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Lakes and Water Caches

The Morning of the 7th of August I woke in my tent in the hiker campground in Crater Lake National Park and it was cold. My tent was covered in frost. Still I had miles to do so I pulled on my puffy coat and found my beanie which I hadn’t used in weeks and even dug out my gloves. It was still dark as I packed up dreaming of the warm sunlight I hoped was coming. Uphill was up as well and freezing cold. He refuses to hike in his puffy ,trying to keep it pristine for town and camp, and he had put all his cold weather gear in a box and mailed it forward to lighten his load back in California and the post office had lost it so he didn’t have any cold weather gear other than his puffy. So he was cold. We set out around 5 and headed back towards the trail. Uphill told me his hands were freezing so I told him to put his extra pair of socks on them and he did. After that he was doing better and we hiked from the alternate back to he PCT and followed it for a bit to where we had to take a side trail yet again. The new official trail goes through a burned area and misses basically the whole park and never gets near the lake but the side trail climbs up and joins the Crater Lake Rim trail and follows the edge of the lake for miles before dropping back down and rejoining the PCT. I wasn’t going to Crater Lake National Park and not seeing the Lake so I was taking the alternate. Uphill decided he would as well. Up we climbed over 2000 feet in a couple of miles, where we hit the rim trail on a sidewalk in the village and got our first view. The lake was a deep deep blue, and in a volcanic crater with cliffs on every side. A small volcano and island floated to one side. As the sun rose and lit the cliffs the lake glimmered in its beams. A beautiful sight. It used to be a 12000 plus foot tall volcano that exploded and left a huge crater now the lake is one of the 5 deepest in the world. 1,949 feet deep in fact.

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Let’s Walk Across Oregon

I awoke at plaza hotel on the 3rd and didn’t want to get out of the comfortable bed but I still needed to resupply before I could leave town. There was a keurig coffee maker in the room so I was able to make a cup of coffee before heading out. Uphill joined me and we made our way to the Safeway grocery store about half a mile away. We bought enough food to make it to our next stop at the Crater Lake National Park store where hopefully our resupply boxes would actually be waiting on us. I got things I had been missing dearly like string cheese, and Nutella. I bought honey buns and cosmic brownies and my dinners would be instant potatoes and ramen. Ok so if you don’t know a staple of the trail is to cook a block of ramen and then poor a pack of instant potatoes into it and then mix it all together and wala dinner. It’s actually pretty good. Anyway I bought a few days supply and a coffee monster for breakfast and went outside. Soon Uphill finished shopping as well and we went back tot he hotel it was still barely 7 am and nothing was open for breakfast yet: apparently Orgoneons? Orogenites?: Folks from Oregon weren’t early risers. We took our groceries back to the room and were considering hiking out but Uphill needed to stop by the post office and it didn’t open till 9 so we decided to go eat breakfast at a cafe nearby that opened at 730. They let us sit out on the sidewalk and I had pancakes and bacon. Uphill had French toast. It was good; I don’t get nearly enough bacon out here, now if I could only find somebody that can make biscuits! We ate and returned to the room and got our gear. About 830 Uphill got a taxi lined up that would be there about 850 and would even stop by the post office on the way out of town so it all worked out. the guy showed up, we hit the post office and then he drove us back to where the trail crossed Interstate 5 and dropped us off. The only thing was we were over a mile from where we had gotten off the trail and we can’t skip miles or it’s not a true thru hike so we stashed our packs in the woods and hurried south down the trail to where we had gotten off the day before and then turned around and walked straight back to where we’d left the packs. Then we put them on and were finally on our way north towards Canada again. Of course it was already nearly noon and hot and we weren’t planning on hiking a super long day. Still it was good to be back on trail and making our way across Oregon. I loved the forests and the big shady trees. We spent the afternoon climbing up to Little Pilot Peak where we had took a break with a few of the Oregon Cascades. Water was a problem as was becoming the norm in Oregon we either had to stop early or hike really late as the water sources ahead were nearly 12 miles apart. We chose to stop early and filled up for camping at PCT mile 1730.2 where there was a cold delicious piped spring just a few hundred yards off trail. From there we carried our water another couple of miles to a tent spot at 1732.1 where we set up our tents on some flat spots in the lumpy grass. It was a nice spot with shade trees and a view. We relaxed and cooked dinner and rested for the long day on the morrow. A 14.4 mile day. 


