Ashland, OR ~ less than 950 to go!!

Four days ago I descended into Sied Valley, the second lowst elevation on the trail and also very well known as the hottest place on the trail.  Weather predictions extimated triple digits and I mentally prepared o for the inevitable...  Sure enough, my thermometer hit 101 and I was still hiking.  Unlike the desert, it doesnt really cool off in the evening since the humidity holds onto the heat.  Even if I did stop to wait out the heat, I'd be waiting until 8pm for it to even get below 90.  So I basically dunked my head in every stream I came across, which actually worked pretty well.  I also came across some amaizing trail magic at the river campground just as I emerged from the woods.  Three chairs and cold beer/soda sitting in the stream right next to a beautiful swimming hole.  On a hot day in paradise this is exactly what a hot hiker needs, how did they know?!?
The climb out of Sied Valley is also very well known as one of the most challenging ascents on the trail.  5,000 feet up in 8 miles.  And to add to the challenge, the entire mountain has been burned by wildfires multiple time in the past few years leaving the trail extremely exposed to the hot sun and extreme temperatures.  It didnt take me long to decide I was going to night hike this part and as luck would have it there was also a full moon that night.  I left town at 8pm and hiked up to 4,000 feet to sleep for a few hours, then back on the trail at 4am to finish the climb and get into the trees before the sun caught me.  It was a stunning night indeed.  31 miles later on the same day, I arrived at the sign marking the CA/OR border.  The trail register was full of extatic entries full of joy at our massive accomplishment.  We had hike 1699 miles through California.  I can attest that it is a big state indeed.  We have a little less than 1000 miles to go but first there is a celebration in order, and Ashland,OR is the perfect town to do it in.  They have an excellent hostel, food co-op, town park, authentic english pub (The Black Sheep), movie theater, lots of hiker friendly locals, and even the Shakespeare Festival Theaters with shows nearly every day and frequent opportunities for last minute cheap tickets.  I am turely blessed with finding a free place to stay in town, which makes a huge difference in being able to stay for more than just a day, THANK YOU BONNIE AND JOSH!!!  It is truely a beautiful place to relax for a couple days before embarking on the last big leg of my journey.

Oregon promises to be fairly hot with lots of mozzies in some places.  Of course there are some exciting landmarks to look forward to in OR (Crater Lake, Sisters, Mt Hood) but my heart is pulling me north to Mt Rainer, Goat Rocks, Glacier Peak, the Northern Cascades, and finaly Canada.

I wish you all the best in your adventures and I thank you for sharing in mine. 
Peace, Love, and Happy Trails
~Beads

sunrise

Welcome to Oregon!!!  End of a long day and so excited to see the sign I started to nibble =-) 

A little taste of the desert along the Hat Creek Rim

Fireweed and Mt Shasta

Terminal Geyser in Mt Lassen National Park