PCT Day 82 - Mt Thielson

We made excellent time today- the terrain was mostly flat and boring. The trail was loose dirt all day so our feet were filthy dirty. Our shoes are super breathable, but the downside is dirt can easily enter.

We made 11.3 miles by 10 am and had our eyes set on Mt Thielson creek for lunch- our first water source of the day. It was 17 miles in, I hoped we could make it. And we did. 

We arrived at the “glacier fed” stream by 12:20pm. It is by far my fav water source on trail yet. The scene was picture perfect and the stream ice cold. We washed our legs and feet and they quickly went numb. It felt glorious, and tasted like heaven, so pure.

We passed by Mt Thielson and crossed over lots of snow fields. After lunch we climbed to the highest point on the PCT in OR and WA. Shortly after we found the perfect campsite- it was on a ledge that gave grand views of both sunrise and sunset.

Gord, Alex and Johnny joined us for camping- a dad and lads from Canada that we’ve been hiking with for the last several days

PCT Day 81 - Crater Lake National Park

Before we to bed we agreed to sleep in and hike the rim trail.

Breakfast was served at 7am so we slept in until 6:30!

At breakfast we chatted with Boy Scout, a quality manager at a pharma company- his company offers a 10 week sabbatical for every 7 years of employment. He is spending 4 weeks on the PCT, and then 6 weeks with family on various trips.

We sat in the dining hall for a couple hours drinking soooo much coffee and charging our devices. We found out a trolley will take us from the camp ground, up the mountain for 4 miles and drop us off at the rim. We had 45 min to pack everything up and get on the trolley.

We made it with minutes to spare.

Neither of us had been to Crater Lake before so we were excited to get there and see it.

The view was breathtaking from the rim 900 ft above the lake, never had we seen water so blue! It was like a backdrop, unreal. It’s hard to imagine a 12k ft mountain just blew up like that- this is what the inside of a mountain looks like.

7,700 years ago Mt Mazama blew up, it was the largest volcanic eruption in the Cascades going back a million years, and 42 times more violent than the one that decapitated Mt St Helens in 1980. Ash from Mazama’s explosion blanketed the landscape for more than 500k square miles!

The caldera which remained after the event, filled with rain and snow melt becoming the deepest body of water in the US at nearly 2k feet, and one of the bluest in the world. The water is so pure all light is absorbed except blue. 

We hiked along the rim for 8 miles, allowing us a new view point of the crater and Wizard Island, the cinder cone which remains near the center of the crater.

When we rejoined the PCT, we set up camp and cooked our dinner of Pad Thai.

PCT Day 80 - Ashes

We wake early, collect water from the pond (which tastes like bug spray, I think my deet covered hands may have tainted my water), and set off to the PCT. There’s a 20 mile waterless stretch so we have to stop at the next water source and collect 2 extra liters (additional 4.4lbs).

The skeeters are a nightmare from the start. Stopping is inconceivable, moving fast seems to be our only hope. 

By 10am mile 8, the breeze picks up and the land is void from all water, so finally no bugs!

We hike until 3pm through a giant fire pit- all vegetation is burnt and ashes are everywhere for as far as the eye can see. One thing for sure, my legs and feet are going to be filthy. 

We entered the Crater Lake National Park today and will be taking the side trail down into the campground. We were told by SoBo’s that Gravity has a tent site :)

We get down to the camp store and grab dinner at the food hall, wash up and drink a bottle of wine with 7 other hikers before camping for the evening.

PCT Day 79 - Sky Lakes

Even though we stayed up later than usual and finished a 6 pack, we woke up at a decent time.

We went over to the picnic area around 7:15am and made breakfast. The restaurant doesn’t open until 9am :(

While we were packing up we got to talking to Anna, a tenant at the RV park. She was kind enough to give us a ride back to the trail- that cut out a 2 mile side trail- those extra miles don’t count! Haha

The mosquitos were relentless today. We sprayed ourselves almost every hour. I get bit multiple times and it was very unpleasant- I wonder if I’ll get use to their presence? We raced through the 23 miles!

We’re camped near a small pond- an alpine lake in the Sky Lakes area, and the giant moon so full, shining over the trees and pond.

