Thursday, April 08, 2010

About those remote, Oregon resupplies

When I went through Oregon, it wasn't quite as remote as most resources out there led me to believe, as far as resupplies go. Yogi's book suggested I buy all my food for Oregon in Ashland and ship to various suggested locations throughout the entire state. So that is close to what I planned. However, not all my plans worked out and I also had time to observe a few things.

My planned Oregon resupply:
  1. Ship to Crater Lake
  2. Ship to Shelter Cove Resort
  3. Shop in Sisters
  4. Shop in Government Camp
These were all viable things to do. What I ended up doing:

1) Stopped in Fish Lake Resort for a meal.
They had a small store with food I could have purchased for hiking. They had a great breakfast and according to the hiker register, great lunch, too. They also had a full hiker box as apparently many section hikers do the whole state of Oregon and Fish Lake is their first stop.

2) Picked up box in Crater Lake post office
Mazama store had enough food to shop. I could have skipped sending the package. I was glad I sent my bounce box, though, because I needed my cotton skirt to protect me from mosquitoes that bit through my pant legs.

3) Picked up box at Shelter Cove Resort
It turned out Shelter Cove had a small store that was better stocked than expected. I could have found enough to eat there with a little flexibility. They also made a great cup of cafe Americano. Best I ever had. They also had a t-shirt and DEET to protect me from mosquitoes biting me through my shirt.

4) Stopped at Elk Lake for emergency shipment of a new tent and shoes, shopped in Bend
My tent zipper broke and the mosquitoes would have driven me insane without refuge, so I had a replacement tent shipped there. Also asked The Man to send some new shoes while I had to wait anyway. They had almost no food at all in their store. This was probably the only place on the whole trail with so little food for sale. Only candy bars, chips and granola bars.

There is a restaurant at Elk Lake Resort. It seems the biggest meals are the burgers and they're pretty good. The beer is great.

While I was here waiting for my tent and shoes, I learned it is easy to get a ride from Elk Lake to Bend which is a good-sized city with major grocery stores. They have an REI, too. I ended up going to Bend and shopping there instead of Sisters.

5) Skipped the trip to Sisters

6) Stopped in at Big Lake Youth Camp for a meal
Turns out you can send a box to Big Lake Youth Camp. The meal was excellent, cheap and all I could stuff into my belly.

7) Attempted to stop at Ollallie Lake for a meal or snack
They were closed. I was like a lost puppy searching for food. It's not that I didn't plan enough, it's that there was simply never enough food. More was always welcome.

8) Shopped in Government Camp.
I hitched down from Timberline Lodge. Government Camp is a ski town. They have a mini-market and a small grocery store. There was ample food available for the two days to Cascade Locks. I made sure to eat at Timberline Lodge, too.

With the last two days completed from Government Camp to Cascade Locks, I was finished with Oregon. I learned a lot in Oregon about how hiking the trail is a lot like regular life. When you get hungry, you go get food. Plans can easily change and it doesn't ruin anything. Everything works out.

No comments:

Post a Comment