We needed to get north, at least as far as Ashland to secure a ride to the Cascade Locks where we would return to trail hiking southbound. Hitching along the I-5 corridor is not my favorite hitching but all things considered we caught good rides and made decent time.
Bakersfield required a pity ride to get clear of it but once on the interstate we connected with Trey, a fellow outdoors person who not only got us all the way to Chico but also put us up on the land he was staying on. He had worked for a family farm that was burned quite literally to the ground last year and in the morning gave us a tour of what was.
Before giving us a lift to a hitchable on ramp we took a dip in the stream on the property.
Out of Chico we caught a series of short hitches up the 99 back to the 5 and then hopped in a Seattle bound semi for the last stretch of interstate.
Arriving in Ashland Alex picked us up and we spent a few days relaxing on his land with his land mates.
It’s hard to stop moving after two months of walking though and we managed to get some walking in where we could.
I don’t think I had realized spring had already passed until we were lounging in the sun there. We left Washington deep in the rainy season for the warmth of the desert and now here we were back up north and summer was already kicking off.
That weekend our friend Alan met up with us and we joined him on his way to the Oregon Country Fair grounds where some of our booth crew family were fixing up the loft and shelving in the kitchen after a hard winter.
It’s always a treat to spend time out there before the festivities begin and we all have time to enjoy each other’s company.
Plus the grounds are magical even before fair load in begins and I love getting to lurk everyone else’s booth set ups.
After the work party Alan headed back south and we joined Trevor heading into Portland where we spent a night before he drove us to Cascade Locks and walked out with us a few miles to see us off.
None of this would have been possible for me without all the support our friends, family and chosen family has provided us.
We returned to the trail rested and ready to tackle the vaulted forests, mossy rocks and misty ridges and mountaintops of Northern Oregon.
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