August 26

I finished today feeling good at 32 miles for the day. A few restful days and a couple nearos is good for the hiker body I guess. The trail was nice and flat once again which helped for making mileage. I did have one climb just before lunch that brought me up to just over 7,000 ft. from about 6,000 ft. This climb, however, was accomplished in classic Oregon style with long slow gradual uphill pulls and only about 3 switchbacks. When I reached the top of the pass I could see the summit of the mountain less than 500 ft. above me. I don't like missing great views so I climbed the spur trail with my pack to have lunch on top. The results were fantastic 360 degree views of the whole countryside including the rim of Crater Lake to my north and Mt. Shasta to my south. 

After lunch I made my way south once again. I met 14-ish nobos (not sure if some were thru-hikers), and got some great information about the path ahead. We mostly talk about town stops and the availability of good, cheap food when we thru-hikers meet on the trail. It does sound like I'm nearing the tail end of "the pack" of nobo hikers meaning I should start seeing less and less every day. Louis texted me and is currently 62 miles ahead of me and taking a town day tonight and probably part of tomorrow. I'm interested to see how my body responds to the mileage and to see if I can do the miles again tomorrow.