Memories from August 9

Like yesterday, today had an enchanting atmosphere filled with various sizes of water drops. Unlike yesterday, this had a practical purpose as it kept me cool during a challenge to hike 50 miles in one day ending at Timberline Lodge. Timberline Lodge is renowned along the length of the trail for its breakfast buffet and doing a 50 today let’s me be present for the most anticipated meal of the trip. I’ve heard of other people doing distance challenges into Timberline and so it seems an good way to check off my goal of feeling like I’d made a real physical accomplishment on the trail. 

Here’s a screenshot of the app I use to track waypoints on the trail. It’s 5:50am and the app is filtered to show that Timberline Lodge is 51.58 miles from where I started near Olallie Lake.

This was a good stretch to do a distance challenge since the scenery mostly looked like this.

With a few exceptions: 

The morning was mostly downhill with several thousand feet of decline coming slowly over about 20-25 miles. My strategy was to run (ie slow jog) the downhills, try to maintain a pace of 3 miles per hour on the uphills, and use the flats for recovery if necessary but ideally for hard hiking. With so much downhill at the beginning, I made 15 miles by 9am, 19 by 10am and 26 by noon. With such promising progress, the challenge shifted to be whether or not I could make it by dinner which was particularly interesting as I didn’t know when dinner service ended, though I assumed 7pm. As I hadn’t packed a real dinner, just bars, this would be a real treat.
In the early afternoon the trail leveled out and I started running across people who I hadn’t seen since the Sierra. I last saw Copilot, for example, crossing Bear Creek.

I also got to run on a boardwalk. It wasn’t quite like Santa Cruz through.

I ran into a couple of trail angels who have me some Oreos. This wound up being a big help as I’d run out of snacks that I could reach without stopping and taking my pack off.

The uphill kicked in with 15 miles to go. By this point I’d lost the morning’s abundance of energy and my hamstrings were getting pretty tight. Still, I made it to 40 miles by 3pm with little running since noon. At this point, despite the about 2000ft of climbing remaining, I felt like things were in the bag. The trail remained soft and after crossing a busy highway, I managed to keep pace up a slope and only a long level stretch which got me within about five miles. I’d been getting hungry and was out of accessible snacks but didn’t want to eat because I wanted dinner at Timberline to be that much more amazing. Crossing another highway, I drank the last of my water and started up what I thought was going to be the big which climb I’ve heard people mention leads into the lodge. While generally upwards, the big climb didn’t materialize but about 2.5 miles out I was beginning to notice my vision would go slightly blurry and, while not dangerous, I’d have to consciously focus to sharpen the picture. Despite being so close, I stopped for a few minutes and drew water from a stream running under the trail. I still didn’t eat because I didn’t want to spoil my dinner but at this point, a five star chef would not have been needed to make me think I was eating from God’s own table.

Finally, with a little over a mile left in the day, two things happened. First, I found the big hill. It’s not actually that big but it is covered in sand which is miserable. Second, I started to bonk. For the uninitiated, bonking is when you run out of energy because there’s no fuel easily accessible to your muscles. You can still move the muscles but there’s no power behind them. You can put one foot in front of the other but it can be a struggle to lift yourself onto thr forward foot. I’d been traveling at a minimum of 3 miles an hour and suddenly became very worried that I would be able to make the last mile in the more than an hour that remained. (Mt Hood is in this picture on the right, in fact, I’m almost right under it, the fog completely obscured it).

As I was taking yet another small break to check my iota of progress since my last GPS check, Flip Flop came up behind me. I’d passed him just before the last highway and was surprised to see him again. Pride, though it may come before a fall, has its uses and as I didn’t want to look as slow as I was going in front of a guy I’d just passed, I tried to make a good show of it. Over dinner, he told me that he hadn’t passed me because I wasn’t looking good. Either way, it got me the last little bit to the lodge.

At 6:20pm this most beautiful sight came into view. I was chilled from the wind which the final ridge walk had exposed us to. I felt hungry enough to eat a day hiker (a common food source for desperate thru hikers). I was sore enough that when I finally sat to order a pizza, my legs froze and I had to actuate them largely from the hips when hobbling to the wash room.

Over the course of dinner which I ate with Flip Flop, a couple at the table next to us identified us as PCT hikers and offered the use of their shower. Wonderful, wonderful people. The husband the had once helped support a hiker attempting to set the speed record on the Appalachian Trail and so explained that they had a soft spot for thru hikers.

