Crater Lake - Sisters, OR

Mile 1829 - 1999

We spent last night about a mile inside of Crater Lake National Park.   Today's plan was executed perfectly.  I wish everyday was like this.  An easy 5 miles into Mazama Village Restaurant.  We met a hiker the other day named Hog.  He hiked the AT 31 years ago and made a documentary about his trip.  He also met his wife on that trail.  When he finishes in Canada this year he will become a Triple Crown Hiker.  That's were you have hiked the AT, PCT, and CDT.  We met him a few weeks back while going SouthBound.  Long story short, he had breakfast with us this morning.

Next was to pick up our resupply box we sent.  Hiker resupply boxes were everywhere.  We packed too much food into our packs as usual and headed 3 miles up to the rim of Crater Lake.  The next 27 miles are without water so we filled up our packs at the Rim Cafe and grabbed a sandwich to go.  

Shadow and I had been to Crater Lake a few years ago.  I remember it being beautiful, but I forgot how huge it is.  It was a volcano that erupted and left a 2,000 foot hole after the top blew off.  The hole filled with water.  Only rain water runs into the lake.  There is also an Island you can take a boat to.  The water is the most amazing blue.  You can drive or hike all the way around.  Our trail joins the rim for about 7 miles.  Just before heading down for the evening we found a great spot in the shade over looking the lake to eat our sandwiches.  

Shadow was my hero today.  Thielsen Creek ended our 27-mile dry section.  We made it there just after lunch today.  The Peloton had just arrived as well and settling down for their afternoon siestas.  We like to get to camp early so we don't do siestas.  After filling all our water bottles we headed out for another 17-mile dry section.  2.7 miles later we stopped for a break and I realized that I left my wallet at the creek!  Normally my wallet is deep in my pack.  I used it at Crater Lake and put it in my waist belt pocket with my water purification tablets.  I pulled my wallet out to get the tablets and the creek and left it.  Shadow convinces me to stay with the pack while he runs back.  I feel guilty even though we both know he would be faster.  You have to love someone a lot to backtrack while hiking.  

I sat studying the maps for the next few days and within an hour he was back.  After a short break we continued towards the highest point on the PCT in OR & WA.  It's all downhill to Canada, right?  Along the way up we passed 2 hikers setting up camp for the night.  One we saw at the creek earlier, the other looked familiar.  It was Sam, Mr. White now from Nashville.  We hadn't seen him since Acton, Ca.  That was way back in the desert!  His back is hurting which made him slow down.  He also felt like he was going too fast and missing out on stuff.  We were happy to see a friend from the past.  

Before the whole wallet fiasco we passed Mt. Thielsen.  A pointy mountain the locals call Lighting Rod.  The trail around it was made out of Pumice.  It's a rock that floats, looks like coral, and is made from an erupting volcano.  

Neither of us expected Oregon to be so dry.  It doesn't look like desert.  Tall conifer trees cover the hills for miles.  At a distance it looks like the Appalachian Mountains.  The ground however mixes between ash and different types of volcanic rock.  There's plenty of water around here, it's just underground.  The rock doesn't not soak up moisture.  Instead the rain simply filters through.  

This morning we caught an animal running across the trail.  It was bigger than a squirrel, smaller than a fox, with red/brown fur.  Maybe a Fisher?  We also found a small patch of blueberries that weren't quite ready.

The last few nights bees have been flying between our rainfly and tent.  They get stuck inside, we shoo them out, and then they come back.  This happened again tonight.  We finally figured it out.  There are usually flies between the rain cover and our tent.  The bee is flying in, capturing a fly, then trying to find his way out.  I didn't even know bees ate flies.  

I just realized that our nightly entertainment is terrible.  

Today's hike was pretty mellow and not much happened.  We passed the 1900 miles mark today.  Only 760 miles to go.  I can't believe it's almost over.  The miles may pass by slow, but the days fly by.  Just thinking about this trip coming to an end makes me sad.  

Shadow now has an alter ego like me.  Pork Rind.  It all started when he took his shirt off the other day to rinse it in a creek.  Nothing but 6 feet of skin and bones!  I told him that if we deep fried him there would be no meat!  Just fried skin like a chicken wing.  

This morning Pork Rind and I walked into Shelter Cove.  I'm sure it was Pork Rind and not Shadow because his sleeping pad is now used to fill out his waist belt.  With out the sleeping pad, the belt would be too big and his pack would slide off his waist.  His pockets hung outside his shorts, his hair was disheveled, he was covered head to toe with dirt, and he smelled.  I looked about the same and was officially called Stink Bug till our next shower (4.5 days).  

