Back to the PCT

We woke up this morning ready to go to Cascade Locks, but the PCT trail conditions page was back online.... Last week someone started south from the Columbia River, and ran into huge snowfields near Wathum Lake and Timberline Lodge. He recommended, (and we don't know his level of expertise) crampons and a GPS. Screw that! If we could only get 50 miles south, we're not going to bother. We're going to Elk Lake tomorrow, to hike south to hwy. 58. If we can get past Diamond Peak, we should be able to get to Maidu Lake, north of Mt. Thielsen. From there we can get on the North Umpqua Trail, maybe just go back to Tokatee hotsprings... We'll give the snow a few more weeks to melt off in northern Oregon. What an adventure..

The Great winter of 2008..

My parents tried to hike to the PCT where it meets the Mt. Thielsen trail. This is what they found. Last summer this was the most beautiful, silent old growth forest. In January 2008, the Cascades in Oregon and Washington recieved tens of feet of snow in a few days, then came the winds. This is the result. The trail was cleared up to a mile south of the PCT, then impassable. The Thielsen Creek Trail, which we were going to take, looks the same way. So we came back to LaPine with my parents. We've called the ranger districts for The Sisters, Mt Jefferson and Mt Hood. Sisters and Jefferson are still closed due to snow, but Mt. Hood has been cleared of blowdowns, and the snow is manageable, so on Sunday we're going to Cascade Locks to start hiking south. Hopefully we'll be able to get through past Warm Springs. If not.. What a bitch of a year to hike... half the trail is snowed under, half is on fire!

Section C, Hwy 140 to Crater Lake Ntnl. Park

We woke at Lake of the Woods kind of late, so we packed up quickly and hurried down the trail. (We were camping just off in the bushes between the Resort and Aspen Point Campground.) We got water from the Aspen point bathrooms, and walked to Hwy 140. We followed easy directions to the Rye Spur Trail, which climbs north to meet the PCT in the Sky Lakes Wilderness.

The climb to Fourmile Lake was pretty intense, it was smoky, and immediately we were swarmed by mosquitos. We doused ourselves with Backwoods OFF, (what a crappy product!) and put on out headnets. That made it a little more bearable... We climbed for a few hours, then stopped for some breakfast and photo ops on some rocks. When we left, I forgot my net! Poo!

We cruised up to the lake, drank our last 2 beers from Lake of the Woods, and ate chips. We had thought we could buy some better repellant at the store indicated on the map, but the campground hosts, Rick and Teddi, told us it burned down years ago. We only had one can of Off, half a bottle of Cutter with picardin, and a little bit of Muskol, 100% DEET.

They also told us they had fed Thomas dinner earlier in the week,
and that he's doing great and he's only 17! Go Thomas, Go! No wonder he's hiking so fast! We got our water and headed around the east side of the lake into the Sky Lakes Wilderness.

What can we say about this place? It was like no other human had ever been there. I've never seen so many lakes! We took 4 days to hike the 40 miles of wilderness, and it would have been perfect...except for the damn mosquitos. We were literally swarmed everytime we stopped to rest, as soon as we stepped out of our tent in the morning, and whenever we got close to water..








The only thing that worked.. and I hate to think I did this to myself...was 100% DEET, and walking with a lit coil. We felt so sick the first few days from breathing in that crap, but the bastards stayed AWAY!



We hiked on all the alternate trails, and were able to fish for a while in Lake Notasha. We had beautiful campsites every night, it was cooler, but we didn't hit any snow until Snow Lakes Trail. Didn't see any wildlife except frogs and birds. The trek up to Snow Lakes was amazing, the cliffs and lava flows are very unique, and overall made you feel like you'd wandered onto another planet. We hooked back up with the PCT on Shale Butte, where the trail was just a little path in a sea of gray andesite rocks.
We had good views south to McLoughlin, and west to the 7 lakes basin. The trek up past Lucifer to Devils Peak was pleasantly strenuous, we felt like we were getting a good workout, and it didn't have a whole lot of snowdrifts. We got our first views north to Crater Lake, Union Peak, and Mt. Thielsen. But then we got a good look over the side....




















We just detoured around the snow, down the rocks, and picked up the trail in the forest below. We had big patches all the way to Hwy 62 after this.


