July 21, 2016

Big Lake Youth Camp (mile 1992.6) to bushcamp (mile 2004.2)

Miles: 11.6

Our total miles: 1597.9

With our ear plugs in, once our heads hit the pillow we were out. We both slept soundly. So much in fact that when we woke up at 6:30 and popped our heads out of the tent we were surprised that 2/3 of our little tent village were gone.

Breakfast wasn’t until 8:30am so we took our time packing up, trying to avoid carrying copious amounts of sand with us in our packs.

After all of our chatting, charging and uploading it was 11 am.

Waldo waited for us and we finally walked away from the hiker A-frame at 11:20. Big Lake Youth Camp and their staff are wonderful. We can’t thank them enough!

After checking our maps we chose to walk along the dirt road rather than retrace our steps to the trail. We were passed by 2 trucks, one of which was a Fed Ex delivery truck. The driver slowed to say hello and to wish us well in our journey. He had hiked the PCT in the 90s.

We re-joined the PCT 1.5 miles later and within 5 minutes stumbled along trail magic! Ten feet from the trail was a nicely decorated cooler with soda and beer. We had just eaten a big breakfast full of sugar but Laurie couldn’t resist trail magic.

She and Waldo enjoyed a soda while Andy quietly substained. After 1500 miles soda still doesn’t appeal to him.

We walked another 4 miles to Hwy 20 and Santiam Pass. The trail sliced through an old burn area. The vibrant green new growth provided a nice contrast to the burnt and dead old growth. It reminded us both of the intertwined nature of the cycle of life.

We got to Santiam Pass around 1:15pm. Waldo needed to go back to Bend to get different shoes and we were continuing on. The question was how far.

We said goodbye and watched Waldo walk down the highway holding his sign in search for a pullout and a friendly motorist.

We walked another 15 minutes and took a break in the shade. Neither of us were feeling particularly motivated today. We had just lost the last member of our latest trail family and it felt like a loss, especially for Laurie.

It still amazes us how quickly we can fall into a rhythm with strangers. And how these strangers become great friends over the span of a few days.

Laurie gets attached easily and this is apparent everytime we have to say goodbye. She fantasises about future adventures together but understands the strong likelihood that we may never see one another again.

This trail is one of the first times we have made friends as a couple. Majority of our friends at home were friends with one of us initially. It feels nice to be creating new relationships as a unit.

We walked through yet another burn area. The sun was intense initially but as we climbed the number of clouds in the sky increased. There was a nice breeze and the hiking was comfortable – particularly when the sun hid behind a cloud.

The burn area was HUGE! Once on a ridge below Three Fingered Jack we could see far and wide and truly appreciate the immensity of this fire. We walked alongside penstemon and lupine below the bare and scorched trees.

A third of the way into our climb we stopped for a snack on a rock. Within 5 minutes our feet were bitten my small and fast mosquitoes. We swatted at the mozzies while we ate a bag of trail mix and apples.

We had planned to hike another 7 miles past the next water source to a campsite. The pace we were traveling we would get to camp around 7:15pm.

We walked on, past an awesome tentsite on the edge of some rocks overlooking the valley. We wished we had enough water to camp here but since we didn’t we reluctantly walked on.

About a mile later the trail opened up and we walked along the scree at the base of Three Fingered Jack. Laurie spotted at least 5 mountain goats traversing the mountain.

We noticed a narrow use trail off to the left which lead to 2 tentsites. We looked at each other.

“We can make it work” reassured Laurie holding up her liter of water. “Yeah. We won’t cook dinner” Andy replied.

And that was that.

This spot was too nice to pass up. We didn’t feel like pushing today and this way hopefully Waldo can continue to hike with us. Andy texted him and let him know where we were in case he could make it.

It was 5 pm and we were home for the night. We set up our tent and crawled in to escape the mosquitoes.

We felt grateful for the sun but it got hot sitting in the tent. There were too many mozzies to sit outside on the rocks so we stayed inside crammed at the foot end for more protection from the sun. We snacked on bars and nuts until we could eat no more.

Around 8:45 Andy thought he heard a whistle. He whistled back. He whistled again. Nothing.

Laurie called out “Where’s Waldo?”

“In the clouds” replied Waldo from the junction.

