The long awaited phone call near Ashland, OR

It's 5:00 on Saturday August 7th, and I just hung up the phone with Dave. He has hiked 20 miles today, took a quick break when he found he had a few bars to call home, and is now back on the trail to make as many more miles as he can today. It is wonderful to hear him sound so happy! He has been surprised by how strong he feels with all these miles - he loves his hiking legs!

Since Fire Marshall's feet were so bad in Etna, he got a ride into Ashland and has been camping and resting his feet. Dave, Zero, and Redhead (earlier mistakenly called Redmond), have been making over 20 miles each day. Redhead and Zero have a very similar pace and have been walking together. Dave is up and on the trail each morning by 6:00, putting in as many miles as he can. Although he's camped alone some nights, he has been able to spend some time each day with Zero and Redhead.

Dave has run into hikers that we met early on in this adventure. Schroomer we met in Warner Springs and had him, with others, stay in our campsite. Dave was happy to see him again. He is called Schroomer because he claims he could eat his way to Canada living off the land. He especially has a nose for edible mushrooms.

Dave and the guys spent some time celebrating at the Oregon border today.

I had mailed some packages ahead with maps and fuel that Dave had pre-addressed. It's been so long he forgot where to get these packages. We've gone over a list of where he is to get his packages along with other items he needs. His backpack's strap has broken and is now tied. I'm sending him one of Zero's backpacks, as I have several here.

Dave also swears by his GPS. It has really helped him out. That is one piece of weight that he would not give up. The only issue is that he needs my computer to upload his information onto the GPS. He has about 300 miles left on the GPS. We are going to try and find a way for him to remote into my computer.

His Spot tonight should be at the Ashland campground. I'll update his blog with specifics when it comes through tonight.

Trail Angel Jane