One benefit was that the runoff ditches were full, and we always had water. Cold water..mmmm. We camped at the Big Bunchgrass saddle, where we melted snow to take a warm bath, then went to bed. The next morning, we made our way to the Stuart Falls trail, more or less by accident. The fork in the trail was under the snow, we say a sign that said PCT 1/2 mile, with an arrow pointing in the other direction. Hmm, shrug and walk on.. Stuart Falls was beautiful, it was nice to fall asleep to the sound of water. The next morning we hiked into Crater Lake National Park, figuring we would have to use our compass because of snow on the ground, but it wasn't that bad. We drew arrows in the snow whenever it looked tough. Suddenly, we emerged out of the hemlocks and onto the highway, arriving at Mazama village a few minutes later. Scratch, bless him, bought us a sixer and ICE CREAM!!! We weren't about to pay 20$ a night for a tent site, but we did pay 75 cents each for 4 minute showers. (OK, I paid $1.50 for 8 minutes) Scratch almost killed two French children who ripped open his shower curtain, and I caught up on my postcards. Then we went to the Annie Creek Restaurant buffet. Words can't describe how wonderful it was... and they were nice enough to let us take our packs to our table.


After eating far too much food, we bought another sixer and contemplated where to stay for the night.. (we ended up waiting for dark and just ducking into the woods) We spent a restless, cold night, listening to what sounded like trucks.


The next morning, we awoke to condensation and hunger. we walked the 100 yards to the store, thinking donuts and coffee, and found out it had caught on fire during the night! Anyone else sensing a pattern here?? So, what could we do but go to the breakfast buffet and overindulge again.. I enjoyed lots of fresh fruit and about a gallon of coffee, Scratch had biscuits, gravy and meat! We waited outside when we were through, playing rummy and watching tourists park their cars. Soon our trail angels showed up. It sure was nice to see my parents!


We drove up to the Rim to take some pictures, then we were off to Diamond Lake for 3 days of R&R. Scratch's parents met us at Broken Arrow Campground, with his Bassett Hound, Sadie. It was so wonderful to get that strong dose of parental support, not to mention the pizza, steak, enchiladas and all the beer we could drink! Scratch and his dad even shined a 22 inch trout out of Diamond Lake. It was a perfect break.

Sky Lakes Pictures

Mt. McLoughlin from Fourmile Lake

Trail Through Sky Lakes

Luther Mountain and Trapper Lake

Luther Mountain in Deep Lake

Cliff on the Snow Lakes Trail

Upper Snow Lake

Mt. McLoughlin from Shale Butte

Lee Peak from Lucifer

North side of Devils Peak

Meadow near Honeymoon Creek

Stuart Falls

Section B, I-5 to Lake of the Woods

So, we're midway through day 6, and Scratch decided to relieve the disappointment of Callahan's by playing some pinecone golf. It was strange to walk along I-5, with the noise and the fumes.. We found the trail on the east side of the road, and were soon in the woods. We needed water pretty badly at this point, and the springs indicated in the book were stagnant and low. Scratch climbed a scrubby hillside to a spring and filtered us 6 liters of warm, slightly muddy water.. The book advised that section B is one of the least scenic, driest stretches of the PCT in Oregon or Washington, so we at least weren't disappointed in that regard.. Fortunately we came prepared with crystal light packs, and soon turned the water into lemonade and fruit punch! Those things are fantastic, we can't recommend them highly enough.

We continued hiking, knowing we would be making a dry camp. The scenery was actually nice, Pilot Rock kept getting closer, and we agreed that the terrain reminded us of the Rod and Gun Club in Roseburg. There were wild lilies everywhere, and butterflies.

As we were hiking up a grassy hillside, the cell phone rings. it was Scratch's adorable older brother, Josh. So here he is, trekking poles in one hand, cell phone in the other, climbing a hill. I was walking behind him, cracking up. I guess we forgot to turn it off after calling home.

We made camp late in the day, on the east side of Pilot Rock near two rocky outcrops, with a view south of Shasta.

The next morning, we were walking along, Scratch turned and said with panic in his voice, "Run! Go back the other way!" So I book back down the trail, thinking a cougar is going to land on me, when I hear him shout. I turned and he motioned me back to him, saying, "It's OK, it was a skunk." We had a laugh over it, but I asked him if next time he could shout out the nature of the emergency, so I can adjust my panic accordingly.. He said he saw it running down the trail straight for us, and panicked. Glad we didn't get sprayed!!