We made it to Shelter Cove Resort by 10:30am.  The resort is an RV park with cabins and a marina on Odell Lake.  A beautiful setting.  The lake is famous for its Kokanee Salmon.  The owners are super hiker friendly.  They have a collapsible carport set up with picnic tables.  It felt like summer camp.  Hikers filtered into the store to pick up a pizza and their resupply boxes.  Cell phone service was near the docks so hikers would sit and talk to their loved ones.  This is also the first time we have met Southbound hikers (SoBo) which was exciting.  We exchanged words of wisdom and support.

We headed out after lunch with full bellies and full packs.  Grey clouds brought a cold wind about the time we arrived at Rosary Lake, 5 miles North.  Shadow wanted to fish and I wanted to read and rest.  Today was one of those days when we remember to stop and smell the roses.

Last evening Shadow caught lots of Brown Trout out of the beautiful lake.  It was cool out so I laid under the cabana sipping a Mojito.  No wait.  I was day dreaming that.  I spent the evening snuggled in the quilt reading.  

This morning much of the trail was through a cross country skiing course.  Our dry spell has ended as we enter the Three Sisters Wilderness.  It was a pleasant day walking past little lily pad ponds and large turquoise lakes.  

As we left Shelter Cove the other day I told Shadow that a smelled a BBQ grill at the trailhead parking.  That usually means trail magic.  He said, "It's not trail magic.  Besides, you just had pizza and a hotdog.  Let's go."  I agreed then looked back at him and said, "I think it's chicken on the grill."  He just kept walking.  Sure enough, Patch, guy hiking the Oregon section asked us if we got the beer and BBQ that the trailhead.  I looked at Shadow shaking my head.  "No..."

The last 3 miles today was full of ripe Huckleberries.  I'm shocked we not to see any bear scat.  The Bears are missing out.

Another hiker, Dr. Beaker, joined us for the evening at camp.  She is nursing a hip injury.  Shadow and her looked like 3rd graders and they traded some of each others snacks.  "I'll trade you one Snickers for a Hershey's bar and raisins."  One of them said.  She set her tent up pretty close to ours.  Shadow jokingly asked, "You don't snore do you?"  "Not as bad as I did in the Desert.  That dust really upset my allergies".  Needless to say, I got my earplugs out."

We were able to sleep last night and began a wonderful day.  The Three Sisters Wilderness is an awesome place.  Their's a dysfunctional family of volcanoes that live here.  North, Middle, and South Sister.  Little Brother, Husband, and Wife.  For centuries they have been spewing lava back and forward at each other.  The South Sister is my favorite and I've heard it's the easiest to climb.  Our trail follows the Western base of all three.  We had lots of water opportunities this morning and took them for granted.  Our water report was wrong and we had to hike an extra mile to find some.  We took a break at Sister Mirror Lake and watched a mallard duck try and teach her 7 ducklings how fly.  They would buzz around the lake like little motor boats.  Then she would still them and demonstrate.  Her children are very well behaved.  

We met Patch the other day.  He is a recently retired US Forest Service employee that worked on the PCT for 33 years.  This Summer he is hiking the whole state of Oregon.  That seems to be a popular hiking section.  The Oregon section of trail was the first to be completed.  Most of the trail has since been rerouted, but the last few days we have hiked parts of the original.  Old triangle shaped license plates are being consumed by the trees they are mounted on.  

The extra mile hike this evening  was worth it.  We have a view of the Northside of South Sister from our tent.

  

Like most days on the PCT, today was awesome.  It started with a clear sky sunrise over Middle Sister as we walked by.  About a mile in we started what would be a long day in the hot lava fields.  Before lunch we walked through Obsidian Limited Access Area where if lava wasn't an indication that volcanos are around, this is.  It's called Nature's Glass and looks like big rocks of glass have been thrown about.  Some as big as cars, while others are laying small and sharp in the trail.  A nice waterfall and spring gave us water before entering another lava field.  It wasn't until we crossed a road and made our up the other side did I realize just how amazing Mother Nature is.  We gazed across North and Middle Sister mountains and could see where North Sister's lava has flowed.  As far as you could see lava had once flowed.  It may not be green and full of flowers, but it's the least touched by man which makes it special.  Sometimes you could find a section that still looked liquid, but most of it had been broken.  

Other than being exposed to the heat on hot lava rocks, the day was full of great views include our first view of Mt. Hood.

By evening we were toast.  Hot and dehydrated.  The trail slowed us down today and our new shoes have officially been broken in.  We had hoped these shoes would take us to Canada, but after today, it may be tough.