Surprisingly, I wasn’t sore or tried after yesterday. Maybe I wasn’t at my most energetic, but I got going.
I'd camped just a few miles south of the 1800 mile point
Today would have few water sources, and the stretch to Crater Lake’s Mazama Village Campground would be a 15 mile stretch, from a questionable water source.
The morning was uneventful. It put me through some forested hillsides, like yesterday, and some burn areas.
A bit of a morning vista
Occasionally, the burn areas would have clusters of unburnt trees -- I'm not sure why
The last official source for water before Mazama was an unreliable spring almost a mile off trail. But, I’d heard there were several unmarked ponds much closer to the trail, so I bushwhacked my way to them via GPS.
The first one had me concerned — it was surrounded by mud, was shallow, and was full of muck. Very difficult to collect from.
There were blooming lily flowers by it, though
But, a bit further off trail, the second pond was deeper and easier to collect from. So with a full complement of water, I set off for Mazama Village.
And, I walked. That was about it, really.
A regulatory boundaryI refused to park in the parking lot
Mazama Village was absolutely packed with backpackers, many of whom I didn’t recognize. But, I didn’t have time to chat, I just got food at the store (tuna sandwich and a quart of whole milk), did my laundry, and went to bed.
Another long day with a lot of trees. My longest day yet, in fact — a little over 32 miles. My neighbors got up at 4:30 this morning, so after failing to get back to sleep, I eventually got up and got on the road at about 7. This relatively early start meant I had a chance to cover a lot of miles today.
And, with today’s scenery, there was little else to do. For the first 25 miles, there was barely anything to see besides the trail.
After Mt. McLoughlin in the morning, there were many miles of tree cover
A weathered boundary signThe lava fields continuedThere were several interesting fungi during the tree-covered sections
The bulk of the day was spent in tree cover. This particular area had numerous blown-down trees covering the trail, making something of an obstacle course to climb over them, and slowing my progress.
Basically this, in various shapes and sizes
Around my 50th fallen tree, I began to wonder how horseback riders deal with fallen trees. Supposedly, the entire PCT is open to horseback riding, but I couldn’t see how a horse could get over many of these logs.
As if on cue to answer my question, I caught up to a horseback-riding family. They were patiently leading their horses in big alternate routes around or over the trees. The brush made this difficult, and slowed them down a lot (I eventually passed them), but it was always possible to get by.
In the evening, I began to climb out of the view-less forest.
I think that's Agency Lake in the distance, an offshoot of Upper Klamath Lake
Mt. McLoughlin from the north sideThe trail up out of the tree cover
I knew you wouldn't fail me on scenery, Oregon
After reaching a campsite by a stream, I set up camp, and went to bed.
I got an awfully late start once again today. After waking up late from cold weather and little light in my tent, I found the campground’s many amenities enticing. A proper charging station in the bathroom — fancy!
After paying for my campsite (after the fact — if you follow the hike-in trail to Hyatt Lake’s PCT campsite, you never pass a pay station), I walked out the front gate and was immediately stopped by a woman with a large backpack.
“Can I interest you in some pizza?” she said.
I squirmed. I bit my lip. I couldn’t take the pizza. I’d packed too much food, and any pizza I eat here is extra weight in the un-eaten food in my pack. And besides, I’d already had 3 days in Ashland to satisfy and even exceed my appetite. I politely declined the pizza, somehow, and moved on.
Aside from that, the bulk of the day was pretty run-of-the-mill.
I think this is what the "NO MONUMENT" signs in Seiad Valley were talking aboutAnother regulatory boundaryThere were many signatures on this disused trail signJust a couple Disney princesses over hereToday's trailMore of today's trailThe undergrowth included a lot of these. I couldn't decide whether they were blueberriesOne of the few long views todayNear the end of the day, I crossed red and black lava rocks
In the early evening, I was watching for a trail junction that should lead to some water from a pump by a hiker hut. (Huts are common on some other long-distance trails — they’re cabins for hikers to stay in — but the PCT has only a few over its entire length). Instead, I saw some surprisingly large signage.
The sign was surprisingly sturdy and permanent. Whoever made it knew how to build these things.
Soon after, I hit the real junction to the hut.
2/3 of the way to Canada
Outside the hut, a number of hikers were lined up to wash their feet in the pump. Inside, I found quite a bit of trail magic.
Gatorade, watermelon, tangerines, and a note saying "I got the last beer"
I moved on, but not very far. Less than a quarter-mile away, I started seeing signs for more trail magic.
It turned out to be a major operation. Three people who’d hiked the PCT in 2014 has set up sun shades, and were cooking hot food for hikers.
The trail angels, wearing ties and top hats, handed me a menu. Something felt wrong about ordering trail magic from a menu… I got over it though, and had French toast and eggs.
The back of the menu was a Kirkland Light box
After dinner and conversation, it had gotten quite late. I hurried for another hour and a half to one of the very few campsites in the lava rock section, set up my tent, and went to bed without brushing my teeth.
