New Friends

On my second day of hiking from Cascade Locks, I hiked 24 miles to a paved road, very near Panther Creek Campground. It's a car camping area and I was interested in visiting it to use the restroom, empty my trash, fill up my water bottles, and eat dinner at a picnic table. There were very few campers so I picked a vacant campsite near the bathroom for dinner. A mother with her son walked by the table to use the restroom and we struck up a conversation. They invited me back to their campsite for dinner and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing about my hike while eating a hotdog, carrot sticks and fresh fruit. It was a nice way to end the day and I took the picture above with their two boys before leaving to camp on the trail.

One of the things I have enjoyed about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail is all the wonderful people I've met along the way. Sharing food, giving rides, providing lodging, wonderful conversations, and encouragement. A special thank you to my new friends from Olympia, Washington. It was very nice to meet you.