Hiking for Health

I'm really hoping to make a huge contribution to the Pacific Crest Trail and the American Heart Assoiation when I finish the PCT.  Please visit Heart on the Trail and help me raise money for these two wonderful organizations that have been so important to me.  Also, please visit Heart on the Trail on Facebook and "like".  Thanks for your generosity!  Thanks for following along on my adventure!

 Hiking for Health ~ Get Your Heart on the Trail

 Heart on the Trail

Day 134

Goat Rocks cairn

Freestyle at Goat Rocks near cairn

Freestyle with Rainier in background

Day 133

Two videos from last year, 2011, on the PCT.   Goat Rocks with snow, wind and cold.  Dropped out  due to extreme weather conditions.

Goat Rocks  one year later with perfect weather this time.  What a difference a "year" makes!  23 miles.

Goat Rocks 2012

Goat Rocks knife edge

Freestyle at Goat Rocks 2012

Day 131

22 miles.  

Mt. Adams without smoke below big north west glacier

Day 130

21 miles.  Mt. Adams thru fire smoke PCT 2012 Panther Creek area.   Passing around Mt. Adams, but because of smoke and fires, the views have been choked out (pun intended).

Mt Adams shrouded in smoke from Cascade Creek fire along PCT 2012

Day 129

Hiking on the Bridge of the Gods, over the Columbia River, from Oregon to Washington on the PCT

Bridge of the Gods over the Columbia River

Looking back on Oregon and Mt. Hood from PCT near Cedar Creek.  Next volcano is Mt. Adams!

Day 128

Cascade Locks again today.  Too tired to move quickly, if at all.  A zero day will feel good and waiting for it to stop raining, per the forecast, sounds perfect.  Soon, after we're rested (tomorrow?) we will walk across the Columbia River on the Bridge of the Gods to begin the Washington Section of the PCT.

Bridge of the Gods

Day 127

Zero Day.  We arrived at Cascade Locks today, tired, sore and ready for a rest.  We hope to leave tomorrow, but we'll see how we feel in the morning.  We need time to resupply, get a good night's sleep in a warm room and dry out.  We've had rain and cold and are ready to be warm and dry again.

Cascade Locks

Trail ogre shrieks with chicken challenge
Ate an entire chicken in a can (3.2 lbs.)

Day 126

A must-do alternate hike on the PCT is Eagle Creek in the Columbia Gorge.  Approximately a 10 mile side trip that was spectacular, with the trail blasted out of cliffs, including a tunnel through solid rock behind this falls (below).  Hiking alternate trails, climbing mountains, crawling through caves all make up my freestyle mode of doing the PCT, thus my name, Freestyle.

Freestyle at Eagle Creek

Heart on the Hood

Freestyle is Hiking for Health and  hoping you will Get your Heart on the Trail by going to Heart on the Trail and making a donation to support the Pacific Crest Trail and The American Heart Association.

Freestyle's heart on Hood

Look Out!

Thru-hiker being hunted! 

Day 125

Leaving Timberline, most of the day was walking around the mountain.

Mt. Hood from trail head off the PCT, above Timberline Lodge 

Mt. Hood with wildflower meadow

Mt. Hood view from west
Freestyle lunch break and bath in icy water below Mt. Hood  

Looking at Mt. Hood from NW

View of Mt. Hood at end of day looking south

Day 124

24 Hours Later

Warm, comfortable and not wanting to leave!  Zero Day of rest and pleasure!

Timberline Lodge

Day 123

Mt. Hood and a 12.5 mile day

Freestyle

Day 122

dbBrad and Heart on the Trail make local news.  Thanks South Whidbey Record and Reporter Ben Watanabe for publishing such a nice article.   Hiked 29 miles today.

Freestyle, the guy behind Heart on the Trail

Freestyle, Mt.Jefferson, PCT

Looking north to Hood the Columbia River and Adams in Washington.  PCT 2012 highlight Willamette Hood boundary.

Mismatch and Bodybag

Photo by Freestyle

Jefferson from North

Day 121

23 miles

PCT Drama

Day 120

Jefferson is an awesome mountain

24.5 miles

I sat on this ridge for 3 hours this morning

Mt.Jefferson

Day 119

We could see St. Helen's and Adams in WA.  Freestyle.  11.5 miles today

Freestyle pct 2012 with mt hood and hat!

Fire burn from 2009

Three Fingered Jack.
PCT in foreground but trail up 3FJ in background is for freestyle only!

View at 10.5 miles hiking away from Three Sisters 

Day118

PCT 2012 freestyle
18.5 miles

North side of s sister
Bodybag and Bloodbank, two essential parts of S Sister's summit 

The last snow field descending S Sister before rejoining PCT
 Freestyle, Bloodbank and Bodybag

Alien landscape headed north on PCT out of Sisters National Forest with Mt. Hood in background.

Off South Three Sisters mountain and into the town of Sisters

Freestyle

Day 117

Climbing South Sister of the Three Sisters

Bloodbank somewhere in photo, S Sister, west side.
Where's Waldo?

Bloodbank,  Bodybag and Freestyle on S  Sister with
 Middle Sis and N Sis in background

Bloodbank and dbBrad summit S Sister, PCT freestyle!

Nearing the top (false summit) of S Sister

Bloodbank ascending S Sister with Shasta in background -- PCT freestyle!

Bodybag Ascending sisters, pct freestyle!

Freestyle on S Sister.  Mid and north Sis with Jefferson and Hood barely visible.

Summit of South Three Sisters

Day 116

Elk Lake Resort -- one of my favorite places yet.  Although the campground is not so great, the people services, food, views and facilities were awesome.

Sunrise over Elk Lake

Magicbox PCT hiker hanging out at the wonderful Elk Lake Resort. 

Big dog and Ninja at Elk Lake.