Waldo had the hitching adventure of his life and still made it to camp before dark. We were both happy to see him.

Eventually we will have to separate because of different schedules and logistics but today was not that day. We are grateful for at least one more night together.

When we got to our campsite we had an amazing view of Three Fingered Jack and the valley below. Around 7 pm the clouds rolled in and by 9 we were socked in completely. We could hear occasional rocks falling in the distance and could only see 30 ft in front of us.

We are happy we stopped early and even happier to be in Waldo’s company tonight.

Tonight we are grateful for the opportunity to live freely and stray away from rigid schedules and the generosity of Big Lake Youth Camp.

July 20, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 1972.4) to Big Lake Youth Camp (mile 1992.6)

Miles: 21 (20.2 PCT miles + .8 to Big Lake Youth Camp)

Our total miles: 1586.3

We slept like rocks. It was cold last night but we were very cozy in our tent. And best of all, there were no mosquitoes!!

We even had the luxury of leaving the tent door open while bringing in our backpacks. Oh how the small things make a world of difference.

By 6:40 am we were packed and making our way up the rocky trail towards Opie Dildock Pass. The wind contributed a nice chill to the air, so much in fact that Laurie had trouble seeing the individual rocks through her tearing eyes.

We felt like we were walking on Mars this morning. Black and red lava stones made up the hillside. Bright white dead trees provided a stark contrast to the dark lava bed.

We crossed small patches of icy snow, slowly stepping our way across. The sun crested over the horizon as we stumbled over the pass. In the distance we could see Mt Washington, Three Fingered Jack and Mt. Jefferson.

Our maps are scaled to show detail on the PCT so we end up relying on other hikers for info on the distant peaks.

It was another beautiful morning on the trail.

We wandered through a meadow with lupine, pink paint brush and small yellow and pink flowers. The wet grass and other foliage glistened in the sun. We both wished we could hang out here forever.

Technically we had enough food for one more night but we were both excited for dinner at Big Lake Youth Camp. So we carried on.

The trail took us through more lava fields. We kept stopping to admire the views both in front and behind us. The sky was dotted with puffy white clouds, but nothing threatening like the previous few days.

As we got closer to highway 242, the number of day hikers steadily increased. We have seen more hikers in the last 2 days than all of Northern California and southern Oregon combined.

The trail switched again to a lava field and our pace greatly decreased. The small rocks rolled around under our feet, causing instability and sometimes pain with each step.

We relied more on our poles but they often got stuck between rocks. It was fun initially but quickly got old.

After crossing Hwy 242 Laurie looked ahead at another massive lava field, “We are going to walk through this all day….fuck!”

Now it felt even more like Mars, or maybe the moon. The lava was dark, there were very few trees and the only critters we saw were spiders.

We walked on lava for a few miles and eventually the trail transitioned to dirt and sand. We took a short lunch break under a tree with a view of Mt. Washington.

From here the trail continued through a burn area dotted with sky rocket and lupine.

It was hot and Laurie turned to podcasts for entertainment. Andy seemed content with his own thoughts.

We climbed up and then down 500 ft before gradually descending to Big Lake. The trail cut through green meadows with tons of bear grass and lupine. We walked with smiles on our faces; we were getting closer to the camp, closer to dinner and it was beautiful!

We got to Big Lake Youth Camp a little before 5 pm. As we were checking in someone threw their arms around both of us. It was Fixie!

She has flipped up to Portland and was now hiking south. We caught up with her, sorted through the 6 packages and chatted with other hikers. With so many new people around it was hard to focus. Andy wanted to talk with everyone and Laurie was busy people watching and eavesdropping.

Around 6 pm the dinner bells rang and we filed into a large cafeteria filed with over 300 7-10 year olds. It was a bit over stimulating but fun to be around that much energy.

We filled our plates with pasta, salad and green beans and went back for seconds. They even had vegan and gluten free options!

Big Lake Youth Camp is wonderful. They treat hikers very well and are a great help. They even have a volunteer PCT hiker coordinator to help us during our time here.

After dinner we showered and walked about 10 minutes down the shore to the PCT hiker camping area.

We watched the sun set over the lake as we talked with other hikers. The ducks quacked at us for a while. Andy thinks they are upset with us for taking over their beach. It has been a while since we have heard the noise of ducks, it is actually quite nice.

