August 5.
Some days you plan to get an early start, crush miles, and end up at a pretty river early but instead you take too long to poop, dawdle at a vista, spend too much time at a pretty lake, and don’t quite make it to the river so instead you have to cowboy camp near a dirt road and fall asleep to the sound of powerlines buzzing above you. And also there’s mosquitoes again. It happens.
Woke up around 6, ate my oatmeal which I’ve thankfully switched to instead of granola, went back to the lodge to use the bathroom and charge up my phone. I took too long dicking around on the internet and didn’t leave until 830. Didn’t even hit up the buffet which I should have since I was still hungry after oatmeal. The hiker hunger hit me a week in but I had enough food to curtail it. This time for whatever dumbfuck reason I didn’t get a jar of peanut butter or extra dessert or Fritos and damn I feel it. I’m barely at 4000 calories per day and it’s definitely not enough now, especially since I’m upping my miles.
Didn’t see Sassafras the night before or in the morning so I decided to get a move on. The hike down and out of Timberline was flat and smooth. Finally what I was expecting Oregon to be like. Lots of forests with easy uphill and downhills. Smooth and flat.
Had lunch on a ridge vista overlooking Mt Hood now again in the distance. While I was lunching I got passed by a hiker going southbound I had seen back at the road crossing trailhead.
I passed him and found out he was going southbound to Etna to complete the hike he couldn’t finish last year because of the fires. His name is 1eleven which is an interesting trail name.
There was a long dry stretch from about 2 miles after Timberline to a little spring 12 miles away. I cameled up and pushed to the spring but when I got there I only found little pool of mosquitoes breeding ground. Couldn’t find the spring so I had to keep going, mostly empty on water for another 4 miles. Thankfully it was all downhill and I was still decently hydrated.
Made it to a junction for little Crater Lake, a lake guthooks told me I shouldn’t miss. Never one to disregard guthooks comments suggestions, I obliged. The.14 mile detour was worth it. Little Crater Lake was a beautiful marble blue lake that was so cold. I hung out there for a bit with a bunch of day hikers. Since it was Sunday it was pretty busy. One family asked me if I was a hiker and asked me a few other questions. I caught a little frog in the icy cold lake and held out for them to see. They seemed to like it.
1eleven showed up and we talked for a bit. He was only heading to Etna and then planning to climb Mt Baker afterwards. Might be leapfroging him for a bit. He also told me Sassafras ended up at the buffet in the morning and hadn’t caught up to us. I thought she might be ahead but it seems not.
Hiked around Timothy Lake which was big and blue and would have been a good place to stop but there were too many day hikers and overnight people and I really wanted to get a few more miles in since stopping at the lake would leave me at 21 miles for the day. So I prepped my dinner, scarfed down too many snacks and powered through the section around and over the lake.
Crossed a road and there was a guy sitting next to a little PCT gateway drinking a beer. He had apparently sat to have dinner away from the mosquitoes and someone driving by gave him a beer. A Corona it looked like. Drive by trail magic.
The gateway must have a gateway into the mosquito realm because immediately after I passed a hiker who was in a full bug suit and headnet. I told him he did not inspire confidence. He laughed and said good luck.
I kept hiking and turned into a forest service campground where a short spur trail took me to water. I filled up at another pretty lake and on my way back I ran into the family I had seen back at little Crater Lake. The little boys recognized me and they were annoying little shits about it.
Okay 24 Hour positivity challenge because that was v negative. The kids were excited to see me again. Good for them.
I fucking raced up the hill trying to make it just one more mile for about 6 miles before finally calling it quits at a dirt road over which there are some Powerlines. The buzzing is kind of soothing in an annoying sort of way.
Decided to cowboy camp so I could get a quick start in the morning but there’s a lot of mosquitoes buzzing so I’m starting to rethink this. Hiding under my quilt typing this overheating and considering setting up the tent. Hopefully they go away soon and let me sleep. More incentive to get up early tomorrow. Also I think 1eleven just passed by as I was under my quilt. He told me he doesn’t have a tent, just a tarp, so he hikes until late to avoid the bugs. Hopefully he makes camp soon and doesn’t get eaten alive as I’m trying not to. Tomorrow it’s 22 miles to Elk Lake resort. They don’t take resupplies there but they do have snacks for sale including tortillas and peanut butter hopefully so I can add some calories in to my meals since I badly need it. The hiker hunger is real.
Plants Outside 