3 Sisters – Day 5

Our usual morning routine got us on the trail at 7AM again. Our goal today was the car, just 5.6 miles away. Another cool blue sky morning in the mid 40’s, but again headed for the mid 80’s later today.

Shedding layers as we hiked up the hills on the McBee Trail, spirits were high. The gifts of water and rest from yesterday, gave everyone renewed energy today. That, along with the thought of a hot fudge Sundae when we got out, moved everyone down the trail at a good pace. In fact we only took one break when we were about half way there. As a result we were at the car by 10:45.

Because I had had trouble with the battery in the car I had turned off the “Auto Unlock via key fob” feature. This kept the car from looking for the key all the time we were gone thus keeping the 12 volt car battery from discharging. But it seemed to deactivate the rear hatch opener, too. So we ended up stowing the packs in the way back area via the back seats. Fortunately by the time we next stopped the car, everything was working again.

We drove the 30 miles out to the highway and stopped briefly to eat our last trail lunch in the Westfir Forest Service parking lot. Thirty minutes later we were pulling into a Dairy Queen for treats. From there it was about 20 minutes to Eugene.

After showers and laundry and catching up on email, etc., we had diner reservations at a local cafe to celebrate.