Trail Angel Stories: Twist, Headstart, and Family

Our hiker friend Twist grew up in Portland, OR. He had a whole itinerary of people he wanted to see on particular weekends. Lucky for Journey Man and myself, Twist invited us to join him for a couple weekends.

We first met Twist’s parents, Steve and Laurie, in Sun River. They drove out to pick us up and take us to stay in a cabin. Twist, Headstart, Journey Man and I had Grand plans to explore town via bikes, but we ultimately opted for long afternoon naps instead. It was a glorious, lazy zero.

The second time we got to spend time with Twist’s folks was in Portland. Steve drove out three hours to pick us up from White’s Pass in Washington. He and Laurie hosted us at their home in Portland our first night there. The second night, Headstart’s aunt, Patty, hosted us. Her family threw a backyard barbecue for dinner, and her aunt whipped up an amazing breakfast waffle bar the next morning. 

This timing was especially perfect for this weekend because I was getting off trail to fly back East to Boston for my sister’s bridal shower. Journey Man stayed back in Portland bouncing around from place to place with Twist and Headstart as they made their rounds seeing family and friends. When I returned from my quick whirlwind of a trip, we said our goodbyes to Twist and Headstart. Journey Man and I were continuing north towards Canada, but Twist and Headstart planned on covering their skipped miles in California before completing Washington. It was sad to leave them; we had been hiking with those two since our stint in the Sierra. We waved goodbye as they hopped on their bus, but I know we will see them again! I’m happy that we got to say farewell after a fun weekend with their families.

- Mantis