July 17, 2016

Brahma Lake (mile 1930.8) to Elk Lake Resort (mile 1950.1)

Miles: 20.3 (19.3 PCT miles + 1 mile to Elk Lake Trailhead

Our total miles: 1543.8

We woke up early hoping to escape from the campsite before the mosquitoes woke up. Unfortunately, this wasn’t possible.

At 5:20 when Andy opened his eyes and gazed up at the sky through our fly-less tent he could already see them buzzing around and landing on our tent. Darn!

We packed without urgency, making sure we were both fully covered before exiting the tent. Laurie wearing 2 pairs of gloves and her head net tucked under a fully zipped and hooded raincoat.

We left camp at 6:45 am. The mosquitoes followed us wherever we went. Laurie quickly began to roast in her rain pants and raincoat but was hesitant to take them off in fear of being eaten alive. Eventually, she succumbed.

After all, we are in their habitat.

Whenever we stopped to look at a map or talk to other hikers the mosquitoes swarmed. They weaseled their way into our head nets and munched on us through our gloves, pants, shoes and shirts. Laurie’s strategy was to keep moving.

We weren’t moving as fast as other mornings but without many breaks we had covered 14.5 miles by lunch.

Based on a suggestion from Letha, the hiker we had met the night before, we took a side trip to Mink Lake. It was a beautiful deep blue lake but there was no easy access to the water, at least on the side we hiked along.

We had planned to meet Karen and Derek here for a break before going our separate ways. We left a note for them on the junction signpost and walked on to Porky Lake. We both appreciated the creative lakes names.

Unfortunately, Porky didn’t have any good spots to rest and the mosquitoes quickly found us when we stopped for more than 10 seconds, so we continued on.

There were campsites at Dumbbell Lake so we figured at least we could find a place to put up the tent to dry and eat out of the range of the mosquitoes.

Boy were we in for a treat!

Dumbbell Lake was clear and beautiful! We found some rocks to sit on and within 20 minutes both Derek and Karen joined us.

The sun played hide and seek amongst the clouds. Laurie wavered back and forth about going for a swim. Andy offered to push her in, but she opted not to take him up on the offer.

We relaxed for over an hour. Finally around 2:30 when the sun escaped from the clouds, Laurie decided to get in the water.

It felt marvelous.

We finally laced up our shoes around 3pm. Apparently we were in no rush to walk the remaining 10 miles to camp.

As we hung out at the lake we admired the building thunderheads above. They were beautiful white fluffy clouds but unfortunately the products of these clouds is not as beautiful. Well, at least when you are hiking.

We said goodbye to Karen and Derek since they were going home and to Bend, respectively. As we walked we heard a few claps of thunder. We were walking through a forest so it was difficult to assess the changing weather patterns.

As we neared the Elk Lake cut off Andy checked and found he had service – 50% chance of thunderstorms and rain predicted for tonight and all day tomorrow.

Rats!

The area we had planned to camp tonight was on a ridge at 6500 ft – not ideal for a thunderstorm.

Additionally the next section of trail is supposed to be beautiful and we didn’t want to rush through it with our heads down walking through rain.

So, we changed gears.

We would play it safe and go into Bend for 2 nights to wait out the storm. Laurie has heard wonderful things about Bend and was excited to see the town for herself. Andy likes adventure and was excited to avoid being wet for 2 days.

We set up our tent next to the trail to wait for Karen and Derek in a bug free shelter.

We shared our new plan, made sure there was enough room for us in Karen’s car and trotted down the trail after them.

Just as the trail entered a burn area we turned off for a one mile downhill walk to Elk Lake Resort.

We piled into Karen’s car and drove to the resort. We were startled at the number of people milling around. Being in a car didn’t feel weird but being around so many people did. It is fascinating to witness what effects us nowadays and how.

After calling family we drove 30 miles into Bend. As we dropped into the valley the clouds darkened and it started to rain. We saw multiple rainbows as well as beautiful views of the Sisters and Mt Bachleor.

We had dinner at Cascade Lakes Brewery and got a room with 3 queen beds! Who knew this even existed?

We showered and snuggled up in cozy cotton sheets.

When we woke up this morning we didn’t expect to be sleeping in a bed tonight. It feels good to be free to make these spur of the moment decisions. It is also unfamiliar territory for Laurie, who lives a well calculated life.

That is what this adventure is all about – challenging us to grow and learn.

Tonight we are grateful for beet salads and a new trail family.

July 16, 2016

Lower Rosary Lake (mile 1908.3) to Brahma Lake (mile 1930.8)

Miles: 22.5

Our mileage total: 1524.5

We both slept well. The wind died down or maybe we were so tired neither of us heard it. Either way, we woke up refreshed.

We headed out of camp at 7:15. Derek and Karen were not far behind.

It was a gentle climb up to Middle and Upper Rosary Lakes and then up to Maiden Peak ski shelter.

The shelter was really cool. It had a wood burning stove, a loft, solar panels and wide wooden benches. We explored and admired it for about 15 minutes before continuing on our way.

The walking was easy and the miles seemed to fly by. Around 10 am we took a 0.3 mile side trip to Bobby Lake to get water. Laurie and Karen motivated one another to go swimming and both were happy they had. The water in these lakes is temperate. Even at 10 am it was worthwhile.

From the junction of Bobby Lake the trail climbed up to 6500 ft. We walked through an enchanted forest with lichen drapping over every branch of the trees. It felt like a green winter wonderland.

We got to Charlton Lake at 1:15 pm and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. This lake, like many other large lakes we have seen in Oregon, felt and looked like paradise.

The water reflected many shades of blue, the sun was shining and a light breeze kept the mosquitoes away.

The first 15 miles of the morning we had the luxury of walking on trail that had recently been maintained. All the down trees were cut and the walking was easy.

