Oregon
Starting: Section F11 - Clackamas Lake Campground
Ending:  Section G1 - Timberline Lodge

The steady rain that had been falling all day finally abated in the late afternoon. I had reached Highway 35 & had only 5 miles left to Timberline Lodge. Looking up at Mt. Hood, getting my first real look at the mountain thanks to the break in the clouds, I was startled to see the mountaintop wrapped in a fresh blanket of snow.

As I gained elevation during the ascent to the lodge the rain soaked ground gave way to several inches of new snow. I reached the lodge just as it began to snow again, with the temperature dropping into the low 30s.

Ran into TYVEK and joined him for a sandwich & pint at the Ramshead Bar. We marveled at how hard it was snowing through the large picture windows & dreaded the thought of going back out to set up camp.

The lodge had no vacancies so we began to look for places to crash. The lodge is pretty large with lots of couches tucked in out of the way places. During our search we were spotted by the front desk clerk, Jay. Instead of asking us to leave, he offered us the spare room in his apartment. We eagerly accepted & Jay drove us down to his apartment in Government Camp after his shift ended.

Jay, you are the man...