PCT Day 78 - Fish Lake Resort

Today we get to Fish Lake to pick up a resupply box.

Fish lake is a small lake resort full of campers and RV’s for the summer. They cater decently well to hikers offering a free camping area near the lake.

We hiked the 18 miles over rough, destructive lava fields to the junction of the resort and the extra 2 miles into the property. We spent the remainder of the day there enjoying burgers, root beer floats and a 6 pack of a local beer.

PCT Day 77 - 30 Miles!

Today was the hardest. 30 miles do not come easy. Neither of us know why we didn’t make our morning goal of 10x10.
By lunch time we still have 17 miles! Ugh!

Head down and pound out the miles.
We finally make camp and reach our goal by 8pm, light is fading and so are we.

PCT Day 76 - 3 Week Challenge

I’m still in the works of convincing Joe to hike through all of Oregon in 3 weeks. I think it’s possible for us, and it would only help us out in the end.

Today we woke up in Ashland, clean and rejuvenated. We have a few errands to run today- buy our weeks worth of trail lunches, try on inserts for our shoes, and grab one final beer before trail.

We don’t get to trail until super late- 5pm. We do a steep and hot 6.7 miles and call it a day.

PCT Day 75 - Ashland

We hiked the 9 miles to the Callahan cutoff, crossed the railroad tracks, walked under the I-5 over pass and dropped our packs at the lawn of Callahan’s- a travel lodge.
Here we met up with fellow Hiker Chief and split a $20 Uber to Ashland. Joe and I agreed to spend the evening in the small town.
Ashland may be my new favorite trail town- it’s a small town that feels and resembles a larger city. It was impeccable, so clean! All the stores in the downtown area were so cute.
We had our traditional town pizza, some beer and then hit up the amenities at the hotel.

PCT Day 71 - Marble Mountain Wilderness

Today we entered the Marble Mountain Wilderness and I immediately see how it got it’s name. Up above us are giant white granite formations.

We’ve received bad news, the last 5 miles of our day will be spent slowly bushwhacking through willows and other vegetation. We’ve been told there will be poison oak at 3,000’ and below.

PCT Day 74 - Hello Oregon

Sitting on a picnic table in front of a large fire pit listening to the logs crackle and pop we’ve just completed our longest hike yet. The sun is setting and the few high clouds in the sky have turned a pinkish color along with the snow capped peaks of Mt Shasta in the distance. Our camp site tonight is in a shelter with two walls made of stone with the fire pit in the center. This is the first type shelter we’ve seen on trail and are taking full advantage. We left California behind this morning hiking 12.4 miles before 11am. It was exciting to enter a new state and provided us a type of high that lasted all day. We cruised through 29 miles and only have a short 9 miles tomorrow before getting to the town of Ashland. The rolling hills, high peaks, low desert, wind, rain, snow, heat, cold, green pastures, caves, wildlife, lakes, rivers, streams, snow, mud, dirt, camps grounds, towns, and epic views of charming and glorifying mountains of California are behind us for now. We’re sad to leave but excited and stimulated to see what this state, Oregon has to offer.

PCT Day 72 & 73 - 1,000 miles!

The trail burned a few years ago and the scars of the event are everywhere on trail. The trees have fallen over, they’ve snapped in half, some remain standing only cleared of living branches, while others are sticking up like a giant burnt match. The ground bushes are gone in most places replaced with quick growing weeds or poison oak. The trail is covered with the fallen trees as they’ve not yet been cut away. As we move north on the trail we struggle to get over, under, or around the dead soot draped logs. It’s painfully slow to descend the 4,000’ into Seiad Valley. With six miles to go the trail gives way to a road which comes as a welcome surprise and relief. Usually road walks are burdensome but the trail today choked with poison oak and other hazards is not a fun place to be. Seiad Valley is the smallest town we’ve come across and we stayed the night at the RV park to shower and rest a weary knee.

Today we hiked out and up electing to use the service road as means back to the trail. The first few miles are again overrun with downed trees and poison oak. Once to the top the trail returns to its bountiful life and scenic views. We reached 1,000 miles hiking today. Incredible!!