PCT Day 12 & 13: Mesa Creek to McKenzie Pass

 I was a little groggy and tired when I woke up, but excited too. This was going to be the day that I was on my home turf. I looked forward to sharing it with the other people on the PCT. I got to say, "this is the place that I get to recreate whenever I want to." I had a long day ahead of me as there were still 20+ miles to go, but I knew I could make it without a problem. 

The start was not that good as I moved pretty slowly. The miles start to add up and I was beginning to develop an issue with my Achilles tendon. It was tight in the mornings. It was probably a combination of my shoes and the number of miles I was hiking with a heavy pack on my back. Sleep was never long and restful enough to recover. Still, the area was so beautiful. It is funny that I hiked all these miles and still the area right near home is the most fantastic scenery to me. I loved the meadows and the fire damage was not too bad. The people were cheerful and when I filled my water from a stream, it ran clear and cool.

I talked with one guy that went by Gritty. He was older than me, but moving quicker as usual. We chatted for maybe 15 minutes as we hiked on the trail. He was hiking the whole thing, but had skipped the Sierras like others. He hiked them a few years earlier, though, so he was okay with missing them this year. He was one of the few people on the trail that we talked about our real lives. It was a good conversation, but like most others, he was off ahead of me in no time. I am not sure why I was one of the slower hikers, but it did not bother me much. When I was younger, I took a lot of pride in my speed, but really it was about getting the miles in each day.

I was still taking a bunch of pictures because the scenery was so amazing. Even though this was so close to home, I was still impressed. I chatted with some other people I knew along the way and even ran into some people who flew by me many days previously. They seemed all impressed too. Getting to the Obsidian area was a highlight as it is one of the few waterfalls along the PCT in Oregon. Then the scenery really opens up until you get to the big overlook near where the Sunshine Shelter used to be located. Here I felt like home and was able to give some other hikers some direction about where to find Arrow Lake just up the hill. 

Then it was down from the beautiful lakes and sharp obsidian scatter to the volcanic flows of Opie Dilldock Pass. Here is where I really knew I was getting in good shape. I had hiked this pass many times before, but this time it felt really easy even with the heavy pack. The lava rock was not too fun on the feet, but the elevation change seemed like nothing. After miles of hiking up and down the steep hills of Oregon, this was not much. When I got to the junction of the Scott Trail, here I was only 5 or so miles from a road that would bring me back home. Still I continued on past Yapaoh Crater and the Matthieu Lakes.

Most people must go the other direction to Lava Camp Lake because it is much shorter, but I had never hiked that section of the PCT so I decided to do it. First, I had to be high on the ridge of the fire scarred forest. This was not particularly enjoyable, but then after dropping down, it was all lava rock for nearly a mile. I could see why it was cut out, but also you had to appreciate the engineering that went into this. 

Eventually it popped me out at the PCT trailhead, just before 4:30 when I said I would be there to meet Jacqueline. Tired, I dropped the pack and waited. I saw her drive right by at 4:30 and not stop. I waited for her to come back, but she never did. Finally, I ran up the road and there she was parked by the side of the road. I was a little too hard on her for missing that turn, but I was really spent by this point and a few extra yards of walking was a lot for me. Still I was really happy to see my wife and go home for a day.

The day at home was spent packing for the last leg. There were dishes to clean and clothes to get washed. I also was able to go through my gear and eliminate a few things. Raincoat, no thanks. Big pot, not when I could just boil water. I decided to only eat freeze dried meals for dinner the last leg. This was going to save me some space in my pack. I did take the big water filter because water was just that important out there. I got to spend the day watching baseball, playing wiffle ball with my son, and visiting with my wife, mother, and daughter in the evening. They were surviving without me, though my wife was constantly worried for my safety. Never did I feel unsafe on the trip, though, just hoping my body could hold up the whole way. 

PCT Day 11: Stormy Lake to Mesa Creek

I awoke early as usual and did not feel like getting up and out of the tent. The mosquitoes were still everywhere and it felt dark and foreboding by the lake. I managed to get myself moving and pack up the contents of the tent. The system I created to pack up my belongings allowed me to get out of the tent and only have to pack that up last. Unfortunately in the process of doing this, I had forgotten my shorts that were drying on a tree branch not far away. It was a mile of hiking before I realized that I forgot them and by then it would have been too long to go back. Even though they were nice shorts, I did not want to lose the hour or so of hiking that it would take to get there.