Here we are, 12 tents squished together on a small beach. As we write this we giggle at the symphony of snores that surround us.

Tonight we are grateful for hiker friendly camps and ear plugs.

July 19, 2016

Elk Lake Resort to bushcamp (mile 1972.4)

Miles: 22.4 (20.9 PCT miles + 1.5 from trailhead to PCT)

Our total miles: 1566.1

Our alarms went off at 5:30. Laurie couldn’t open her eyes. She felt glued to the bed. Andy forced himself to get up and turn off the beeping alarm from across the room. We never seem able to go to sleep at a reasonable hour when in town.

Last night we turned the lights off around 11pm but were woken up at 1:30 am by a woman yelling “Natalie, Natalie” and knocking on our door.

We were all tired but ready and excited to get back on the trail.

Bright, one of our blog followers and a fellow backpacker, offered to take us back to Elk Lake Resort at 6:30 am.

While painfully early, we wanted to cover miles to get to our next resupply point the following evening. Plus, there was still a chance of thunderstorms and mornings usually have better weather.

We ate leftover Pad Thai for breakfast and were outside when Bright pulled up right at 6:30.

We chatted a little and then hopped in the car. It is amazing how much we have come to trust and depend on the kindness and generosity of strangers. And even more surprising how strangers quickly feel like good friends.

The drive to the trailhead was beautiful. The top of Mt Bachleor was hidden by fluffy gray clouds. We can imagine living in Bend and riding our bikes on this road someday.

We got to the trailhead around 7:30. The air was cool and the mosquitoes minimal. We expressed our gratitude to Bright, took a few pictures and hiked back up to the PCT via the 1.5 mile horse trail.

As we stepped foot back onto the PCT the swarms of mosquitoes returned. We had our mosquito nets handy so we quickly put them on and kept walking, joking about how they must be spraying something near Elk Lake to keep the mozzies away.

The trail gradually climbed 1400 ft through the trees. As we reached a high point we had nice views of Mt Bachleor and South Sister. The clouds hid the tops of both mountains and gray dominated the sky.

The trail opened into a long tundra after a short downhill. We chased the sun and patches of blue sky, trying to avoid the dark clouds that gathered west and south of us.

We were in awe of the beauty. Patches of green and brown contrasted with the green trees and deep brown rock face of South Sister.

Throughout the rest of the day we wandered between forests, meadows and open tundra. The Three Sisters were prominent companions as we made our way north.

Around 11:45 we passed a beautiful meadow with lupine lining a babbling brook. We had planned on a later lunch but couldn’t resist this magical spot. We sat down, took off our shoes and within 10 minutes Laurie was fast asleep.

We hung out for 45 minutes, bathing in the warmth of the sun. Andy happily ate his butter and jam sandwich until Waldo (formerly known as Derek) caught up with us. We hiked together the rest of the afternoon.

We hiked past small tarns with crystal clear water, bright pink Indian Paintbrush and many other small plants. The Sisters towered above us, providing a great backdrop for photos.

We ate lunch in a meadow, watching the clouds play hide and seek with South Sister.

This section of trail is extordinarily beautiful. With the beauty come the crowds. We saw at least 25 other people today, the most we have seen in 1 day since Crater Lake. It is awesome that this area is so accessible and that people come out to play here.

Around 4:30 we entered the Obsidian Limited Entry Area. We took a very short side trail to a waterfall and admired the shiny properties of the obsidian rocks. They glistened in the sun, as if they too were wet.

We continued along, stopping every 10 or so steps to take pictures. It’s nice hiking at a relaxed pace and not pushing too hard. It allows us to enjoy beautiful days like today.

We ate dinner next to Sister Spring, a really magical place. This is the headwaters of a creek. Water just comes out of the mountain.

Unfortunately the mosquitoes enjoyed this area as well and chomped on us as we munched on our meals. It is really cool to drink and cook with water that just appears from the base of a mountain. It was worth a few itchy bites.

We hiked the last 3 miles to camp in the evening light, walking alongside a lava field with many dead trees. It was beautiful.

We got to camp a little before 7:30 and were in bed by 9. We are all tired from the lack of sleep and 20+ mile hike.

We will sleep well tonight.

Tonight we are grateful for expansive views and magical springs.