PCT Day 6: Grouse Hill to Highway 138

I awoke to a morning filled with mosquitoes. I was reluctant to get out of bed because I knew I would have to deal with them again, but also happy to be done with the night. I felt so grimy and today was a very exciting day because I was going to meet up with my family. The road was only 8.5 miles away, so I was going to have an easy time of it because I was going to meet the family around 11 AM. I got the train rolling and soon I was on the trail. There were some people out and about. They were frustrated with the mosquitoes, but they actually went away once I got to the Pumice Desert. I was not a big hurry today. 

I figured I could move at a comfortable pace, but I was still able to pass a guy from Canada who was a little tired. He was hiking both Oregon and Washington but you could tell he was having second thoughts. PCT hiking had been more difficult than I expected and I could tell it was the same thing with him. I kept meandering until I looked at my watch and realized I needed to pick up the pace. I made it to Highway 138 with a few minutes to spare. I sat down and talked with my Canadian friend until I saw my wife drive by. I waited for her to turn around and then I was suddenly driving back into Crater Lake National Park. The kids, wife, and her dad met me. We were going to stay in Mazama Village for the evening. I was so happy to see them and they were so happy to see me. All I felt like doing was getting a shower, but we took the time to hike to the top of the Watchman and get a good view from there. The kids hadn't been to Crater Lake before and Jacqueline did not remember it. Grandpa had been there multiple times. Still everyone was impressed, but a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of people on top of the Watchman. 

We headed down and all I really wanted was a shower. Unfortunately when we went out to Mazama Village, they would not let us check in. So we went back to Goodbye Creek and had a picnic lunch. It was very pleasant and enjoyable. We took a drive out to the East Rim. The road was closed, so we stopped at Sun Notch. We did a short hike to more viewpoints and then we drove back to Rim Village. 

We checked out the lodge and sat on the porch for some time. Then it was finally time that we could check in. We got in the cabin and I was so happy to take a shower. I then spent some time organizing and then we headed over to dinner. It was good that we went early because we got one of the last tables. There were many people waiting after us, but we enjoyed a great dinner at the only restaurant in town. I finished my packing after dinner and then had some time to play some games with the kids. It felt amazing to sleep in an actual bed for the night. It was such a great day with the family.