Day 120 : Big miles

17th August 2013
Mile 1728 to mile 1762.5 : I-5 to Big Spring
Mileage : 34.5
Average mileage since day 101 : 21.3
Although obviously i crossed into Oregon a couple of days ago, it feels like the Oregon hike began today. I was up and hiking by 6a, today as i was woken to the sound of the Intertate highway close to which i camped. By mid morning I had managed 10 before 10 and was feeling on form so was anticipating a big mile day. Just after my first stop, I met a trio of Oregonians out for a day hike and they kindly offered me a homemade muffin. Homemade food is hard to come by on the trail, and even harder to pass up, so I chatted with them for a good 20 minutes before heading off into the woods. Oregon has a reputation for immitating the ATs green tunnel so I was looking forward to shady hiking, but at least for the first day it was not to be. For whatever reason most of the day's hiking was in view of the full summer sun, but still I had made a good 20 miles by lunchtime so sat and had a leaisurely lunch by a creek amidst several groups of day or weekend hiker/campers. Days of the week mean little to thru-hikers, but i new it was the weekend due to the number of non-thruhikers on or around the trail. While sat enjoying my lunch, I had one of my most bizare encounters on the trail. A little girl came past me and asked me if i was a hiker, I responded giving the standard response "I'm hiking from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail" at which point her mum turned up, and had obviously overhead me speaking to her child and as the pair walked away, I heard the mum say "Don't listen to what that man just said". Now I often get people looking at me incredulously when I explain what I'm doing, as clearly most people have never heard of the trail, but I have never had anyone assume that I am lying. I wasn't annoyed by this but rather dismayed that her instant assumption was that I was lying and that her daughter was about to miss up an opportunity to learn about the trail. I had my PCT bandana close to hand so ran after the pair to put this woman straight and explain to the little girl that I what I had said was true. The woman did not look happy to be contradicted in front of her child, but I was glad I got to show the bandana, which has the route across the 3 states marked on it, to the little girl who rewarded my efforts with some suitable gasps of awe. My good deed done for the day I headed back up the trail making it another 15 miles up the trail before the light put an end to my day's hike. 35ish miles was a good start to Oregon