When I woke up, it was just too cold to get up. The depression of the lake near me probably made this an especially cold site. I laid in bed more than an hour before I ventured out.
When I checked the thermometer on my backpack around 7 in the morning, it showed around freezing. It had probably dropped well below freezing last night. This was a big problem, because I hadn’t put my water filter in my tent last night. Sawyer filters, like mine, are made up of microscopic tubes, with water inside them. If the water freezes, it can rupture the tube, allowing larger objects through the filter.
So, for now, I’d need to treat my water with tablets, which is time-consuming. I guess summer really is over, I’m really going north, and freezing temperatures are something that can happen again.
Once again, I started late and cold — around 9:30. But, because of yesterday’s long miles, I only had to cover 20 miles today, so a late start was not a big problem.
Yet, I was slow all day. Maybe it was the long day yesterday, maybe it was just that I’m eating too much Nutella. But my pace was slow, and I felt tired. I didn’t even take many pictures.
Eventually, the trail began to scale Mt. Hood, and I got clear views.
And, soon after, I reached the Timberline Lodge. I had a resupply package there, and I wanted to take a look at the building. It was a beautiful WPA-era building in a scenic setting.
After sorting my resupply and examining the building’s history placards, it was getting dark, so I went back up to the trail and pitched my tent.
The stars were out in full force, with a clear milky way across the sky.
I would never have guessed it would get below freezing at Oregon altitudes and in August.