Warm, clean (except my clothes since laundry was only for guests and the most economical room that night was $275), and full, I sat in a comfy chair to do a quick internet check. It was hard to get up to back outside amd find a place to camp.

Memories from August 8

Today was largely mist shrouded making everything more wondrous. Unfortunately, there were several spells of light rain as well. Despite the lack of direct sun, hiking produces enough warmth to dry any clothes on the body except socks so if it hadn’t been for the later drizzle, I would have been quite comfortable upon arriving at camp. As it turns out, I was comfortable anyways since my destination for the day was Olallie Lake Resort whose owner lets passers-by to sit by the stove in the store of her off the grid resort.

So spooky I could scare myself if I’d wanted to.

Most of Mount Adams.

Over the snow and into the fog the hiker tracks do go. Where do the go? Nobody knows! But follow them we wiiiill. (To the tune of Over the River and Through the Woods).

A cairn in the mist creates a wonderful sense of adventure. On a different trip, a friend and I once had to play Marco Polo to locate each other as we hunted for cairns to follow in a dense fog.

The water which collects on plants which has overgrown the trail gets deposited into the clothing of passing hikers. This is known as a hikerwash and is a much greater cause for discontentment than mist or rain.

Memories from August 7

Today I hiked into the Presidential Range, mostly around Mount Washington. Over the course of the day, clouds rolled gradually in as I gained altitude. This added to the color of the valley with splotches of light and dark. Mt Washington itself was quite dramatic, sharp, dark, and frequently with a backdrop of clouds which appeared to be growing increasingly wrathful. I wound up choosing to pitch my tarp tonight which I haven’t done in some time as evidenced the new guy lines I bought in South Lake Tahoe still being in their original wrapping and not attached to my tarp.

Washington’s hat was not tri-cornered.

Clouds over the valley playing with light. There haven’t been many clouds since the Sierra but it really hasn’t been since the desert that there’s been a gentle enough landscape for the dappling effect to be prominent.

This side of the mountain appears suddenly as you make a U-turn at a saddle adding to the effect of its aggressive appearance.

Rockpile Lake. As evening wore on, tendrils of clouds would swirl downwards in a circular sweep like fingers plucking the water.

Memories from August 6

I started today from a side trail to Elk Lake Resort as I hadn’t cared to make it all the way back to the PCT in the dark in case it would be hard to find a campsite.The trail was easy and pleasant, passing through mixed types of trees, small meadows, dry fields, and an occasional lake. One trail sign told me I was in the Sister’s Mirror Lake Area but none of the small lakes seemed to reflect a mountain as would be befitting the name given that the Sisters are a trio of mountains in the area. Part of what made today interesting was the diversity of environments through which I walked. In one area, obsidian flakes littered the ground and layers of obsidian ran through exposed rock. Towards afternoon, I crossed some sections of volcanic rock which were sometimes desolate and other times speckled with dry, white tree corpses beset near the ground with new growth. This lead up to a view of the Presidential Range which was the best view I’ve had in Oregon.
Shortly before crossing a highway, I ran across trail magic and so got a spaghetti dinner and met some southbound hikers. I wanted to keep moving and so hiked out at dusk so pancakes wouldn’t tempt me the next morning. Unfortunately, the only place I could find to camp was on the trail as dark fell while I was in a field of large pumice shards.

I assume this is one of the sisters for which this area is named. I’m not sure I clearly identified all three.

The rock on the left is littered with obsidian.

Obsidian stream doesn’t seem to contain much obsidian.

Old lava fields make for tough walking. I’d been warned that they would be hot late in the day and was relieved to find them cool (by which I mean the surrounding air temperature).

The Presidential Range. From left to right: Washington, Jefferson, and Adams.

By sunset.

Memories from August 5

Lakes all the way from Taylor Lake to Elk Lake Resort, usually hidden in tree cover just off the trail.

Got in 23.5 miles to Elk Lake Resort around 1:30pm after taking a wrong turn at trail sign to Island Meadow (and apparently, Elk Lake Resort). Jan had  wanted to get in for lunch but didn’t make it until dinner. Word has it he was asking about showers at Shelter Cove which he’d argued against taking there. I’d argued that it was OK to get in to Elk Lake for dinner but wound up executing Jan’s idea and he mine.

