Mazama, Washington - The Transition Week
This last week between wrapping up the Alaska trip and starting our southbound PCT hike has felt pretty exhausting. I think we’re both eager to get started, but there’s been a lot of food planning and last-minute organizing to finish first. Tempers may have flared once or twice, but we are surviving.
One thing is clear - we are carrying too much stuff.
Mom drove us up the Columbia Gorge and through eastern Washington passing wildfires near Hood River. It was a 6½-hour drive that we broke in half with a night in Wenatchee. Saying goodbye to Frankie for the month was a little sad, but I think he’ll enjoy the slower pace at mom's while we’re gone.
Today we finally landed at the Lion's Den Hiker Hostel in Mazama, Washington, and it really is the hiker heaven that everyone says it is. I wasn’t sure what to expect here, but this place has everything a PCT hiker could possibly want: flat tent spots, a hot shower, laundry (with loaner clothes, which is both genius and mildly terrifying), endless hiker boxes, a full kitchen, and all the charging stations you could ever need.
It’s got that magical hiker vibe with twinkle lights, prayer flags, and barefoot people holding mugs of tea. The place is run entirely by donation and goodwill. It’s impossible not to love it.
We pitched our tent under a shelter out back, then grabbed a couple of creaky loaner bikes and rode into town. The "town" of Mazama is tiny, as in “blink and you’ve missed the whole thing” tiny, but it's cute. There’s a trendy little market, a coffee spot and bakery, and a brewery with live bands on weekends.
We checked out a few maps, and there are trails everywhere around the area. Basically, you can pick any direction from here and you’re hiking.
Tomorrow, we finally get to start our trail.
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