The 4th I was up early and hiking at 330 in the morning. Enjoying the cool night air and the light of the nearly full moon. I passed by Hobart Bluff and Keene creek reservoir. Deer played in the twilight and a huge owl flew in and landed on the top of a pine tree directly to my front. It stared eerily as though judging my worth as I stopped to take its picture. The glow of its eyes reflected the moonglow and I watched as it silently spread its huge wings and drifted away. I could see other eye shine in the dark forest around me as I wondered what else was watching. I was felt comfortable and at home there in the darkened wood walking under the stars adjust another creature of the wild. Soon the first rays of dawn slit the sky and mists rose from cold mountain lakes. A promise of another day lit the distant horizon on fire. The deer frolicked and I hiked on.  I passed the  Hyatt Reservoir spillway outlet where the water was well spilling out over the outlet and crossed over under a bridge. I climbed up to the turnoff for Hyatt Lake where there was a resort a ways off trail but I didn’t hike over to it and continued on. I walked down for a while through the woods on soft dirt trails taking in the wildflowers and birdsong. I reached the Grizzly creek aqueduct which was actually a small concrete aqueduct brimming with water flowing along beside a dirt road. Where it originated or went I had no clue but there was a nice bridge to cross on so I was happy. I passed over and immediately on the other side of the road was another bridge over Grizzly creek so I crossed that one as well and then another 100 yards further on someone had gone all out with the bridge building and I send them my thanks. I crossed Keno road and climbed up Old Baldy which really was the name of the mountain and it was weird cause it was covered in trees or at least the part I climbed maybe it had bald spots elsewhere? I stopped at the peak for a much needed lunch break at the days 25 mile mark a little after noon. I ate string cheese and trailmix and snickers bars and then continued on my way. I mt was another 6 plus miles to where I was stopping for the night. I got there really early at around 3 pm but it was the last water source for miles and it was where I had agreed to meet uphill for camp. He was actually behind me for once. Besides it was a cool camp spot. The south brown mountain shelter. A ramshackle mostly enclosed (no real door just plastic sheeting) dirt floor cabin. It was slightly off trail but worth the walk as there was also a hand pump water faucet there to get water from. A local keeps having to fix it cause apparently the Forest service keeps taking the handle off cause they don’t want hikers to use it for some reason I guess they’d rather us die of thirst than drink their water? Luckily the guy had put a new handle on it just the week before and though it was a bit of work I soon had all the water I’d ever need. The shelter was cool but sadly other hikers had left piles of trash everywhere. However there was a rally fat chill rat sitting on the counter just beside the door living it’s best life eating hiker trash. I love that it wasn’t afraid of humans at all which meant that all the hikers this year saw this rat and respected its domain and right to live there and just left it to chill. That restored me a bit of my hope in humanity. Also I had seen a super spook owl and a really fat rat on the same day I’m not sure how to read omens and signs but that had to mean something right???


I left the rat to it’s happy life and went back outside. Two teens and their mom hiked in and settled in for lunch after figuring out how to work the water pump. I had heard of them before but never met them. They were Thing 1, Thing 2, and The mon was Thing Maker, sometimes the mom switched with their dad and he was called Thing Chaser. The younger 2 things had started at Mexico and were hiking the whole trail accompanied alternately by one parent or the other. It was pretty cool they had already finished the Camino in Spain and traveled extensively. Good life. We chatted while they ate then I went ahead and set up my tent and took a nap. Uphill showed up about 4 and oh I forgot the best part there was a picnic table. Ok so you have no idea how nice it is to sit at a table and eat instead of sitting flat on the gorund all the time. Smooth elevated Flat surfaces are a luxury people and benches! appreciate what you have people!  So we cooked and ate at the table above the dirt like semi civilized cavemen coming out of the stone age. I introduced Uphill to the rat and he was suitably impressed then we just relaxed I worked on my blog and read a book and had a great evening.  Another lady came in later and camped nearby and a guy camped in the woods behind the cabin. And everyone slept, well I don’t know about the rat she may have partied all night. Mile 1763.4 a31.3 mile day.


