John woke up on his birthday in a clean bed. At first, he seemed disoriented. And then as sleep slipped away and the sunlight brightened the room, he remembered that he and Anthony had stepped on the toes of Mount hood and had reached the Columbia River. Anthony asked John if he wanted to spend his birthday at the hotel, eat, drink, and be merry for the day. John said he didn't want to waste a day hanging around a hotel. Anthony argued that, at least, they should wait until 7:00 when the restaurant opened so they could get a hot breakfast, with eggs and bacon, pancakes, orange juice, and maybe a fresh blueberry muffin. John was tempted. But the itch to finish the 2,650 mile backpacking hike was gnawing at him. They left at 6:22 AM.
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