kirsten for being the best friend a girl could have! I have known her since 2nd grade. I can't think of a single time when she wasn't there for me. I feel so lucky.
Washington tomorrow!
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