August the 5th. I guess dawn came early but I was out and hiking even earlier. In Oregon there are loads of resorts close to the trail that serve coffee and breakfast and we had decided to try to make it to the Fish Lake resort when it opened at 9. The road crossing, Highway 140, was almost exactly 10 miles from where we had camped at the shelter and we smoked the trail in the dark. 5 miles easily passed by Sunup and by 8 we were at the road. We hopefully stuck out our thumbs but the Oregonians (I googled it 🙂 weren’t having any of it. They were actually putting on their masks in their cars and swerving into the other lane at the sight of us. As though somehow COVID cooties would leap on their car and crawl in thought the air vents just from looking at the hikers on the roadside. I had faith in the trail though and about 15 till 9 a truck with Colorado plate pulled over and told us to hop in the back. We happily did so and took us down to the turn off and let us out. From there it was a short walk to the resort where we were soon happily chilling on the deck still 5 minutes before the cafe opened. As soon as the opportunity presented itself I preferred coffee and burritos they were out of pancakes and I didn’t know you could order lunch already. My burritos were good but Uphill figures it out and I was completely jealous if the cheeseburger he was eating at 9 Am. We ate and bought snacks at the tiny store and used the actual real toilets (again don’t take it for granted, sitting on a throne to poop is a luxury)then Uphill who likes talking to people (I don’t 😉 made a friend and got us a ride back to the trail and by 11 we on our way again.  The goal was to do another 26. Some odd miles for the day but it was late and 24ish of the miles were up and I’m slow so I knew I probably wouldn’t make it but I didn’t want to hold Uphill back who well got his name cause he basically floats uphill at 4 miles an hour so I told him I’d try my best and if I didn’t make it I’d catch him the next day and he was off like a bottle rocket out of a coke bottle. All I saw was was a cloud of smoke from where he’d been a moment before. I chuckled and sighed and set off at the speed of a hurried turtle. I made it up to summit lake and was running out of water but decided to hike on a bit and fill up at Cristi’s Spring. It was slightly off trail but I walked downtown to it for water and a snack break and found the Things, 1,2, and Maker, they said they were expecting me as Uphill had run in and out a while ago. I stopped for a snack and we discussed how the water was scarce and the next source was 14 miles away Uphill. They were all planning on taking an alternative trail that had loads of water because Oregon’s full of lakes and creeks and streams it’s just whoever built the PCT felt it was way more important to maximize every inch of climbing possible rather than go to the water sources apparently.. So they were doing a different trail that went by several lakes and rejoined the PCT later on. Thing maker showed it to me on the actual paper map she was carrying and It looked great but I had to follow the trail. I left them their and hoped to see them again (I’d love to pick their brains about the Camino as it a on my list of someday things) I hiked on It was after 3 and I wasn’t going to make it to the planned camp till way after dark and I had signal so I texted Uphill to let him know figuring he’d have signal too since he was somewhere miles above me. I had gotten enough water to camp for the nigh from the creek but I still wanted to do another’s 8 ish miles so I would have completed a 30 mile day so I headed on up towards Lucifers (Devils) Peak. I climbed on thru forests and burned area meeting  a couple of Sobos and fighting horrendous hordes of mosquitos. Finally I reached a ridge line where the mosquitos thinned and there was a nice campsite with large evergreen trees a huge flat spot to tent. I set up camp and cooked and ate my potatoes and ramen. I enjoyed the solitude of the evening and slept. Mile 1793.7 a 30.4 mile day.


The 6th I had miles to do and it was to be an exciting day. I was going to Crater Lake National Park. Another park to check on the list. I’m working  on getting to them all. I was hiking at 3 up, up, up, to Devils Peak(ok Lucifer) it was living up to its name as I passed thru burned areas, crawling over blowdown trees every few feet hiking on ankle breaking rocks. The moon hid behind the clouds and a cold mist set in. It felt like I was climbing thru purgatory. I’d taken my contacts out and was hiking in glasses which soon  fogged over and I could barely see in my tiny beam of light. Eerie skeletons of trees were on all sides with skeletal branches reaching out across the trail. I felt eyes in the gloom and corpses of burned evergreens littered the trail. A fog rolled in and soon I was encased; it was eerie and dark and lonely and I realized I needed to eat. If the trail gets weird and your mind takes ahold eat, break it up. So I pulled out my emergency snickers bar and ate it as it walked it didn’t clear up the cold mist or the fog or light my way but it did give my brain something else to think about and I finally reached the top. From there I got to go down and at 4 I passed Uphill’s tent, I started to yell but wasn’t sure if anybody  else was camped nearby so I didn’t. His headlamp was on so I figured he’d be on his way soon and would catch up quickly. 


