Day 133 : Timberline Lodge

30th August 2013 Mile 2107.5 to mile 2120 : Timberline Lodge to Sandy River Mileage : 12.5 Average Mileage since day 101 :

All of us were up early today with one thought one our minds: buffet breakfast. I remember growing up in Dubai one of my favourite treats was to go to the buffet brunch at the Jebel Ali Hotel and it still sets the bar for any buffet experiences subsequent to my childhood, massively infrequent as they are even on the trail. The Timberline Lodge has reset the bar. It has become the breakfast buffet against which all others will be measured, and in all probability they will be found wanting. Waffles and pancakes with fresh cream and berries and actual maple syrup. A huge leg of Spanish ham that took me instantly back to tapas bars in Barcelona when i tried it. Mountains of fresh fruit that actually had flavour, a full range of cooked breakfast options and much, much more. Breakfast was served from 7:30 to 10:30 and i pretty much sat and ate continuously for the duration of the breakfast service. I had intended to eat with my fellow roommates, but as i sat down at the table a minute or two before the rest of them two middleaged gents asked if they could join me. I smelled an opportunity to yogi breakfast off them and of course welcomed them to my table. I tried my hardest to yogi a meal of them.discreetly, but to no available, but i wasn't bothered as they turned out to be very good company. A couple hours later I was about ready to leave and get back on the trail when I ended up bumping into Funsize and Cuddles, who gave me the Pinata to take to Oregon border Funsize, Goldie and Frosty, and Shedder and Roo, all of whom, with the exception of Cuddles whom I'm saw briefly in Shasta City, I hadn't seen in more than a thousand miles. Meeting up with all of them put paid to my plan to get some major miles today, and decided to stay for lunch. The lunch buffet was almost as good as breakfast, and after several more hours of eating I finally got back on the trail and struggled down the trail. Some days on the trail are easy, and some are difficult, today's hiking was difficult due to the enormous amounts of very good food i'd consumed that day. Nevertheless I managed almost 13 miles that afternoon before I lost the light and stopped. I wished I could have stopped earlier, but I wanted to make it to Cascade Locks the next day and so needed to bring the distance down as much as possible. So I camped just before the last big climb in Oregon, and went to bed early as I had need nor desire to eat again that day.