Hello Everyone,

I made it to Camp 11 today, about 3 miles west of Oakridge. I trekked 16.67 miles today at a slow and steady pace.

Weather forecast showed no rain for last night or today, but it rained most of the night to about six in the morning. I was up by 5:30 and heard the rain and wondered if I would be staying put again. When I stopped raining I just decided to put on the rain gear and start trekking.

As usual I packed the tent away wet as I had lost my micro fleece cloth I’d used to wipe it down. My shoe was still soaking wet even though I had taken the liner out and shoved napkins inside to soak up the moisture. I had one pair of dry socks left and was agonizing whether to go ahead and just walk one clean one or put a plastic bag over the sock. I have done this before but not for a long distance since it can cause problems too.

I decided to just use the sock and after about an hour my foot felt squishy and uncomfortable. I stopped and put on a dry sock and place a plastic bag over it. That turned out to be a big mistake because I could feel my foot move around inside the shoe due to the slippery plastic and tried to ignore it. I walked with it most of the afternoon until it felt like there was a small rock in my shoe. I took it off, and there was the blister on the side of my heel and one starting on ball of the foot.

I have been good about stopping blisters before they start, but with a wet shoe it makes it hard. So, my review for the Merrell Moab Waterproof Mid Boot will definitely be a two out of five!

I was feeling optimistic that today would be one of the first days with no rain, and maybe a little sun. I was beginning to wonder if Oregon ever has any sun because the clouds look dark and menacing most of the morning and early afternoon. Fortunately it never rain, and the sun did come out a few times enough that I was able to partially charge my phone.

Other than my shoes and blister, and still sore shin splints, the day was fairly pleasant. The walk was actually very beautiful as the road follows the Salt Creek. Because of the rain there were so many beautiful little feeder creeks coming down of of the hillsides.

When I got to Oakridge I was pleasantly surprised how large it was. I thought it would be the typical small town of a few hundred people but it has 3,200. Apparently it’s a big mountain bike area as I saw large groups of mountain bikers at different bike shops and mountains bike touring shops. It seems to be a little more of a progressive town than the little ones I had been going through.

There are several markets and quit a few restaurants. I was in heaven. I stopped by a larger market to buy some fruit and asked a young lady working in produce section if there was a good place to eat. She directed me to Steven’s Hwy 58 Drive-in. Wow, what a find! It is not like the A&W that’s also in town, but with great variety of excellent home made food. Chipotle bean burger with thick sliced sweet potatoes and a home made salad. So much better than freeze dried food.

Sometimes the best part of being on a trek is the people you meet. I met some nice people inside that asked about the Wheelie and ended up sharing a table. The owner came and talked to me too and asked if she could fill up my water bottles. It sure was different than that nice gentleman at the Diamond Junction Cafe. Sorry, I’ll never forget him.

Found myself sitting there too long chatting and realized it was getting late. I started to eyeball the Best Western across the street, and then the $48, something or other next door. No, then I’ll just get soft and stop at every motel I see. Besides, I like sleeping outside.

So, I hit the road and found this spot a few miles outside of town. Even though this spot is on an abandon road that has been closed off to cars, finding an actual spot to pitch the tent was and has been a little difficult. The area west of the Willamette Pass is so wet that there are few areas that are dry and open because almost all the ground is covered with moss, ferns, or just piles of decaying wood. It really looks like a tropical forest.

Tomorrow the weather forecast is for mostly clear, so it looks to be a good day. Even though I have had some challenging days, they are all part of my trekking experience that I will always remember, good and bad.

I want to thank you for sending your little comments, I really appreciate them more than you may know. I usually do not reply to them because of time and lack of power in my phone. I do not see any bars for cell service now, so this may not go out until later.

Hopefully I’ll be able send an update for tomorrow. Please keep sending me your positive thoughts and prayers my way. Please excuse the typos, spelling, etc.

Best wishes,
Ted