We had 19 easy miles to hike into Callahan’s Resort today over gently rolling Oregon ridges. The air was more humid than we were used to. Even though the morning was cool we were sweating on the uphills. Just as we reached the high point of the day’s hike we came across a cooler full of sodas. This was our first trail magic in a while – a definite sign that we’re coming back into civilization. We passed through a tunnel of flowers and green growth as we rounded the slopes of Mt. Ashland. The biggest bumblebee I’ve ever seen was perched on a stalk of blooms that overhung the trail right at eye level. It droned off with a little coaxing even though it looked too big to keep itself airborne. We stopped for lunch at the table and spigot provided by the Mt. Ashland Inn. The local dogs visited us and curled up under the picnic table, panting in the heat. We moved on towards the resort. The trail followed a road for a while and it was strange to hear so much traffic through the trees. Eventually it led us down to a creepy trainyard where we took a short, steep side trail down to the road. We passed under I-5 for the last time and turned into the resort. A few minutes later we were unpacking in a cozy room, resupply boxes (and new shoes!) in hand.

The next morning we had planned to hit the trail again, but the ultra-comfortable bed and the last of Keith’s cold convinced us to stay another day. We ate breakfast up on their deck and watched hummingbirds argue over the feeders hung all around us. It was nice to have a full day off and a fun way to celebrate reaching Oregon. It also marked 4 months since we started at the southern border!

– Posted from the PCT

Location:Pct mile 1727