I wish I could say that I got an early start on this day, but hitting the trail at 6:45 AM does not count for that on the PCT. I am sure that a good majority of people were will on their way far before I was moving on mine. I had enjoyed a restful night's sleep after being clean. It was a little cooler up at Jefferson Park also, so the night was more enjoyable. Luckily, also, there was a bit of a breeze through the night, so that my shoes were able to dry out after crossing the river the previous day. I had left them open and exposed for the breeze to do its magic and it had worked. So far, my feet were feeling good and when I woke up I was feeling great. Jefferson Park was amazing and I really enjoyed being there. It was tough to leave as I knew today would be a lot of pounding the trail to get the miles in.
The trail climbed uphill pretty quick. I realized right away that most of the cool people camped up high because of the amazing views. I took a bunch of pictures, because you had great views of Jefferson Park up here. The trail was not too steep and I was making good time even with stopping often for the photo opportunities. There were a few late starters that I passed as I went up the hill and quite a few people camped at the high point. This was like the dividing line. When I turned my back on Jefferson Park, I was heading out and pointing my head forward toward Mt. Hood. I wanted to continue living the Mt. Jefferson experience as long as possible as it was an amazing mountain.
From here, it was time to point the legs downhill. I passed some snow, some small lakes, some beautiful meadows with flowers like lupine and paintbrush to enjoy. There were uphill hikers with the excitement of getting to Jefferson Park permeating through their being. I talked to quite a few people and they seemed to be in great moods and really commenting on how beautiful the area was. I agreed and I felt so invigorated by this place. I could see the best of it was soon to be over, though, as the charred forest became ever so much closer with each step. Eventually, I was there and I would not leave it for a long time. I was moving pretty good, though, on this day, so I tried to keep it going as much as possible.
It felt very hot and dry. I liked to call these areas ghost forests because the trees stood like skeletons, shadows of their former selves. Even a rest beside what should have been a spectacular mountain lake felt almost empty with the scenery around it so damaged. There were a lot of people out and about, so I chatted with quite a few people on the trail, but I realized soon, that this day was going to be about making the miles. I wanted to get out of the burnt forest as soon as possible and since most of the trail was downhill, I was moving pretty good. Eventually, I made it to the Olallie Lake Resort. This was the borderline between Mt. Jefferson and the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.
I did not spend an incredibly long amount of time at the Olallie Lake Resort, even though some pushy ladies said I had to go to the store. It was so wonderful. I am not sure why I rejected most of the civilized places to stop on the PCT. I think I just wanted to have the experience of being out there and not relying on any comforts of home. I also knew that a stop at the store would delay the excellent progress I was making that day. So instead of going to the store, I crossed the road and found the shadiest spot I could to have my own meager lunch. Thankfully, the burned forest was giving way to tree cover. The terrain changed also being fairly flat with a slight downhill grade. That was one thing about today was that there was not too much altitude to endure.
The rest of the day became about getting in the miles. The forest was nice, but it became rather repetitive. It was hot and dry, a good place for a fire to break out. I was feeling good and moving, but there were not many places to break up the monotony. The first goal was to get to Jude Lake and then after that I was able to make it to Lemiti Meadow. Here, I had to take a slight detour out to the campsite to get water from the spring. The swampy marsh did not seem like an appealing spot, but with the water filter, the water was still potable. From here on out, though, it was a test of will. I knew that if I put in a big day today, I had a chance of getting out in just three more days. So far, until this point, I had been really good about being patient with the experience and just living in the moment. Now, though, I was starting to just realize how close I was to finishing. If I made it to the Warm Springs River Footbridge, I could make it to the Timberline Lodge for breakfast. I saw the French couple again and they seemed to be doing the same thing on this day.
I was not moving incredibly fast at this point. It was evening and here I was still putting the miles in on the trail. There were not a whole lot of landmarks to keep me motivated either as the South and North Pinheads were nothing too unique. It was slightly concerning also, because every campsite seemed to be taken. I was running into so many hikers in this section which seemed bizarre given the remoteness of this place. After passing the Pinhead Saddle area, it was all downhill from there to the river. It was easy going, but my feet began to get tired. This was probably too big of a day, one that I would likely pay for later. By the time I finally pulled into camp, it was 8 PM and finding a spot was nearly impossible. There were deadfall all around camp and luckily I was able to find a flat piece of ground to put down a tent. I took care of camp chores which on this evening included filtering water from the same place I would dip my toes in. I was not able to fully submerge and get myself completely clean, but a soaking of the legs was definitely in the cards. A quick dinner and a few minutes of reading still got me in bed at a late hour. I wondered how much I was going to pay for this day later, but for now I could revel in my 31 mile day. This was my longest day on the PCT and I would have never thought I could put in these miles when I started.
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