I awoke in the otherworldly camp site, and took a few pictures before getting going. Even with better light than last night, I couldn’t really capture the atmosphere.
There were only 25 miles remaining to Santiam Pass. It could be an easy day depending on the terrain.
After a few miles of lava rock, my hopes of good terrain were low. I approached McKenzie Pass, and was surprised to find a water cache there. There was supposed to be a good spring in a few miles, according to the PCT Water Report. It sounded refreshing among the hot, dry lava rock.
A few moments later, a now-familiar “Coppertone is here” sign appeared, and I stopped briefly and chatted. None of the other hikers had heard of the excellent spring a couple miles out. I headed out.
I reached the spot where the excellent spring should be, and sure enough, no spring. There wasn’t any evidence that a spring had ever been there — it was just piles of lava rock. A local passed by, and said he’d never heard of a spring anywhere near here.
I had a few swallows of water left at this point, and about 5 miles to go to the next water, in the heat of the day. This is not a terrible situation, just unpleasant, and the next water was a warm, stagnant pond, instead of a cold clear spring. I met several southbound hikers who had been planning on stopping at the spring. Lucky for them, Coppertone was just a bit further south, and he had tanks of water.
After an unpleasant five miles, I reached the pond, and it was stagnant as reported. It would surely clog my filter more, but I was almost to Bend, where I could replace it.
The water came through my filter frustratingly slowly, and it was quite brown, but eventually, I wasn’t thirsty any more.
With that, I just hurried on to Santiam Pass. The lava rocks soon cleared up, and I made good time. Tap water awaited!
This reads like an adventure story. I’m hoping your cool, clear water arrives on schedule.