July 24, 2016

Pinhead Saddle (mile 2055.8) to bushcamp (mile 2080.2)

Miles: 24.4

Our total miles: 1673.9

We both fell sound asleep the moment our heads hit our pillows. Morning came quickly and we started the routine all over again.

Getting out of a warm sleeping bag is one of the hardest moments of the day, but we are always happy when we get an early start.

Last night we decided we would wake up early again to build a routine. We feel that when our bodies know what to expect they will perform better.

We were walking by 6:10am as the sunlight pierced through the tall trees. Our bodies were stiff but nothing hurt.

We glided down the trail. Laurie sang random lyrics of random songs and decided today was a music day.

Unfortunately when she reached for her MP3 player she discovered it was dead. She’s probably used it once or twice over the last 3 months, and like other electronics, if it isn’t used, its battery dies. So she opted for an audio book instead.

We walked through a forest most of the day. There were no specacular views but there was lots of shade. Laurie walked mostly with her head down, while Andy wore his hat backwards.

We were making great progress until we noticed bushes teeming with small, blue and purple berries!

“Blueberries” squealed Laurie with delight.

They were huckleberries but no matter. We excitedly ate our way down the trail. Some moments it took us 10 minutes to walk 10 feet while other times we blazed through. It depended on the abundance of berries and how full our stomachs felt.

Andy made a fun game out of grabbing berries, tossing them in the air and catching them in his mouth, all while not breaking his stride. He attempted many times but was only successful 30% of the time.

We stopped for an oatmeal break at 10am. To our surprise we had hiked 10.1 miles.

Another 10 by 10. Hooray!

We added huckleberries to our oatmeal and enjoyed one of the best breakfasts on the trail thus far.

Lois, Paul, Ben and Nate (Golden Horse) passed us while we ate. We have been leap frogging with them since before Crater Lake. Once again, the trail keeps bringing people into our life.

We thought they were way ahead of us and they all thought we were miles ahead of them.

We walked on, gradually dropping toward Timothy Lake. Andy’s complained about his heels hurting as we hiked around the lake. He doesn’t have blisters, it’s the meat in his heels that feel tender.

This happened once before around Vasquez Rocks (mile 452) and one day off plus new shoes fixed the issue. Unfortunately, he is currently wearing new-ish shoes and our next day off is still 5 days away.

We got to Timothy Lake around 2pm and looked for a good spot to take a lunch break and maybe go swimming.

We found a spot in the shade but access to the water was difficult. We were tired and hungry and chose to sit rather than look for a better location.

Timothy Lake is huge and beautiful. Clear blue water with great camping and many access points for watersports.

After lunch we continued to circumnavigate the lake until branching off toward Little Crater Lake.

We took the quarter mile side trip to a 40 foot deep and perfectly clear lake. It is spring fed and freezing cold (34 degrees). We gave our feet an ice bath and Laurie briefly dipped her right knee in the frigid water. It was so cold it hurt to keep any part of ones body submerged longer than 30 seconds.

Other tourists had jumped into the lake but Laurie wasn’t that brave. (Andy doesn’t know how to swim so he doesn’t jump into lakes.)

After 30 minutes at the lake we reluctantly put on our shoes and hiked the remaining 2.8 miles to camp. It was uphill and Andy set a good pace…until we found more berries.

BERRIES!!

The last mile took twice as long because every 10 feet we stopped to pluck huckleberries and pop them in our mouths.

Unfortunately the mosquitoes were out in full force as well. Laurie would stop long enough to grab some berries, all the while telling the mozzies to “leave me alone!”

Of course they didn’t listen but it made her feel better to try.

We got to camp around 6:15 and found a semi flat spot. Lois and Paul were already fed and cozy in their tent. Golden Horse and Ben showed up moments after us.

We chatted while making dinner and by 9 everyone was settled in their respective tents.

Tomorrow we head to Timberline Lodge for our resupply before starting on the final 50 miles of Oregon.

Wahoo!

Tonight we are grateful for edible berries along the trail and perfecting backcountry cooking of gluten free Mac and Cheese.

July 23, 2016

Milk Creek (mile 2025) to Pinhead Saddle (2055.8)

Miles: 30.8

Our total miles: 1649.5

It was a warm night. We slept without the fly and at one point Andy woke up to the moonlight casting shadows of leaves across the tent.

Our alarm went off at 5:10, neither of us wanting to open our eyes but we knew we needed to get moving. We stopped earlier than planned last night and wanted to make up those miles today.

We snuggled for 5 minutes and then started the packing process. We were on the trail by 6:15am. Very reasonable for us.

We initially climbed for about 2 miles, walking past lots of blooming bear grass. Our bodies felt good and our lungs happy in the fresh morning air. Climbs always feel best first thing in the morning.

At the top of the hill we dropped down past a small pond where another couple were packing up their things. We recognized them from a few days prior at Big Lake Youth Camp. It is nice seeing familiar faces along the trail – it contributes to a nice sense of community.

We got to Russel Creek and investigated our options. We could either walk across a quickly melting snow bridge or ford the icy cold river. We choose the latter.

It was painfully cold and difficult to see where to put our feet through the cloudy water but the creek was narrow and so much tamer than what we had experienced in the Sierra. We were relieved and felt good knowing our creek crossing confidence had been restored.

We climbed up some more to a green paradise. Bright pink and red paintbrush littered the ground. We walked past ponds and lakes and through vivacious green meadows. Mt Jefferson stood tall in the backdrop. It was truly a spectacular area.

We ascended another 800 ft to a ridge with views of Mt Jefferson to the south and Mt Hood in the north. Simply incredible scenery!

We took a short break amongst a rock pile and were swarmed by mosquitoes. The views were worth the pestering so we stuck it out.

Once on the north side of the ridge we stepped and glisadded down a few large snow patches.

We passed many backpackers and day hikers out to enjoy the area on this beautiful Saturday. The longer we are out here the more we notice the clean smells of day hikers.

We ate a late lunch at Upper Lake before continuing down the trail towards Ollalie lake. We walked past other wooded lakes and wandered deep into the forest. The trail was flat but rocky.

Around Jude Lake we ran into a couple in their late 60’s named Instigator and Expediter. They met in a backpacking club in college and have been exploring and hiking together ever since. They were such an inspiration to us. We hope to still be doing thru hikes in our 60s!

At 6:20 we decided to shoot for 30 miles. We still had gas in our tanks and wanted to push ourselves.

But was it smart?

Could our bodies handle it? Was it just our egos egging us on?

We figured we would find out.

We passed our originally planned campsite around 7:00pm. There were literally 8 tents tucked in together amongst the down trees.

We were glad we had made the decision to keep walking since we may not have been able to squeeze in there.

The trail was initially flat but then climbed around 800 feet past fireweed and mountain lilies and back into the trees.

Once on the ridge we started looking for a spot to call home. The first spot was taken. The second spot had toliet paper everywhere and a shirt crumpled by a tree. It gave us both the heeby jeebies.

We agreed to walk a tenth of a mile to another spot identified on Guthook (one of the apps we use for water sources and tentsites) but we never found it. We ended up walking three tenths of a mile tired and hungry looking for camp.

Eventually we found a flat spot and called it home. It was 8:45pm. Laurie crawled inside while Andy cooked. Laurie was very happy with celebratory hot chocolate while sitting in her sleeping bag.

By the time we ate and cleaned up it was past 10pm. It is hard getting into camp this late but we are so glad we pushed ourselves a little. We just hope our bodies agree in the am!

Tonight we are grateful for our tough feet and tranquil forests.

July 22, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 2004.2) to Milk Creek (mile 2025)

Miles: 20.8

Our total miles: 1618.7

We woke up in a cloud. By the time we left the fog had thinned and we could see the outline of Three Fingered Jack. So beautiful!

We walked through the fog and across a boulder field into the forest. The trail climbed up towards an unnamed pass. As we crested over to the other side we again made note of the beauty. Clouds rolled in and out framing a sunny meadow.

From here we walked back into a burn area. We stayed in the burn area most of the morning, getting water from a pond near Koko Lake. Waldo caught up as we were setting off to hike another 1.5 hours before taking a second breakfast stop.

Andy boiled water and we enjoyed warm oatmeal and hot chocolate. Waldo eventually joined us here and we hiked near one another the rest of the day.

We stopped for a late lunch with a view of Mt Jefferson. The mosquitoes found us quickly so we ate as we swatted them away. We wondered outloud about the purpose of mosquitoes. None of us had a good answer.

From here we hiked down to Shale Lake. It was a sweet little lake glistening in the sun. We wished we could stay here longer but unfortunately we had miles to cover.

The trail led us down 2000 feet to Milk Creek. Andy noted the silence of the forest as we walked down into a sea of maple trees and other dense foliage.

We stopped for a moment and heard nothing. No birds chirping, no creatures running about, no wind moving the branches. It was as quiet as a cave. If there was a place to camp in here Andy would’ve been tempted.

Less than a mile later we reached Milk Creek. It was a good sized creek with milky looking water. It reminded us of the rivers in Nepal.

After setting up our tents in two separate but equally snug spots a tenth of a mile from the creek, we took what we needed and headed for the rocks.

The three of us ate dinner sitting on said rocks watching the alpine glow fade off of the west face of Mt Jefferson.

Tomorrow we will part ways with Waldo. His father and friend are meeting him at Timberline Lodge around the time that we hope to be in Cascade Locks.

It was fun hiking with him and we hope to connect again whether on this trail or future trips.

Tonight we are grateful for cold creeks and our shoes.