Day 36 – Lakes Everywhere

I get to bed at a decent hour and fall quickly asleep. My body doesn’t know what to do with this extra liquid it has been hoarding since I arrived at Shelter Cove, and decides I need to shed that water. So, in the middle of a night where I pee five times, I awaken drenched in sweat. I hope my body knows what it is doing. I paid a lot of money for those cokes, milk, beer and water!

Back to the trail

The Wanders, Ditty and I meet down by the store at 6:00 am. The sky over Lake Odell is smoke-free today – a positive sign.

I take a minute to take my weekly selfie. I have been on the trail 5 weeks.

Christie has arranged for one of the maintenance men at the camp to drive us to the trailhead at 6:30. (Christie, of the Wander Women, is a master arranger.) His name is Gary and he is an RV resident who works in the park to reduce his living expenses. This is pretty common, I learn from the Wanders. RV life in America is a lot bigger than I knew. Gary calls his old permanent home “sticks and bricks.”

Ditty joins the group again. She has been in Shelter Cove resting a sore ankle. It still bothers her. I know because as we skooch together for a group photo, I think I bump it and she winces. Sorry Ditty!

When I hike with the women, it goes like this. I start out first, because Christie says I am faster than them. This NEVER turns out to be true. However, it is helpful to have me go in front for when the women have to go to the bathroom. Also (and I don’t know this to be true) but if you are hiking with friends of the same sex, you are free to fart without embarrassment. Of course, they probably do nothing of the sort. I may be projecting my own sordid practices on them. Anyway, let’s change the subject.

Early treats

Even with the late start, the sun topping the crest of the mountain, illuminates the treetops for me.

There are other welcome signs. This log has recently been sawn. Notice all the sawdust on the ground.

I am starting to see how trail maintainers prioritize their work. It seems like the most popular trails get attention first. That is, the most popular trails for the general public. When the PCT happens to share a local route, say to a lake or to a mountain top, it gets groomed. But the long, remote trail sections have lower priority. Of course, thru hikers believe the PCT has the HIGHEST priority! But seriously, PCT hikers do not pay taxes or contribute to local communities. It is what it is. Funding also comes into play for the various agencies that manage the trail in their area. It can be complicated.

In the last few days, I have been walking by a series of lakes. This morning I pass three small but precious little lakes called the Rosary Lakes. The middle one sits below Pulpit Rock.

At the top of the morning’s 1300 ft climb I am treated to a view of the lakes of the last few days. The far one is Summit Lake barely visible but with its signature sandy shore. The middle one is Odell Lake. If your eyes are good, you can see the campground and marina I left this morning on the far left. The bottom lakes are the Rosaries.

The eye of the beholder

People complain that Oregon is boring. I would say it is less dramatic, but these two photos show the subtle beauty on display here. Oregon is green, but here we see that not all greens are the same, and the interplay of light and shadow makes this spruce quite attractive.

The translucent beauty of this tuft of grass comes alive when backlit by the morning sun. The delicate seed heads fairly glow!

Shelter

In the winter, the mountain is used for cross-country skiing. This cabin was built by the local ski club as a winter shelter for them. They leave it open for hikers to use in the summer. I sign the hiker registry.

My favorite lake of the day is Bobby Lake. I take my lunch here and enjoy the sun and relatively mosquito-free air. I have not felt this relaxed in days. The Wanders arrive after me and leave before me. I linger and enjoy the lake, the flowers and the lighted Christmas tree!

Intel and Tactics

After that I put my head down and really start hiking. I am supposed to be faster than the Wanders, right? I nearly charge by this hiker going the other way. After he passes I call out to him. His name is Chucker and he has hiked to here from White Pass in Washington. We swap trail intel and I learn something important. Crews have started clearing the PCT from Lolo Pass northward. They could have the trail cleared from there to Cascade Locks by the time we get there. This could change my plans.

I meet the Wanders at the camp on Charlton Lake. The wind off the lake is holding the mosquitoes off for now, but we have another problem: marauding chipmunks. They have no fear and dash boldly between our packs and food bags. We all decide to get everything off the ground for the night. Here is my spread with my pack and food bag hanging on a cord by the lake.

I am not in luck. The wind is dying down and the mosquitoes are flocking to me. Looks like the head net is going on. I am going to wear my fleece over my wool shirt so my torso can stick out of my quilt a little to keep from overheating. The skeeters shouldn’t be able to bite through two layers. Anyway, I am more prepared mentally tonight. Let’s see how it goes.

• July 7
• Starting mile: 1906
• Ending mile: 1925
• Daily PCT miles: 19
• Total PCT miles: 553
• Animal: Thieving chipmunks