Day 45: leaving Ashland

July 18
8 miles

Borealis and I are the last ones to leave Callahan's. He takes a nap, and I spend the time updating my blog, and suddenly it's 5pm. It's a 2 miles road walk to get back to the trail, so we decide to only go to the first water source today, about 10 miles out.
Waiting for Borealis in the lobby, I realize my water filter is missing. I check my entire pack, and come up empty handed. Shit. I still have some chlorine drops, and I hope they'll last me until crater lake.
And older man comes up to me and asks if I'm getting back on the trail, and tells me to go put my bag by his car and he'll drive me up. I thanks him, but tell him we're planning to walk. He gives me a questioning look and says what will take me an hour will only take him 5 minutes, and he gives rides to all the hikers. Borealis is insistent on walking the road, but I take the guy up on his offer, telling Borealis I'll see him at the next water.

It's a nice hike, and I pass by Pilot Rock and try to snap a selfie, but it isn't very impressive--the problem with walking by yourself.

I almost step on a snake that is stretched across the road, looking too much like a stick. It doesn't move, and I'm pretty sure it's dead. I nudge it with my trekking pole, and nothing. I'm about to step over it when it quickly coils up, looking about to strike. It scares the crap out of me, even though I know it's not poisonous. I take a picture and wait until it slowly slithers off the trail.

In 8 miles I come to the spring, just as it nears 8pm. I see three guys standing by the spring, and can immediately tell they aren't through hikers. I would think nothing about approaching 3 pct guys, but I'm a little more hesitant about day hikers. I know Borealis probably isn't too far behind, so I walk down. The guys look to be in their 40s, and as soon as I approach they offer me filtered water that they got from the spring. I tell them that would be great because I just lost my filter, and they next thing I know one of the guys hands me a filter. The upgrades version of the one I lost. I tell him I can't take it, but he insists, and I know I have nothing to worry about from these guys.
They ask me all sorts of questions about the PCT, telling me they are just doing a section of Oregon, but would love to do the whole thing one day. Half an hour later Borealis shows up and tells me he thought we were going another 2 miles to the next water--he tries to persuade me to go, but I've already taken off my pack, made friends, and don't feel like hiking in the dark. He continues on, and I spend the rest of the night, chatting with Scott, Scott and Chip, sitting around their fire and enjoying all the filtered water I can drink.