Select Page

PCT Day 140 – Behold the Mighty Columbia River!

Last updated Apr 13, 2021 | Published on Sep 9, 2017

I woke up tired this morning from my late night the previous evening. My tent was nestled in the middle of some trees just off the trail. I got up slowly and broke camp.

Overcast Skies with Smoke from the Indian Creek Fire in the Distance

The sky was overcast in the morning, but soon the clouds burned off. The trail was relatively flat for the first part of the hike and wound through a dense forest of tall trees.

Hello, Beautiful Trees!

My First Glimpse of the Columbia River

Eventually the trail rounded the east end of a ridge and emerged on the north side of a bluff overlooking the Columbia River. It was my first glimpse of the Columbia River Gorge on this hike (although I’ve seen it before on previous visits). Visibility was good and I enjoyed the view of the cliffs on the other side of the Gorge and the river down below.

Switchback City

Mossssssssssss

From there, the trail decreased sharply in elevation as it descended the bluff towards Cascade Locks. I zig-zagged down the cliff, rounding switchback after switchback, as the trail dropped 3,000 feet in only 5 miles. I noticed that the leaves are starting to change color and autumnal hues are becoming more prominent along the trail.

Autumn is Coming

In mid-afternoon, I finally came to the junction for Cascade Locks. I followed the trail to the entrance of the Bridge of the Gods. I couldn’t believe that I finally made it here! The Bridge of the Gods is such an iconic milestone along the Pacific Crest Trail. I’d been looking forward to crossing the bridge for such a long time.

This Way to Cascade Locks

Welcome to Cascade Locks

I exited the PCT just before the bridge and headed over to Bridgeside Restaurant in Cascade Locks. I had skipped lunch in my hurry to get to town and I was famished. Daniel arrived while I was inhaling a cheeseburger and I raced over to hug him. He joined me for lunch and we sat in a booth, enjoying the view of the bridge.

Signpost

Later that day, I was surprised to learn that Spider Mama and Tetris were in town for the evening. Spider Mama’s parents had travelled to the United States for a visit and the four of them were having dinner together. Daniel and I dropped by and we had a great time catching up together.

From Left to Right: Tetris, Me, and Spider Mama. Reunited and it feels so good!

Afterwards, Daniel and I headed over to the Thunder Island Brewing Company for dinner. I was looking forward to a free beer, courtesy of the Trail Magic board (more details about the Trail Magic board available here). But, sadly, they were out of free beer tokens. Daniel, awesome guy that he is, bought not only my beer but he also bought beer tokens for the next 10 hikers. Thanks baby 🙂

We met some other hikers over dinner, including Shutter, and joined them for a game of Cards Against Humanity. But soon my eyes were dropping and it was off to bed.

Looking forward to a double zero in Cascade Locks with my sweetie! Wooo!!!

PCT 2017 Stats

PCT Day 140 – Thursday August 31
Mile 2129.6 to Bridge of the Gods Mile 2144.4

PCT Miles Hiked Today: 14.8
Total PCT Miles Hiked: 1582.6
Feet Ascended Today: 1512
Feet Descended Today: 5490
Current Elevation: 170
Steps: 46438

For more on my experience hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, visit my Pacific Crest Trail 2017 page:

Archive of Previous Posts

Hi, I'm Unicorn!

I am an avid hiker, traveler, and adventurer who is on the mission to explore hiking trails around the world.  I’m also obsessed with National Parks, long-distance trails and other outdoorsy things.

I hope to share this knowledge with you and inspire you to explore new hiking trails too!

2 Comments

  1. garypegg

    I saw Monarch yesterday, 9/8, near the Canadian border. She had been to the Monument and was headed back south to Harts Pass. I finished Washington too, and am headed back to the Sierras, hope to see you there – the horse guy

    Reply
    • Unicorn

      Hey! Would love to see you in the Sierras. That’s awesome you saw Monarch 🙂

      Reply

I want to hear from you! Leave your comment below:

%d bloggers like this: