Thurs. June 23    Miles today: 26.1     Total so far: 732.6      Oregon Section D

We woke up at first light, before 5:00 am, and there were NO mosquitoes!! “Quick, let’s go before they wake up!” we cheered, and hurried to break camp on a quiet, no-wind, 40 degree morning.  We walked briskly along Highway 138, very happy because there were no cars and no mosquitoes!  it didn’t take long to reach Cascade Lakes Road #60, our turnoff to go back to the PCT.  At the intersection we found some nice picnic tables and a “morning sun patch” perfect for breakfast.  (And still no mosquitoes!) 

The infant Umpqua River

Next came the long, long walk up the road, back to trail again.  At one point, we crossed a little stream and a sign said it was the North Fork of the Umpqua River.  Amazing!   I’m used to seeing the Umpqua as a full-fledged big RIVER, down by Interstate Highway 5.  Well, the North Umpqua was really pretty, and it tastes good, too–we got a good drink and filled our water bottles.  In case you were wondering “Don’t you filter your water?” the answer is “No.  We just drink it!” 

Mosquitoes on Bill's leg--argh!

Near the trailhead, I saw an odd sight–a cute little tree all balled and burlapped and sitting by the road.  Why??  Oh well, not much farther to Windigo Pass Trail and then the PCT!  We cheered when we reached the trailhead and were so glad to be on TRAIL again instead of road!  But on the trail, the mosquitoes were waiting.  They were awful.  Merely wearing a headnet was not enough; they were biting through my shirt and sungloves.  So I had to put on my rainjacket and another layer of gloves, which were very hot to hike in.  When we stopped for a rest, I had to cover my pants with plastic, too, or they would bite right through the fabric.  

However, the trail itself was very pretty and easy to hike on–no rocks or roots.  There was one creek crossing with a log high up above a goodsized creek.  I decided to be brave and try go across on the log instead of my usual, “Oh, I’ll just ford it!” philosophy about creek crossings.  I have to admit I was scared, and “prayed my way” across, but I did it, and it was a good feeling!  (And hey, I did it with a headnet on, and hordes of whining mosquitoes. )  Those of you who have no problem walking across logs probably think I’m silly, but they really do scare me.  I have really crummy balance!  

All along the Windigo Pass trail, there were big 3″-4″ size white toadstools popping up out of the ground along the trail, and even ON the trail. I would have taken a picture of them, but the mosquitoes were too fierce.  (I have to take my gloves off to use the camera).  I did finally take a picture of the mosquitoes on Bill’s pant leg. By noon we’d reached the Pass AND the PCT.  We cheered, and then considered how we were going to cook and eat dinner in a cloud of mosquitoes.  The solution was to put on not only the rainjackets and headnets we were already wearing, but our rainPANTS as well.  Then while I cooked dinner, Bill set up the net tent so we could sit inside it and eat in peace.  (Well, actually not SIT–we had to make like ancient Romans and recline). 

After dinner, we headed happily along the PCT, accompanied by the mosquitoes, but had a bit of trouble locating our next “PCT Alternate” trail, called the Oldenberg Lake trail.  In the “olden days” it was the PCT official route.  According to the ranger’s advice on “heavy snow areas”, the official PCT would take us right back into snow again, while the “old” trail would be lower elevation, and according to the guidebook, much nicer than the “new” PCT.  We figured that if we had to choose between slogging/postholing/being lost-in-snow VERSUS dealing with mosquitoes, it’s a no-brainer.  We chose the mosquitoes!

Beautiful lake--but oh, the mosquitos!

Sure enough, the “old” PCT was mosquito heaven, but it also was very beautiful.  We passed  really pretty lakes, where we’d gladly have stopped for a swim….but oh, well!  I wish we could have gone swimming–I was so hot and sweaty inside my raingear.  We met a guy out trailriding on his bike with his dog.  We talked a bit while he slapped mosquitoes.  He was the only other person we saw today.  At 7:00 pm, even though we had plenty of daylight left, we decided to call it a day in another “Oregon Desert” of lodgepole pines and mineral soil near large Crescent Lake.  Up went the net tent, we hurried inside, and soon were doing our best to clean up our sweaty selves while the humming hordes surrounded our little tent. 

I was a bit concerned about my right ankle.  It is sore, but not puffy at all.  I guess it’s just grumping about all the roadwalking we’ve done lately.  And I am SO GLAD to have a net tent!  I made it myself, with a modification of Ray Jardine’s design.  Ray’s design does give a bit more room, but I was trying to save on weight, and we have JUST enough room to do things like clean ourselves up in peace.  I don’t even want to think how awful it would be to camp in these conditions without net tent protection! 

 And to those who say, “So, if God is so smart and loving and all, why did He make mosquitoes?” my answer is, “Almost all mosquito species don’t bother people at all, and they are a VITAL part of the pollination requirements of many plants, not to mention food for birds.  The biting business is a result (again, like all the other bummer stuff in the world) of PEOPLE telling God to get lost, and refusing to trust or obey Him.  Part of the consequence of that rotten choice is that everything got messed up, and we get—tada!! Mosquitoes that bite people! ”  One of the most important things to me about actually knowing God through what Jesus did for me, is that in my own small part of the world, I can help lessen the effect of “the Fall”.  In this case, though, we just hunkered in our tent and planned to get up early again BEFORE the mosquitoes!

Wed. June 22   Miles today: 27      Total so far: 706.5      Oregon section C, begin D

Today we crossed the 700 mile mark!  Less than 2,000 miles left to go!  Many cheers and thanks to the Lord for helping us get this far!

Sunrise glow in the mist at Crater Lake

Last night in our camp above Crater Lake, the wind howled in the trees, and it rained, and was very cold, but we were snug and safe, and wondering if we’d wake up to fresh snow this morning.  But the predawn light showed us 40 degrees, and a stiff wind.  Brrrr!  Crater Lake was hidden in mist, and we were actually IN the cloud.  We tried to keep on up the hiker trail, but did not get far–it was soon buried in snow that sloped WAAAAAY down to the Lake.  So we retreated to Rim Drive, which also had plenty of snow, but had recently been plowed.  Only the road itself was plowed, though–not the turnouts or viewpoints.  I felt sorry for any tourists who come up here today–they won’t be able to see much, and will have nowhere to park.

Bill studies maps

Finally the rising sun began to color the mist above the lake a beautiful pink and gold–the mist lifted just a little, and I could see the shimmering water of the lake far below.  Bill and I were still walking in a  cloud, and being blown around by the wind.   We found a somewhat sheltered place among some rocks by Rim Drive where we could eat breakfast (gobble, gobble quickly!) and Bill could study the maps.   He wanted to take a turn doing this; usually it’s me trying to figure things out.  The PCT guidebook has lots of detail–so much that sometimes it’s hard to sort it all out and decide which way to go.  There are often alternate routes that sound very appealing.  The PCT stays pretty true to the “Crest” part of its name, and the crest is often not the nicest trail.  We are not PCT purists.  If the alternate route sounds better, we will take it!  All we care about is walking all the way to Canada.

After breakfast, we resumed walking Rim Drive.  No worries about traffic at 7:00 am!  A little while later, another thru-hiker named Cat’s Pa caught up with us.  He stayed with the rangers last night and got a ride up to the Rim this morning.  He’s VERY tall, with LONG legs that carry him very quickly along the trail (or road).  Turned out he’s 63, and his grandchildren gave him his trail name.  He had originally planned to hike the PCT with his wife, but sadly, she died less than a year ago, so he is hiking alone.  He was very friendly, and we found out that the HUGE footprints we’d been following in the snow above Sky Lakes were his footprints!  When he went through, there was lots of snow, but he could see landmarks because it wasn’t actually SNOWING, so he made it through.  After a bit more conversation, he was off again on his long legs.

As I walked along, it was nice not to constantly have to watch my footing, so instead I could look at other things, and I noticed some pretty white flowers growing in the pumice along the road, right by a snowbank.  It was very cold, and the wind was freezing.  Those flowers were tough little beauties!   Finally the clouds lifted enough for a view of Wizard Island.  The farther we went, the more snow there was.  At one point it looked as if the whole world had turned white–all I could see was white snow, and the white cloud we were walking in. 

Snow on the lava fields north of Crater Lake

 But finally we reached the North Access Road and began our 10 mile downhill.  It didn’t take long till we were OUT of the cloud and the views began.  We could see vast pumice fileds and mountains.  Finally we could even see sharp-pointed Mt. Thielsen, which we’d be hiking to if we stayed on the PCT.  But our views last night from up top at Crater Lake, plus warnings from the ranges had convinced us to hike AROUND Mt. Thielsen,  on what used to be the “old” route of the PCT. 

Mt. Thielsen in sunshine!

We ate lunch at the boundary of Crater Lake National Park.  The sun was shining, and it was warm!  It felt so good to put our feet up and rest and soak up some rays, after being so cold this morning!  Then a bit more walking took us to Highway 138, and the end of “Oregon Section C” in the guidebook.

OREGON SECTION D

Shortly after we crossed the highway, at 1:00 pm precisely (which meant 12 noon in standard time), Bill stopped to check his compass and declination, by using the sun and a stick.  And it was SO GOOD to be on a TRAIL again after 16 miles of roadwalking so far today.  The only bummer was the mosquitoes, which were numerous enough that we had to wear headnets.  And  this part of the trail is a Nordic ski trail in the winter, so not only is it well-marked, but any time it makes a sharp turn, even the TURN is marked!  Again, we could only conclude that the Forest Service cares more about skiers than hikers!

Diamond Lake

The pleasant alternate route eventually landed us at beautiful Diamond Lake with snowclad Mt. Bailey behind it.  We followed the hiker/biker trail along the lakeshore, enjoying great views.  There’s a campground on the shore, with plenty of great campsites–“We should come camp here someday,” we told each other. 

A string of wooden fish!

We stopped at a little store that had cute fish carvings out front, then on to the Forest Service information center, where we ended up talking to THE Ranger himself, instead of just an underling.  He showed us where the heavy snow areas were, so we’d know what to avoid.  We bought a map (which later turned out to be VERY helpful).  We also bugged the ranger about the poorly marked PCT, and he admitted it was true–the ski trails are well-marked, but as for hikers–they are ignored.  We told him very firmly that something ought to be done about it!

Then we headed to the Diamond Lake Resort for an early (4:30 pm) dinner, and who should show up but Cat’s Pa!  He is staying at the resort tonight.  All of us were really enjoying the food at the resort cafe.  “Hiker hunger” is very real!  Cat’s Pa urged us to stay at the resort, too (I think he wanted someone to talk to and hang out with), but we declined and went off to fill our water bottles and push on along Highway 138.  After a couple of miles, we went into the woods to look for a campsite and discovered TERRRRIBLE mosquitoes!  There were just clouds of them–the worst I have ever seen.  So we tried another place, but no matter where we looked, it was the same.  Arrrgh!  So we finally just sighed, set up our net tent and hustled into it for some peace from the whining hordes.  We were very tired, but glad to have managed so many miles today.