We walked on to a fenced compound with a spring, filtered more water and had something to eat, then went on towards Little Hyatt Reservoir. When we got there, we met 3 guys that worked at the resort, who informed us that Hyatt Lake had a pizza place. We heard that and practically ran the last 3 miles. Hyatt Lake no longer formally caters to hikers, but the BLM campground across the dam has a beautiful, free hiker camp, right behind the showers. We were given 4 cans of beer by a man who was impressed we were hiking, and drank it while taking long, lavish showers.. Then we put on our cleanest clothes, and went for pizza. It was so good, as was the pitcher of beer. Being pub fans, we immediately felt at home, and they offered to save our leftovers for us in the restaurant fridge.

They have no laundry facilities, so we used our collapsible basin and did our laundry in the shower. Whatever works...and that thing is great. A piece of gear that weighs 2oz, costs $5, and we use it everyday. Bathing, laundry, dishes, and I even heated water to make a warm footbath with lavender oil.... That's luxury... Anyway, we spent our slack day playing rummy and hanging out at our camp.

The next morning, we climbed over the fence and into the woods. We soon crossed Keno Access Road, marking our first 100 miles! We celebrated by making some hummus and eating the chips we bought at Hyatt Lake. The excitement never ends! We made good time and hiked until dusk, then made a dry camp by a logging road.

The next morning, we rose early and hiked to Dead Indian Road, where we tried to look pitiful and hitch a ride to Lake of the Woods. No dice, :(

We walked ten miles to Lake of the Woods, then picked up our resupply box. Mmmm, lots of food, and a bunch of other crap we didn't need or want. We'd had perfect weather, so we didn't need the extra ponchos, didn't need batteries, didn't need that many MRE's.... So we made a hiker box at Lake of the Woods.. check it out.

What a cute little resort! The lounge staff was fantastic! Thank you guys, for making us feel so welcome! We had good food and very generously poured drinks! We were able to do laundry, shower and send mail. I also recieved, via UPS, a new ThermaRest from my mom. My high tech, 4season, $90 one developed a leak on the third night, so i'd had a week of discomfort. The 15 year old one, however, works beautifully!! We spent another great slack day playing rummy and watching drunk guys try to put their boats in the water...

We also had special guests, the Jordanian King and his son, touring Oregon on their Harleys. They'd just been at Crater Lake, and they stopped at Lake of the Woods for a cold drink, complete with their cadre of secret service, all on Harleys. And our secret service, driving SUVs and carrying automatic weapons..

Scratch and I later wondered if the Secret Service was aware that every Billy Bob Joe Ray in that campground probably had a gun in his truck?

Day 12 brought the smoke back too, so we were anxious to get going, up in elevation to the beautiful Sky Lakes Wilderness. Section B wasn't terrible, but it wasn't exciting either. The trail was mostly low, scrubby manzanita. We went through some viewless fir forest, not too many blowdows, and no snow. The book was correct about the lack of water, and it will only get worse throughout the summer, so carry extra bottles. The resorts and the people we met were what made it special.

The Missing....

Well, Scratch lost his flute. It's very lightweight red cedar, hand carved. He used to play it to help me drag myself uphill. We had it in the morning at Cook and Green Pass, and we think it fell off his pack in the grassy area just east of Bearground Spring. It won't last the winter, but if anyone happens to pick it up, please contact us.... we'll gladly pay shipping and throw in something extra.. Bearground Spring is a great place to spend an hour anyway.. Soft grass and clear, cold water. If you're there, look around. Thank you!!!! Have a happy and safe hike!!

Section A, Seiad Valley to I-5 at Ashland

Well, here we are in Seiad Valley, ready to get on the trail. We picked a 95' day, and the fire in Happy Camp was just getting started. We walked a very slow, steady 6 miles strait up (it felt like) to Lower Devils Peak... Really, it was terrible. The trail looked like something we grew up with in Roseburg, poison oak, madrone and grass, and the smoke obscured visibility so badly we couldn't see a mile.

We pretty much collapsed once we got to the lookout. It was dismantled in the 70's, so all that's left are 4 walls and the roof timbers. And a little gray field mouse who liked to climb on my bed...

