Day 97 mile 1712.5 – 1718.7

Elevation: ascent 523 ft, descent 2,005 ft

The alarm was set early today as we were hoping to get an early start towards Ashland. This was our first town stop in Oregon and since we have never been there, both of us were super excited. Neither of us slept very well last night due to muscles aching and stomachs crying out for food. I couldn’t believe how hard it was to get out of the tent this morning. I felt like I was crawling out of a child’s playhouse, as my body just couldn’t contort into positions I needed it to be in.

We were cruising down the trail by 6:30 heading to Callahan’s Lodge. We had made plans to meet Long Stride there for breakfast. This part of the PCT travels through, or right next to, land that is private property. Only a mile into the hike this morning we passed in front of a house who’s owner has a water spigot and picnic table for hikers to use. He also owns a very friendly Malamute Dog, named Siskiyou. Not having to filter water is a huge treat for hikers, only topped by the greeting you get from Siskiyou. As Double Down and I walked by you could hear the owner working on some training, but as soon as Siskiyou heard us coming he bolted from the house to make sure he was the first to greet us!! The only problem with Siskiyou is that he has been known to follow hikers almost all the way to town. We made sure to just hangout and wait for his owner to come down and get a hold of him before moving on.

Still able to see Shasta through the smoke
Double Down and Siskiyou
Had to cross railroad tracks on our way to Callahan’s

The morning was fairly easy hiking as we only had about 6 miles to Callahan’s. We arrived at around 8:45 and found Long Stride waiting for us out on the outdoor patio. It was fun seeing her and chatting about our experiences and thoughts about finally reaching Oregon. She is super down to earth and we get along with her really well, but since she typically puts in about 30 miles a day, today will most likely be the last time we see her.

Breakfast with Long Stride

After breakfast the three of us decided to join efforts in getting a hitch to Ashland. We headed for the I-5 on ramp, however there was road work being done there. As we got there, the lady directing traffic told us the on ramp heading north was closed and that our best bet at getting a ride to Ashland was to head back toward Callahan’s and get a ride from there. As we were walking back we started to consider using Uber. Just as we got to Callahan’s, a truck pulled out and asked if we needed a ride somewhere. This was right as I pulled out my phone and was looking at the Uber app. We quickly took him up on his offer. During the ride to Ashland we learned all about his love for hunting and fishing. The ride was a bit nerve racking as he was insistent on turning to talk to us as he drove the winding road to our hotel. We arrived safely, but it took about 20 minutes. We tried to give him some money for gas and his time, but he denied our offer and told us to make sure we paid it forward, which we definitely plan to do.

Long Stride is staying at the hostel around the corner so we said goodbye and I headed in to see if we might be able to check in early. Since today is our 26th wedding anniversary we wanted to get cleaned up and enjoy the rest of our day. As luck would have it, our room was ready and they let us check in even though it was only 11:30!! The Plaza Inn and Suites is right near downtown so after showering we headed out for some lunch. We ate at Louie’s and sat outside by Ashland Creek, even in the 95 degree temp. It was so nice to be able to sit and have service with some really tasty food. Afterwards we headed down the street to Mix’s bakery. Holly cow the bakery was delicious, some of the best we have had. That will definitely be on the menu again while we are here.

26 years ago today…wow we were young!
Our room
Louie’s
Mix’s Bakery

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing laundry and relaxing in our room. Just what our bodies were asking for. I did get a FaceTime call from our kids as there was a plumbing issue at home, so I got to help them troubleshoot and work on fixing the problem all the way from Oregon. Glad to see that both of them are handy with some tools and guidance.

Tonight we are eating in with some Italian food from Macaroni’s Ristorante, which was delivered. We are looking forward to exploring more of Ashland over the next two days. We plan on taking two Zeros to enjoy the town and refuel our bodies as we want to really enjoy the last 6 weeks of this journey.

Thanks for continuing to follow along!! Link