The trail was very forested today. Thick forest with some elevation change, but not an incredible amount. It was really mainly mosquitoes that were the enemy. I hadn't hiked with headphones on much since my 20s, but I realized that it made the trail much more tolerable to have headphones on. If I didn't have to hear the mosquitoes, then the layers of bug spray could do their job and I only had to deal with the occasional mosquito landing on me. It was really a morning of putting in the miles. 

Eventually, I got out of the deep forest and into the Mink Lake Basin. Here, the mosquitoes intensified, but the scenery improved. There seemed to be a large, beautiful lake around every corner. I would just move from one to the next with lakes named things such as Cliff Lake, Moody Lake, Horseshoe Lake, and Dumbbell Lake. It would have been great to stop and enjoy them, but with the mosquitoes being as thick as they were, the best I could hope for was a quick snapshot. 

I piled on the miles and enjoyed the lakes, meadows, and wildflowers that were abundant. I was moving well today and really feeling good. So much so, that I almost passed all my water sources before lunch. I was past the whole Mink Lake Basin and approaching the Elk Lake/Horse Lake area when I realized that I should probably find some water. The terrain was changing from very moist, thick forest to a drier, more open forest like the east side of the mountains. I lucked out when I found a spot with a spring right next to the trail. I had been in this area years before and I remembered this spot from the past. I filled up my water without even having to use a filter. This helped to beat the rapidly decreasing mosquitoes that still annoyed me a little bit while I ate some lunch. 

After lunch, the terrain and the weather changed quite rapidly. It was now hot and dry. The bugs were gone, but so was the cool of the morning and the heat of the afternoon baked me on the dry open forest. I passed by the junction with Horse Lake which now began a constant uphill climb of Mt. Koosah. I was in pretty good shape by this point, so the uphill really did not get to me much. It was more the combination of the two. At this point, I had to make sure I was managing water while also drinking plenty. The trail climbed steadily uphill until I got to the top and met the people I seemed to run into very frequently. I said hi, talked to them for a while and then was on my way again. 

When I started the day, I thought that Sisters Mirror Lake would be a great plaee to spend the night. When I got there, the lake looked so inviting. I was running low on water, so I started to filter water. The mosquitoes were relentless. I could barely focus long enough to get my water full. By the time that I did, I knew this was not the place to spend the night. I still had a ton of daylight left and I wanted to avoid the mosquitoes. So, even though I was over 20 miles, I was not going to stay here and would continue on my way.

I was starting to run out of new terrain in this area. It was only another mile and a half before I would hit the trail that runs around the Sisters. The terrain was already looking so familiar. When I found myself on the Wickiup Plain, it actually sent a wave of excitement through me. Hundreds of miles hiked already and I felt like I was at home. There is a ton of uncertainty when engaging in a long distance backpacking trip, but here I felt the familiarity of trails I had been on before. The winds were kicking on the Wickiup Plain and there were no bugs. The South Sister rose dramatically above as I hiked by Rock Mesa. I even was able to spot a marmot, which ended up being the most exciting wildlife I spotted on the whole trip.

Now I was getting tired. I thought maybe I could just make it to Mesa Creek and have access to water. When I got there, though, I also had access to many blood sucking mosquitoes. I had had enough of camping with mosquitoes, so I filled my water and continued on my way. There was a big flat area that had a great camping spot right after this with access to water. I even saw some trail friends there, but I was determined to find a mosquito free camp. They were not bad, but I wanted to see if I could find it, so even though I was pretty spent, I kept going.

This was a mistake and I knew it as soon as I hit the burned forest around James Creek. There were downed trees and a really poor trail to navigate. I was pretty tired and this was not how I wanted to spend my evening. It was also uphill which made it more of a challenge, so when I finally got above it, I looked for a place to camp. I didn't care if there were mosquitoes or a even water, I just looked for a flat, quiet spot to place the tent. I found it behind some trees and I got the tent set up. After a quick meal, I was exhausted. I read my book, but I had trouble relaxing. The place I was camping was ominous and I was filthy. It was not much of a restful night, but it still felt good to lay down and rest for a bit. I was excited for what tomorrow would bring.

