Day 11

I was so glad I packed earplugs! When we went to bed last night, with three tents on a small stretch of grass in Jami and Josh’s yard, it immediately became obvious that one of the Kiwis had a very loud and squeaky sleeping pad, and he or she moved around the whole time! There was constant noise that was worse than the trucks! 📢I had to sleep with the earplugs all night long. Not sure how the other person can sleep in their tent every night …

Otherwise, today was not a very exciting day. The four of us took our time getting ready in the morning, and after Jami and Josh left for work, we packed up our stuff and got organized. Mo had to wait for the post office to open to pick up her package, and the Kiwis were still doing video stuff. I was the first one to leave around 8:15am.

A few blocks through town and then across the bridge crossing the Columbia River. That was really pretty.

Lots of traffic going to one of the two border crossings ahead. I believe we are just south of Trail.

After the bridge, the trail turned onto a gravel road along Sheep Creek, and that was pretty much what I saw all day long (more woods and less creek later). I’m getting a little tired of the long road uphills because they are always 10 to 15 miles long as you are crossing mountain ranges. No short up and downs. Tiring!

The smoke was better, but it was a hot enough day. That road basically took the whole day, up and over. The only wildlife was cows. There was no traffic at all, except for one car going up late in the day (a cowboy who didn’t even try to reduce his dust clouds for me) and one family camped out with a camper early on.

Eventually, the downhill on the other side towards Highway 395 started. After about 23 miles of hiking I was getting pretty tired when I hit Sand Creek Road and decided to take the 1.5 mile pavement walk to Pierre Lake, just to make sure I had a campsite. There’s a Forest Service campground along the lake, and my view is fantastic.

No complaint but I have to figure out the plan for tomorrow. There’s a raved-about store in Orient that I might try to get to, and then joining the trail west of there. I’m looking forward to the Kettle Crest, an area I always wanted to hike.

Feet are tired. Shoulders are sore. I even cooked dinner despite the low energy (Knorr side, a favorite besides ramen and PB!) and I’m sure that will help with some energy! Sleep will restore me.