Day 126 & 127: California vs. Oregon

(Mile 2142.5 to mile 2155, Cascade Locks = 12.5 miles; Mile 2155 to 2161 = 6 miles)

Thank you, Diane, Tammy, Riley, and Daisy, for taking us in. Perfect hosts and perfectly relaxing. You can eat my ginger snaps anytime, Riley!

It is funny.  If you think about it, it is an imaginary, man-made line that separates California from Oregon.  We acknowledge it.  But the birds, deer, chipmunks who live there do not.  The land is continuous.  Yet, for me at least, the two places have an entirely different feel and hiking through them is two different experiences.   Here is a random assortment of the things that stand out when I compare the two:  (And, yes, for the record, I am a little more than slightly biased.)

I found Maddog! AND, he can do handstands!

California takes an eternity to hike.  Oregon is a blink.  CA = OR x 4

Oregon is flatter and faster.  What they say is true.  Your big miles are possible in Oregon.

There are more day and weekend hikers out in Oregon and more of them know what the PCT is.  As a matter of fact, it is likely you will meet at least one person seriously starstruck by what you are doing.  You will feel like a rock star.  You will be embarrassed, but you will enjoy your moment of glory.

Canada, here we come.

The California peaks are higher; the Oregon peaks are more prominent.

There are more pack teams in California, more horseback riders in Oregon.

Oregon generally has better trail signage.

This year, Oregon had more snow, California more mosquitoes.

Far northern CA is a lot like far southern OR.  Depending on who you ask, they are the same state.  The State of Jefferson.

CA has John Muir Trail hikers; OR has Eagle Creek hikers.

CA's Drakesbad Ranch might be comparable to OR's Callahan's.

OR has more brutal lava floes.  Ahem, McKenzie Pass!

We took the Eagle Creek alternate...for obvious reasons!

CA has more brutal stretches of desert.

The Three Sisters in OR are a mini-mini version of the Sierras.

The Sierras are dramatic; the Sisters are subtle.

There are more fantastic ridge-top camping spots in California.

Oregon's trail is more wooded.

The deer are crazier in California.

The creepy crawlers are scarier in California.

I had rodents running across me and pooping in my shoes in Oregon.

Gumby believes the water is better in Oregon than California.

There are more landmarks, closer together in Oregon.  It helps to pass the time.

AT&T works better in California; Verizon is better in Oregon.

The wildflowers are bigger in California.

Oregon has more berries.  But California has more wild strawberries!

California is windier.  Way windier.

Where's Gumby? Tunnel Falls, Oregon.

Oregon had more fires this year.

There is more weird stuff (scary dolls, furniture, eco-art, etc.) on the trail in California than in Oregon.

The trail magic caches are better in California.

Kennedy Meadows North was a favorite stop in California, Big Lake Youth Camp in Oregon.

Where Oregon ends and Washington begins!

. . . . . . . .

And now, we are done with both.  It is hard to believe there is less than a month left of this trip!  We will see what Washington brings to the mix.

. . . . . . . .

P.S.  Special thanks go to Diane McClay for taking us in when we hit the Oregon/Washington border.  She gave us all of the space we could ask for, our own room and shower, use of laundry, free reign in the kitchen, a fantastic grilled-out dinner, and more.  I took my first nap with a dog there...and liked it!  (Thanks, Riley!)  All of this when she had big event planning of her own going on.  It was like being at my sister, Paula's, again; but with dogs instead of cats.  Thank you!