PCT Day 10: Rosary Lakes To Stormy Lake

 

I woke at what I thought was an early time around 6 am to see that the older gentleman who was camping near me was already gone. That seemed to be the thing out here is to not waste an hour of daylight. People were up and out of bed very early. I felt rested. I had a comfortable night of sleep after my swim in the lake and the temperature was comfortable. The information from Jacqueline at home told me that this was supposed to be the hottest day yet with temperatures pushing the triple digit mark. So I had to get as much hiking in during the morning as I could. 

The trail took me past another lake, not quite as spectacular as the first, then continued to climb. I was still fairly near Willamette Pass, so the trails were in very good shape. The views were few and far between, but when I did get a look at the horizon, I could see that this was an area of many lakes. The mosquitoes were coming back and seemed to intensify the more I climbed and got into the thicker forest. Eventually, I got to a viewpoint and then it was downhill from there.

I spent most of the morning descending slowly on the edge of Waldo Lake. I could not really see Waldo Lake, but it was to the west of me for most of the morning. I ran into a trail crew and talked for them for a bit. They said they were preparing the trail for an ultra marathon around the lake. I thanked them for their work continuing on my way. 

This was an exciting day because I was moving onto a new map. I had used the National Geographic Pacific Crest Trail Oregon South map for the whole trip until now. Once I had passed Maiden Peak and Bobby Lake, I was now going off the map while following the edge of Waldo Lake. This was great because now I felt as if I was halfway done. Though I did not want it to end right away, I was still happy that I was over halfway done with completing my goal. 

The trail continued downhill until I finally made it to Charlton Lake. I would sit down to have lunch. I ran into some people I knew. I actually didn't even know their names, but knew them as the French couple. I really didn't get into the trail name thing. I would be much happier just knowing someone's actual name rather than some nickname. I don't know why but it just made the trail less personal. I didn't even ask people their names because I would get an answer like Monster Style which told me nothing. I filled up some water and thought about taking a dip. I did not want to get any of my clothes wet and there were too many people around to skinny dip. This made it prohibitive for me to swim in the afternoon. So I ate my lunch, filled my water, and was on my way.

Did I mention that it was hot? This was the hottest day of the year and I knew that now I would be entering the burn area from last year. I think that a lot of people didn't realize that they were going to have to cross the burn area because it was so recent. At the beginning of the school year, there was smoke every day to breath in from this fire between Charlton Lake and Irish Lake. I was mentally and physically prepared for the worst as this was also the hottest day of the trip.

The trail was worse than I expected. At first, it wasn't so bad with some standing trees and some burnt ones. Then the landscape open up around Charlton Butte and there wasn't a spec of vegetation left on the ground. It looked like a desert landscape and still smelled of fire. You wondered if there were still some smoldering stumps in the area. With the heat from the afternoon sun and no shade, this was a rough passage through the fire area. The only other person I saw was a single female curled up in the only shade around. She expressed to me that it was just so hot. There was not much I could do for that, so I continued on my way. It was a full six miles to get through the fire area. The one positive was that there were no mosquitoes through this section. That was about all though because seeing the shores of Taylor Lake, made me very pleased.

Taylor Lake and Irish Lake were right next to each other. There was also a dirt road that led to them and given that it was a Saturday, there were also a crew of people paddle boarding on the lake. This derailed my opportunity to jump in the lake again, so I filled up my water again and was on my way. I was now entering the Mink Lake Basin. This was another place that was known for its mosquitoes and it did not disappoint. As soon as I was out of the burn area, the little buggers came back. This area was very similar to the Diamond Peak area with lots of small lakes. 

I was planning on staying at Brahma Lake when I started hiking in the morning. I still had quite a bit of energy when I got there, though, so I continued a little further to the last lake before I ran out of lakes by the trail. This lake was Stormy Lake and it kind of lived up to its name. It felt a little darker and more ominous being just below some high cliffs. I found a camping spot on my own across the lake. Here I quickly got the tent set up amongst the mosquitoes and took a few minutes to lay down. It was nice to rest, but I had to get a dip in. So I waded out amongst the fallen logs and mud until I finally found a place deep enough. This lake was cold and was not quite as inviting as the Rosary Lakes. Still, it got me clean and I hung my shorts on some branches to dry. Making dinner was a pain with all the mosquitoes and once it was done, I hid in the tent to eat it. Not quite safe when it comes to bears, but the way it had to be for my sanity. I made some time to read a chapter of my book and then it was off to sleep.