Jan and I decided to split up since wanted to wait for a package coming the next day and I wanted to keep some semblance of being on schedule for the Oregon in 14 Days Challenge.

Elk Lake Resort had showers but no laundromat. I could smell how bad my clothes were when I had to put them back on after showering. I did try to wash socks by putting the shower head inside them one at a time until the water ran clear. However, when you squeezed the sock, the water is still brown. It’s amazing that washing machines get them so clean.

I was about to head back out on the trail when the opening ceremonies if the Olympics came on. I managed to drag myself less than a mile up the trail back to the PCT and cowboy camp. So much for staying on schedule.

Here’s one of the lakes from this morning.

Memories from August 4

This morning I got up early as I had cowboy camped near a paid campground in the dark and wasn’t sure if I’d strayed onto it. The end of the Oregon Skyline Trail did have some nice ponds even if it didn’t have the views its name implied.

I made the walk in to Shelter Cove by breakfast and was a little disappointed that they didn’t have either a restaurant (I should have just checked the trail notes) or that their store didn’t have a box of cereal. Instead, I fulfilled my childhood dream of eating cookies like cereal. Except I made it better by eating out if a pie crust.

Jan showed up as I was trying about to head out and we planned to meet up at Elk Lake Resort on the morrow. The PCT didn’t have real eye poppers either for the rest of the day but here’s a nice lake view.

There were a lot of deadfalls which we’ve been hopping over, under, and around for the past few days. Like many, I’d gotten to complaining about them and felt distinctly humbled when a guy named Hammer said that it just made him appreciate how we the trail crews did on the rest of the trail.

Towards evening a guy with a campsite near the trail called out as I was passing and offered a beer. I had been intending to push the mileage a little and get to Taylor lake but wasn’t committed and was lacking energy so I plopped down to join him. Pathfinder and XC joined us but both left before I did. When I finally got moving it wasn’t long before dark but between the beer, snacks, and rest, something had changed and I felt a sublime urge to run the shallow downhill as the evening turned to dusk. It was wonderful, even dodging and slowing for the deadfalls. Shortly after dark, I stumbled into a site near Taylor Lake and was greeted by Strapless (so named because his backpack doesn’t have a hip belt) who had left the rest break where I’d been humbled by Hammer earlier than me and I hadn’t really expected to catch him. We talked pretty late while the mosquitoes swarmed around his tent and left me, protected only by a sleeping bag alone.

Memories from August 3

One big highlight from today is that Jan discovered that the Oregon Skyline Trail shortcuts about 10 miles of the PCT and passes by Shelter Cove, a resort which we both dearly hope has hamburgers. The which of taking a shortcut while trying to hike across Oregon in 2 weeks might be questionable if we hadn’t had  13 miles added by having to walk to the east around Crater Lake. Jan is almost giddy.

 In other news, we saw some cool sights today. First up was free marijuana. This counts as a sight and not an experience because I didn’t take any.

Second was mount Thielson. I probably wouldn’t have noticed it in thr Sierra but Oregon seems to be about appreciating the tree and not the forest, except when it comes to actual trees in which case you mostly just see forests of them and they lose their unique qualities.

Third was the highest point in the PCT in Oregon ans Washington. This is mostly an interesting view because it completely defies your expectations for how such a place would look. Not exactly inspiring

These red hills which were nearby were pretty cool though.

Finally, the sunset looked like the forest was in fire. Note that this is the only picture from today taken on the Oregon Skyline Trail. That’s because it’s pretty representative of the “skyline” you see.

Memories from August 2

Alarm was set for 4am. I didn’t hear it until 4:06am. Jan says his sleeping mat is so thin he could feel though the ground 2 yards away but didn’t mind the extra minutes of peace. We broke camp and headed out onto the east rim road around Crater Lake. Both Jan and I have made all forward progress from the Mexican border by foot so we’re walking the road around the side of the lake not in fire.

Before sunrise a ranger passed and asked us if we were OK. I told him we were walking the East Rim Road because the West Rim Trail was closed by fire.

Jan and I met on a road walk where most people hitched. It’s fun to be doing another one with him. His humor, particulaly on point this morning while he is in good spirits makes the journey enjoyable.

The morning sun gave us the best views in Oregon so far, but not of Crater Lake.