It was a long way down to honeymoon creek through more huge burned areas. Our forests are dying and we desperately need to find ways to save them between burned zones,  beetle kills, and greedy loggers there’s so little left. 🙁 I hiked on down to honeymoon creek and then back up a while to beautiful ridge line views of distant peaks. In a burn zone I crossed into Crater Lake National Park. I made my way to highway 62 and walked the road down to the National Park tourist are where there was a store and campground and a restaurant. I found a empty patio and plugged in my stuff to charge and ordered some food. Another hiker named lamb chop was there. Her box was supposed to have been there days before and it hadn’t yet arrived. I felt her pain. Uphill showed up and I went over to the store and luckily my box was there. I was so happy cause it had my shoes in to. Yup the ones I had bought less than a month before already had over 600 miles on them and had to be replaced. We ate and paid to sleep in the Pct camp which we didn’t give our names or get a receipt for so there was no way to prove we paid but no one asked. The pct area had picnic tables that were really short too which was weird like inches off the ground short. I pitched my tent and worked on my blog. 5 or 6 other hikers came in. A girl, 35, whom I’d met before ,Terminator and his friend, a couple just doing the Oregon Section and several more. At 5 I went back to the restaurant and ate a 20 dollar frozen pizza. I sat outside and typed and talked to some hikers that came in. The other hikers all had a big table inside but I was happy on the patio. Then it was time to sleep. I was happy camping in Crater Lake, and hopefully the next day I’d actually get to see the lake. The tour boat wasn’t running cause of COVID but hey I’m already living a dream you can’t have everything! 🙂 mile 1820.9 a 27.2 mile day.
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Oregon: The Promised Land????

The 31st of July I slept in for a change and wasn’t out of my tent till 6 o’clock in the morning. It was a beautiful chilly sunrise in Seiad Valley. I made sure the laundry was dry and sat on the nearby swing and worked on my blog for a while. The cafe opened at 8 so we went over and ordered breakfast. I was brave and ordered a sausage and biscuit but as I continue to discover no one out here actually knows how to make biscuits and it was hard as a rock and inedible. But the lady was really nice so I pretended to eat it and threw it away when she wasn’t looking. We were sitting out in the parking lot at picnic tables, drinking coffee and enjoying the day. We still had to wait till noon So we could get Uphill’s package when the post office opened. I went back to the rv park and hung out for a bit then I had to go walk the half mile of the road walk I had missed the day before when the lady picked me up so I could keep my continuous footpath intact. I walked the half mile down the road and turned around and walked the half mile back. Around 1145 I went back to the Cafe and got a patty melt for lunch. The post office opened and Uphill went to find out about his package. He was told it was there but it would be another half hour before he could get it. I finished eating and hiked on out of town knowing he would catch up. The first half mile was on the road and I walked past Wild Woods the infamous hiker resort that was at war with the rest of the town. There were tents set up nearby and it looked like several hikers were hanging out on the porch but I didn’t stop in. I made it back to the trail and the huge 4500 foot climb in about 8 miles. It was an excessively hot afternoon and I noticed a couple of hikers sitting under a tree in the shade. They told me it was way too hot to climb the mountain and they were waiting till it cooled off. I hiked on. The trail was largely exposed and I was soon sweating profusely as I made my way up the trail. I passed by piped fern spring which was coming out of a pipe into a concrete small reservoir about the size of a large suitcase . I still had plenty of water from town so I ignored it and pressed on, Uphill caught up with me shortly after and walked into the early evening hours. We finally reached the top and walked on to Kangaroo spring. We were unable to locate the spring but there was a couple of pools of water there and campsites so we made camp and filtered enough water for the night. After we ate, an older hiker called Rev came in and set up camp nearby. I went to bed early excited to finally be hiking out of California into Oregon the following day. Another two hikers walked in after 9 and woke everybody up looking for a camp spot and getting set up but soon quieted down and peace was restored. A 10.1 mile day to 1666

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Smoke and Circles



Monday the 20th I waited around in Old Station all morning for my package. Finally after lunch I called the post office just to make sure it was coming and the lady said she had it but wasn’t planning on delivering it till the next day. I asked if I could come get it and she said sure, but then asked where I was and I told her at the store in town and she said she would bring it down their around 2 pm if I’d wait. I told her that’s be great and settled back in to wait. I hung out with some other hikers that had made it into town and learned that Uphill (formerly RJ) had hiked through that morning. I met an older guy that was section hiking south and we talked for a while: then just before 2 I walked to the store and stood out front until I saw an SUV with US mail pull up and I walked over and the lady handed me my box. I took it around back to a picnic table and opened it. There was so much food! I was ecstatic and stuck as much as I could in my pack. I realized there was no way it would all fit and I didn’t have anybody to give it to so I put as much as I could in my pack and then left the rest in a box on a bench in front of the gas station hoping some hiker would wander by and pick it up. It was nearly 3 pm and I was finally ready to hike out. I made sure I had full water bottles as the next section was notoriously dry and picked up my now ridiculously heavy pack. With all the food and water I could barely carry it but I got it on my back back and hiked out. It was a blazing hot afternoon and I was heading out to walk around the Hat creek rim which was famous for being hot, exposed and waterless. I would have to do over 16 miles that afternoon to make it to the 500 gallon water tank which was basically halfway across the dry section

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