Day 31 – Crater Lake

I had a great time last night talking with everyone. It does get me to bed late. After writing the blog post, it is 10:30! Way past hiker midnight (9:00).

Bumpy start

I do not hear my alarm, but I wake at 4:20 anyway. My quilt has quite a bit of dew on it. If I get to camp tonight soon enough, I can dry it then. For now though, I am the first one out of camp! It makes me feel like a boss for the first time.

My stomach is nauseous, so I drop by the campground bathroom. I struggle with this all morning. Did I drink some bad water? Or was it all the soda, burgers and beer. The latter I hope. The plan today is to take an alternate trail to the Crater Lake rim. Crater Lake is one of the natural highlights of the entire trail. It’s beauty is world renowned.

It takes an alternate trail to show you the strengths of the PCT. Remember, the PCT is graded for horses. This means that although it has some long ascents, it is never super steep. Alternate trails can be steep! And Crater Lake will be the high point of my hike to date. Some parts are close to 8000 ft.

The alternate trail does have it’s special moments.

Crater Lake

Space maker, Florida Man, Tinker Bell, FP and I arrive at the rim Visitor Center before 7am. The view is great, but less than spectacular because the sun is low and the water looks leaden. Wizard Island is muted in shadows. There is no reception, but we sit around looking at our phones anyway because, we’ll, that is what people do.

The cafe opens at 10am. The others want to get some breakfast there. I have already eaten my crappy breakfast while sitting in my quilt before getting up, so I decide to leave. If I don’t leave, I will not get to camp in time. The others are fast, they will catch up. We say our good byes and I depart. I can’t resist chatting. There are so many people here. These two young men are hiking the PCT/Rim loop. It is there first time backpacking, and they are pretty stoked.

This gentleman is Canadian. He reminds me that I will not be able to simply cross into Canada at the border. We have a good time trading barbs about our leaders and governments.

As I move to the west side of the crater, the lake starts to show off a bit.

And even though the hiking is hard, I am so glad to not be hiking the real PCT. From The rim trail we can see where the PCT goes, and that are is a series of unfortunate burns. To be honest with you, the number of burns I have walked through in my four weeks on the trail has been disturbing. The stories you see on the news are no joke. The Western forests are taking a beating. It is so sad to see in person.

Fumble the ball

I miss two opportunities today. The first is when I see a couple of unusual young ladies going up the trail ahead of me. They are wearing full-length Amish type sky blue dresses with matching bonnets trimmed in white. I am shocked the dresses are identical and appear to be homemade. I try to close the distance on them, but they are young and not burdened by packs. When I do see them again, they are with a bigger group. All the women are dressed this way, and the men are wearing wide-brimmed stuff hats and suspenders. The men remain separate from the women, but they are clearly “with” each other. No one is over 24. They mingle with some other tourist groups near a lookout point, so I hike past them. Fifteen minutes later as I take my rest along the trail, they walk by. My missed opportunity? I failed to engage them and get their picture. They were so striking and full of life, and I just sat there dumbfounded as they walked by. Later I think I discover their bus.

Return to the PCT

As the rim trail heads away from Crater Lake, the trail becomes dry and exposed. Temps are in the 90s by now and I am trying to get to some shade. I also need water.

This tree grouping is so unusual and beautiful.

When I finally get back to the PCT, I find a welcome sight – a huge water cache. This year, the trail could not function without these private efforts to get water to hikers. There just is no other option.

The forest in this area is so disappointing. Dead trees outnumber living ones! I call it a failed Forest. I don’t know what is happening here but it is depressing. Here are two tiny saplings: one doing well, the other dying. Why? I need someone to explain this to me. (I learn later, that this area is actually a pumice desert!)

Here is my second failed opportunity. I am one mile from finishing when I meet these three men. They have just begun to hike this section south to Ashland. They are gradually hiking all sections that interest them. I ask if they have passed three women on their way here. They say no. I tell them that they are the wander women. They ask if they are “cuties”. What should I have said?

• Yes, and they hike naked
• No, they are nuns
• Yes, and they are looking for three men to take them home
• No, they are escaped convicts that killed their entire armed escort three days ago
• Nah, they are just some friends of mine

If you can think of any other good responses, put them in the comments

At the end of the day I walk into camp and find…the Wander Women! We catch up on events. The four from Crater Lake walk into camp, too, and all eight of us sit around chatting until we head off to bed. It is the best way to end a hot, busy day.

• July 2
• Starting mile: 1821
• Ending mile: 1848
• Daily PCT miles: 27
• Total PCT miles: 476
• Animals: 2 marmots (like a cross between a squirrel and a bear, they look like trouble)