Hiking around Mount Jefferson was beautiful and challenging. Over my 17 miles I faced snow fields, a glacial creek ford and a total elevation gain and loss of nearly 3,000 feet.

I had a much more casual day following my 24-mile day. I had a short hike to the shores of Olallie Lake where I relaxed and socialized with other thru-hikers.

One week into my PCT adventure and I was pretty sure I’d figured Oregon out – it’s a whole lot of nothing (forest) between somethings (mountains or lakes.) The best way to get to the somethings is to travel as efficiently as possible through the nothing. Which is precisely what I did for my seventh day on trail.

My fifth day on trail in Oregon saw me travelling along a small segment of the old Oregon Trail, walking soft and easy forest paths, and ending with a pair of beautiful lakes and a perfect campsite.

All that lay between me and a gourmet breakfast buffet at Timberline Lodge was a handful of miles and some suprisingly challenging elevation gain.

My third morning on trail brought a fresh perspective as I joined the Timberline Trail on the west side of Mount Hood, passing by beautiful waterfalls and through glacier-carved valleys.