I think that Jan and I might be some of the few people to ever have hiked try East Rim Road since it’s not part of the PCT and we’re hiking it the first day of the closure.

Maui waved and jovially called Jan a dirty hippie as the car which had given him a ride drove by. Maui had left a few hours before us so given that we had to wait for my resupply box, there was no way to have made it through before the closure.

We stopped about 15 miles in at the Cleetwood Cove trail where we got water from the kiosk which sells boat tours of Crater Lake and ferries people to Wizard Island. I wasn’t convinced that there were four days of food in my pack so I bought two bags of Chex Mix.

We took a cross country (ie bushwhacked) shortcut down a hillside about a mile before the road intersected the trail. The soil was so soft you could almost have skied down.

Jan an I camped at around 6:30pm which is early, about 8 miles before the next water. We got up early and with 9 of 14 days left to get across Oregon during the challenge sleep is still important. Given the setbacks so far, we’ll have to average 33 to 34 miles per day to make it. That’s doable as long as the terrain stays pretty flat and we’re efficient at resupplies. 
The trees all have eyes and they’re looking at us. (To the tune of that song from The Sound of Music).

Memories from August 1

I had my alarm set for 4am so I could get into Mazama Village by 7:30am and be out by 9am. Got up at 6am instead with the excuse that Jan was still behind me.

I got into Mazama Village and had breakfast with Maui until 10:30am. Jan showed up part way through but neither of us wanted to be in a hurry.

When I finally got over to the store where my resupply box had been shipped, it hadn’t arrived. Admittedly, the online resupply company had sent me an e-mail saying it might me as late as this afternoon but I’d discounted that since my previous resupply box had arrived a few days before despite being ordered only one day earlier. This what makes going border to border in Oregon in 14 days difficult. The miles can be hiked but recovering from logistics delays can be difficult.

Eventually my box showed up, and my abuse of the unlimited soda refills ended. While it was nice to get a shower and do laundry, I was antsy to get moving. When Jan and I arrived at Crater Lake Rim Village around 5pm, however, we found that a nearby fire closure had just been expanded in the last hour to all trails on the west side of the lake. That meant we’d have to hike around the east side of the lake on 25 miles of road instead of about 7 miles of scenic trail. There was a fancy restaurant nearby so we had a white tablecloth dinner which cost more than my entire resupply box as consolation. This also gave us a chance to plan the road walk.

We started down the road at 7:30pm but since Jan had gotten up before I’d even intended to, we camped at a day use trailhead earlier than planned.

I was pretty frustrated with how it had a turned out. Just to rub salt in, a box of brownies mom had sent apparently showed up Mazama Village within an hour of me having gotten my package and presumed there were no other packages for me. I could have hiked back for the brownies but that would have felt tantamount to abandoning the Oregon in 2 Weeks Challenge.

Some of the high brow merch you can get at the Mazama Village Store.

Smoke from the fire pouring into Crater Lake. There’s a guy on the right side of the photo trying to take a picture of the lake.

Presumably, he got a picture like this. Crater Lake is formed in a caldera volcano. Is it about to blow?

Memories from July 31

Today was also focused on catching up to the Oregon in 2 Weeks Schedule. I’d have to make it 45 miles to Mazama Village at Crater Lake which didn’t happen. I only made it 35 and called it because I figured I’d still get in before the store where I’d had a resupply package shipped would open. Its too early to be tired due to sleep loss. The good part is that Oregon has finally produced some good views.

I had been flagging a little on the walk up to the ridge when I ran across a peppy hiker named Lefty whose bright manner was energizing enough that I was able to carry on pretty well until a downhill could pull me along independent of my own will.

Also worth mentioning is Maui who I’ve been leap frogging for a few days. He s a laid back type who hikes in board shorts and a straw hat. While he can be a little quiet until you get him going, he seems to love hearing about people and has an easy laugh which is triggered by the slightest humor. I find that breaks taken in his company are unintentionally long.
This burn must have been recent since, when I went to dig a cat hole, the top few millimeters of dirt were charred.

The ridge walk continued.

I passed the 1800 mile mark.

The campsite where I crashed tonight had another tent which I initially thought was unoccupied. About half way way through pulling my gear out for the night, a dreamy, stoner voice wafted out of the tent and with the salutation of, “greetings earthling” struck up a largely one sided conversation. It’s fascinating what people tell you when they’re high and need someone to talk to.