I joined up with Mango, Cook and Wow today and we all got a ride out to Santiam Pass from Bend. Our ride left at 3:30 pm, which gave us plenty of time for last minute organization. When we got out to the trail head, it was 4:30 pm but we still managed 4.3 miles, 6.7 km to camp.

Most of the morning was spent at the hostel, I had the usual nightmare job of organizing my resupply. At the start of the trail, I had expected to eventually get good at knowing what food to buy, how much, and how to fit it into my pack. By now I’d come to realize that this would always be an incredibly difficult and chaotic task.

Despite the pain, I managed to get everything into my pack and made it into town to meet the others. I had enough time for a last minute run to the gear store (new socks) before our ride would arrive. When I returned there was still enough time for a pint of Rainier, which was quickly becoming my favorite American draught.

We got taken up to Santiam Pass and immediately began walking through a burn zone. Distant storms rumbling as the sun lowered through a smoky haze gave this landscape an eerie atmosphere. We’d just coming from the city, up to this unsettlingly quiet and vast space. We had to keep walking through it in order to find somewhere to sleep.

Just as the sun was about to set, I made it into the forest where we were planning to camp. The others were finishing setting up and I worked quickly to join them. I was so glad to have packed out a sub from town, so I didn’t have to spend time cooking as the light faded. I’d also forgotten, in my rush to pack, that I’d brought out a can of beer with me, only a normally heavy pack can surprise you like that!