In the morning the smell of smoke had disappeared and a light rain fell on the distant hills. I trekked across easy rolling terrain to a high point where a trail angel had placed two coolers under a fir tree. One was full of beer, while the other was filled with assorted soft drinks and even a whole watermelon! Luckily one of the hikers already there had a large knife and I cut myself a refreshing slice of the cool fruit. I lingered for a long while, enjoying the rejuvenating company after several days hiking alone even more than the trail magic. I felt ready for a break back in civilization.
Signs of human habitation grew as I walked closer to the interstate. The trail wound downhill next to a paved road heading to the Mount Ashland Ski Area, and I followed a cross-country ski track to a picnic table outside a house where three other hikers had just started eating lunch. I joined them and met a thru-hiker named Janis Joplin, who said he was attempting a speed run of the 450-mile Oregon section of the PCT which involved crossing the entire state in only eight days. The idea appalled me, but true to his word Janis wolfed down his food and immediately set off running toward Washington.
The other two hikers (one of whom, Radek, I had asked to check my paranoid self for ticks weeks previously near the Feather River) and I quickly fell into a rhythm, turning onto a side trail leading across a railroad track and under Interstate 5 to Callahan’s Lodge where we hoped to hitch a ride into Ashland. The interior looked straight out of the 1930s, complete with lacquered bar and roaring fireplace. We were welcomed warmly despite our scruffy appearance, and enjoyed a beer on the house before packing into a trail angel’s sedan for the short drive into town.
Russell on the Road 