The next morning we were filtering water at Lookout Spring, and we met Thomas. He's hiking alone, and tried to start in Washington and hike south, but there was too much snow so he came back to California and went north instead. He passed us and we never saw him again, but we hear about him almost every place we go.

The second day was easier, we passed lots of day hikers in Red Buttes, and ran into our first bit of snow. Kangaroo Mountain and Red Butte were beautiful areas, you wind in and out of some rocky canyons and meadows. And the smoke cleared out enough for us to have some visibility!

We spent our second night at Cook and Green Pass, I wanted to drop some weight from my pack in a Katz-like manner, but Trav talked me out of it.... Good thing too, we were out of food by our first resupply....

Our third day was better, we were able to look back and see our progress, which is always a big morale boost! You can see, from left to right, Lower, Middle and Upper Devil's Peaks, kangaroo Mtn, and Red Butte. The paths we were on were mica, so they glittered in the sun, and there were wildflowers everywhere!

We also were adjusting well to the altitude and the physical strain of hiking, so on day 3 we cruised up Copper Mtn, White Mtn and Condrey Mtn to Alex Hole Camp. It was an amazing campsite, well worth the 3/4 mile detour. Our appetites, which hadn't been too keen, returned, and we had a 2 course dinner with dessert sitting out on a cliff, looking north. It was beautiful.
Day 4 found us climbing up and detouring around a snowfield on Obsevation Peak. It was our first impassable snowdrift, and we had to go around it down a VERY steep hill. We also passed back into Oregon! The trail in Donomore Meadows, just south of the border, was faint, and we got lost in the cow paths for a while.. The PCT crosses into Oregon in the middle of nowhere, but I can imagine how happy the thru hikers are to start a new state. California's entire PCT stretches 1,700 miles! Oregon's is only 500. We camped at Sheep Camp Spring. Ahhh, the sound of water and cowbells sent us to sleep..

We hiked on roads most of day 5, to avoid snow. We came into Mt. Ashland Camp in the early evening. It was a hot day, and the drunk hippie who came up to escape the heat yelled out temperature updates every 30 minutes. I can say with certainty that it dropped from 86' to 72' before we went to bed. We covered the rest of section A the next morning, with a 10 mile walk to 1-5. We used the road most of the time, because after we passed the Mt. Ashland B&B, the trail was overgrown and scrubby. We hadn't heard about Callahans burning down, so when we arrived to get our beer and nachos, we found it being rebuilt. The disappointment was crushing, but oh well... We called our parents to let them know we were still alive and back in our home state, then, resolutely, we turned back up the road to start section B.

North Umpqua Trail

We just spent 3 wonderful days at Tokatee hotsprings, along the North Umpqua trail. The trail is 79 miles long, and ends at Maidu Lake, the headwaters of the North Umpqua. We were camped along the 'Dread and Terror' segment of the trail, at a walk-in site right by the river. It was worth packing our gear in.. total solitude! The springs were right across the river, but it was running too high and swift for us to cross, so we hiked the half mile downriver, crossed a log, then hiked back upriver to the springs. They are situated on a high cliff of mineral deposits above the river. So you're soaking in 108' water, looking out over the trees and the river..... it just doesn't get better.

We drove up to the forebay to go fishing, but no luck. (nice tan lines though...) Then went for a little walk along the trail. There was so much water, coming down the rocks, running down the trail, we were pretty wet by the time we got back to camp.

The trip gave us a better idea of our gear performance too. We're taking out some stuff that proved to be unnessesary, or just plain useless. (candle lantern, 4th gas bottle, and our maglights) And adding a wind-up flashlight, it gives more light and doesn't require batteries, more sunblock and mosquito repellent, we went through this at a much faster rate than we thought we would, and changing some clothing choices. The forecast for Siead Valley is in the 90's for tomorrow, and smoky from the Big Sur fire, so we'll take less cold weather gear and focus more on light-weight layers.

So, right now we're doing some laundry and re-packing our gear. We leave for California tomorrow morning, and if it's not too hot, hope to be on the trail by 2pm for our 7 mile jaunt to crest level.

We wish you all a Happy 4th of July, and a wonderful summer. We'll check in again in 17 days!

Peace, Scratch and Dent