“This is the type of hiking I like!” Shared Laurie with a smile as she cruised down the trail.

After lunch we entered a burn area and the obstacle course fun returned. This time though, it didn’t seem as tiresome. Probably because we had a nice little break.

The bare trees displayed a stark contrast with the blue cloudless sky. Small pink flowers dotted the ground and young pine trees were scattered among the dead ones. It was strangely beautiful.

We walked together as a little group, sharing stories from our lives. This trail is amazing. It brings people from all types of backgrounds together without boundaries or the superficial layers of a typical new relationship. Conversations get deep, honest and personal quickly. This leads to a deep respect and admiration for one another.

We love that.

We passed a few more ponds and lakes and got to camp before 6 pm. Laurie splashed around in the lake as Andy talked with Letha, a woman hiking south through Oregon.

The mosquitoes got progressively more abundant as the night wore on. We took refuge in our tent to organize our food for the next day while snacking on cheese and homemade fruit leather.

Laurie was tempted to hide from the mosquitoes all evening but was encouraged by the Derek and Karen to come out to eat. Dressed in her mosquitos attire (headnet, hat, gloves, raincoat and rainpants) she emerged from the tent. But the mozzies were horrible.

Laurie ate her dinner under her head net (shoveling food 2 inches from the Talenti into her mouth). Even then, misquotes managed to get into the headnet and bite her neck and temple.

She resorted to pacing while eating since movement was the only way to get a little break. It was miserable.

Andy seemed to handle the mosquitoes better because he has resigned to being bitten. To him it is all part of the Oregon PCT experience in July.

Laurie on the other hand just gets itchy and grumpy.

After 20 minutes of grumbling and swatting, Laurie returned to the safety of the tent. Karen, Derek, Andy and Letha shared a bar of ginger chocolate before retreating to their tents as well.

Seven mosquitoes came in with Andy as he quickly jumped into the tent. We could hear clapping from the other tents as we all attempted to kill whatever mosquitoes entered our safe havens.

Tonight the mosquitoes are the worst they have been all trip. We hope to get up early to pack up and leave before they wake up.

Tonight we are grateful for trail crews and wind to keep the mosquitoes away.

July 15, 2016

Diamond View Lake (OST mile 15.7) to Lower Rosary Lake (mile 1908.3)

Miles: 8.9 (4.9 OST miles + 1 mile road walk + .5 mile hitch + 3 miles on PCT)

Last night was cold. We opted to sleep without the fly so we could admire the stars but Laurie tossed and turned all night trying to get warm.

She was too lazy to sit up and rummage through her backpack for her beanie so instead she kept sinking lower and lower into her sleeping bag.

Eventually she took apart half of her pillow (a down jacket and fleece rolled up in a Buff) enough to stick her head inside. Instantly she felt warmer and was able to fall back asleep.

As the name suggests, we camped at a lake with views of Diamond Peak. We decided to get up early to admire the morning light on the mountain while drinking hot chocolate and tea. Hot beverages are a great incentive to get out of a cold tent.

It was cold but there weren’t any mosquitoes. We took our stove and Talenti containers down to the shore and sat on a log watching steam rise from the lake. Diamond Peak basked in the early morning light and the reflection on the lake was similarly beautiful.

We had agreed to hike into Shelter Cove with Speed, Boone and Katie. Our proposed departure time was 7 am but at 6:50 they were all packed and ready. They started down the trail with the expectation that we would catch them, but we never did.

Others think we hike fast. Maybe we look like it, but we don’t. We joke that our couple trail name should be Start and Stop since we constantly stop to take pictures, admire rivers, soak in the views and take breaks.

We got to Shelter Cove Resort around 9:45. We immediately started charging our phones while sorting through our resupply boxes.

It is always difficult to estimate how much food to bring. Andy is definitely more hungry now and Laurie’s appetite continues to fluctuate. For this 85 mile section we settled on 4 breakfasts, lunches and dinners with lots and lots of snacks. So far we haven’t run out of food and often give a lot away.

Shelter Cove has 2 picnic tables designated for PCT hikers. We spent 7 hours there writing, editing and uploading our blog posts as well as responding to emails and calling family. We also chatted with other hikers, snacked out of the hiker box and relaxed.

Laurie stretched and elevated her legs too. Unfortunately this doesn’t happen as often as it should. Her knee is feeling much better today – who knows if it was the swimming or the 20 mile day, doesn’t really matter though – she is happy to be pain free.

We hiked out around 5:20 with Just Karen and Derek. We opted to walk up the road to the highway rather than retracing our steps 2.1 miles to the PCT.

But after walking about a mile, we had enough and stuck out our thumbs to any car that passed. About 5 whizzed by before a nice couple (Don and Kay) stopped.

We climbed into the bed of their truck, squeezing in around the 5th wheel receiver. By that time it was only half a mile up to the highway but it was uphill and twisty.

Successful hitching experiences are always fun!

We left the trailhead around 6 pm and hiked gradually uphill to Lower Rosary Lake 3 miles away. It was a beautiful Oregonian lake – clear, warm water surrounded by trees.

The best part was the breeze.

The wind was the strongest and most consistent we have experienced in days which meant few mosquitoes!! Laurie almost squealed with delight.

We found a spot big enough for 3 tents and set up home. Andy cooked dinner and chatted with Karen and Derek while Laurie curled up in the tent. She was full from snacking all day and didn’t have room for any more food.

The temperature dropped significantly after the sun went down. We again toyed with the idea of sleeping without the fly (we apparently don’t learn very well) but ultimately decided to put it up to protect against the cold wind. Hopefully it helps and we sleep well.

Tonight we are grateful for wifi that allows us to publish our blog posts and morning alpenglows.