PCT Section 6: Timberline Lodge to Cascade Locks
It was the end of July, and I was reaching the end of Oregon. Timberline Lodge was my last resupply stop before Cascade Locks, a small town on the border between Oregon and Washington. This section was about two things for me: extreme heat and waterfalls! I hiked a short first day after filling up at the famous breakfast buffet at Timberline (yes, it did live up to the hype). I decided to stop for the night at Ramona Falls, the incredible waterfall I had already spent some time at while on the Timberline Trail. I spent an entire evening and the next morning taking images of the falls, and these are a few of my favorites.
As I continued hiking north, a heat wave settled in the Pacific Northwest. Temperatures through this stretch regularly got up into the 90s. Unfortunately, thru hikers need to hike through the middle of the day, so I walked on. Some days my shirt would be completely soaked through with sweat. That’s just part of the deal with long distance hiking! The image below was taken looking back towards Mount Hood.
After a few days, I started to approach Washington! Pictured in this image is Mount Adams in the distance, separated from me by the Columbia River that forms the border between Washington and Oregon.
For the final 15 miles of trail into Cascade Locks, I decided to hike the Eagle Creek alternate. It’s a famous trail known for it’s massive waterfalls! Most PCT hikers choose to take this alternate because it’s more scenic than the actual PCT through this stretch. Something I wasn’t prepared for was the damage done to this area by a recent fire. It was encouraging to see how quickly the vegetation was growing back, but everywhere you looked there were reminders of the burn. The image below is an abstract shot of blackened tree trunks.
I camped near the top of the Eagle Creek trail, so in the morning I woke up and went chasing waterfalls!
Tunnel Falls is a famous waterfall on this trail. Not only is it massive, there is a tunnel blasted into the rock behind the falls. Pictured here is Geneva, a friend who I was hiking with through this section.
I passed waterfall after waterfall, following Eagle Creek down towards the Columbia River. The last two miles into Cascade Locks were walking on paved trail, but it was so exciting to make it into town and know that I had walked through an entire state! I ended up taking a zero day here to rest and recover. After picking up a new pair of shoes, I was ready to cross the Bridge of the Gods and hike into Washington!