September 3, 2017
Lola Pass (mile 2111.6) to Lost Lake Resort
Lost Lake Resort to Hood River
Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Hike: Day 121

Woke up in the morning and Denise decided to get a ride back to her car (at Timberline Lodge) from some folks at Lola Pass Road. We parted ways and started hiking.

Made it 4 miles out of camp. Came to a group of people sitting by the trail. Thru hikers and day hikers. Too many people. Somethings up.

Handwritten note staple-gunned to the trail junction sign. The PCT is closed ahead due to fire.

Turns out just ahead at Tunnel Falls, about 150 hikers were trapped overnight because a fire sprung up in the gorge. Me, Vice, Boathouse, Sam, Alex, and Arianna hiked form the Huckleberry Mountain junction to Lost Lake Resort and Marina. We drank beer because, what else are we supposed to do. We just finished a 150 mile road walk, made it back on trail for 22 miles and here we are again, right back where we started.

We got ahold of Denise, and she made her way to come get us. While the boys waited, Arianna and I hitched into town. We swam in the river and went to pFriem where we finally met the boys when they got into town. Headed to Double Mountain pizza, and our crew got chatted up by a boujie guy who made sure to tell us he was a professor at Johns Hopkins University. After talking our ears off, he seemed compelled to drop a hundred dollar bill on the table to pick up part of our tab. I think the people in Hood River are generally a higher income bracket, or perhaps generally wealthy people of Portland recreate here.

We found a room at the Riverview Lodge and had a movie night. The boys drank Steel Reserve from Safeway and we watched Mean Girls and Pitch Perfect, all crammed into one hotel room. It was glorious, and we held on to the moment of not having to face the impending reality of what the hell we were going to do to get back on trail.

(Note from Alex: I DID NOT drink Steel Reserve)