Southern Oregon: Ashland to Willamette Pass.

Southern Oregon: Ashland to Willamette  Pass.

8/5/2012, Willamette Pass, mile 1,914.0, 37.0 miles traveled.

We hiked together for six miles until we reached the car at Windigo Pass.  Sarah drove to Willamette Pass and began hiking back towards me at 2:00 pm.  I ascended 1,200 feet to the west shoulder of Cowhorn Mountain.  From there, I could see Odell Lake in the north.  I then descended for seven miles and took a break on the west shore of beautiful Summit Lake.  The next seven miles took me up the southeast side of Diamond Peak.  A thunderstorm developed just as the trail emerged onto open snowfields.  I hurried across the large cirque on the southeast shoulder of Diamond Peak, and met Sarah shortly after the downpour started.  We decided to make a run for the car, even though it was seven miles away and it was 7:00 pm.  The thunder and lightening gradually abated as we scuttled down the northwest side of Diamond Peak.  Darkness caught us long before we reached the car at 11:00 pm.  Sarah had hiked 20 miles by then, and I had hiked 37.  We then drove to Oakridge, and collapsed in a motel.

Monument near Windigo Pass (Sarah).

Resupplying from car at Windigo Pass (Sarah).

Cowhorn Mountain, 7,664 ft., from the south, Umpqua National Forest.

Odell Lake, Willamette National Forest, from north shoulder of Cowhorn Mountain, Umpqua National Forest.

Sawtooth Mountain, 7,301 ft., Willamette and Umpqua National Forests.

Summit Lake, Willamette National Forest.

Summit Lake, Willamette National Forest.

One of many ponds and lakes in the Diamond Peak Wilderness, Willamette National Forest.

Looking south as storm brews over Summit Lake, Willamette National Forest.

Snow covers PCT in cirque on Diamond Peak, 8,744 ft., Diamond Peak Wilderness, Willamette National Forest.

8/4/2012, Tolo Camp, mile 1,877.0, 28.5 miles traveled.

Sarah and I parted.  She hiked back to the car, while I continued north.  I had to step over many blow-downs (fallen trees) until I crossed the north boundary of Crater Lake National Park.  I enjoyed rare views as I crossed the west shoulder of Mt. Thielsen.  Diamond Lake looked especially inviting because water was scarce on this section of trail.  I crossed small snow patches on the north side of Thielsen, and collected water from Thielsen Creek.  After more forest, I emerged at a saddle by Tipsoo Peak which was the highest point (7,560 ft.) on the trail in Oregon and Washington.  The day was warm and muggy, and the mosquitoes were bothersome.  I met Sarah in the late afternoon, and we hiked until dusk to a nice campsite near Six Horse Springs.  We felt very fortunate to have the shelter of our bug-free tent.

Mt. Thielsen, 9,182 ft., and Hollys Ridge from the south, Mt. Thielsen Wilderness, Freemont – Winema National Forests.

Diamond Lake, Umpqua National Forest.

Mt. Thielsen, 9,182 ft., from near its west shoulder, Mt. Thielsen Wilderness, Freemont – Winema National Forests.

Mt. Thielsen, 9,182 ft., from Thielsen Creek, Mt. Thielsen Wilderness, Freemont – Winema National Forests.

Sawtooth Ridge, Mt. Thielsen Wilderness, Freemont – Winema National Forests.

Tipsoo Peak, 8,034 feet, from highest point along Oregon and Washington PCT, 7,560 ft. .

Miller Lake, Fremont – Winema National Forests.

Old PCT marker near Windigo Pass, Umpqua National Forests (Sarah).

8/3/2012, Near Timber Crater, mile 1,848.5, 20.5 miles traveled.

The morning was very cool, about 58˚F.  Sarah and I walked to Highway 62, where she had parked the day before.  She drove to the north end of Crater Lake and began hiking back towards me, while I began the ascent to the lake’s rim.  As the day warmed, the mosquitoes became fierce.  There were so many of them around my head, I had to be careful not to inhale them.  Fortunately, the mosquitoes disappeared when I reached the rim of Crater Lake.  The views were breath-taking as I followed the trail around the western rim.  I took a short side trip up to a lookout on The Watchman, where I could see from Mt. Shasta in the south to the South Sister in the north.  Unfortunately, even though I had texted Sarah, she didn’t have reception, and passed by the side trail on her way south.  I met my parents at a parking lot below The Watchman (by luck).  They found Sarah, while I finished the hike on the rim and reached the car.  We then enjoyed a wonderful picnic back near the historic lodge in Rim Village.  Sarah then dropped me back at the north side of the lake and drove north to the Grouse Hill trailhead.  We met up in the evening and continued hiking north through flat pumice fields chocked with stunted pine trees.  At dusk, we startled several elk.  I didn’t get a good look at them, but they were very large and had tan rumps.

  

Crater Lake from Rim Village, Crater Lake National Park.

Wizard Island from near Discover Point, Crater Lake National Park

Llao Rock, 8,049 ft., Crater Lake National Park.

Lookout tower on The Watchman, 8,013 ft., Crater Lake National Park.

Looking south from Devils Backbone, Crater Lake National Park.

8/2/2012, Past Union Peak Trail junction, mile 1,828.0, 25.0 miles traveled.

I spent the morning in thick forest, but enjoyed spectacular views from the shoulder of Devils Peak in the early afternoon.  As I looked northwards, it took me awhile to realize that the distant peaks were actually the rim of Crater Lake.  The day turned hot as I continued through a large burn and then crossed the Oregon Desert (area with pumice soil).  I was happy to meet Sarah in the late afternoon.  We caught up on each other’s news, ate a dinner she had packed in, and eventually camped in a flat forested area.

 

Devils Peak, 7,682 ft., Sky Lakes Wilderness.

Looking southeast toward Klamath Lake from shoulder of Devils Peak.

Looking south toward Mt. McLoughlin from shoulder of Devils Peak.

Looking north toward rim of Crater Lake from shoulder of Devils Peak.

Lupines, Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest (Sarah).

8/1/2012, Divide Trail junction, mile 1,803.0, 26.5 miles traveled.

Sarah and I enjoyed views of Mt. McLoughlin as we finished hiking across the lava fields in the morning shade.  We met a south-bound thru-hiker named Beads.  She hiked with a German shepherd named Rock Star.  She put booties on him whenever they crossed lava.  We reached the Highway 140 trailhead, where Sarah had parked the day before, at about 10:00 am.  I gathered food for the next 2 days.  Sarah spent the rest of the day mailing food packages ahead for me (I’m so lucky!), and spent the night with my parents in Talent.  The trail offered only a few glimpses of nearby peaks and lakes as it continued through the forest.  At the end of the day, I reached a steep, rocky ridge where I could finally see out.  I found a small flat spot in a saddle to camp on.  I could hear the wind rushing through a cleft a few hundred yards away, but it was calm where I camped.  I enjoyed watching a full moon rise over distant Klamath Lake.

Mt. McLoughlin, 9,495 ft., Sky Lakes, Wilderness, Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest (Sarah).

Crossing lava beds on Brown Mountain, Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest.

Jay meets south-bound thru-hiker, Beads, and companion, Rock Star (Sarah).

Fourmile Lake, Sky Lakes Wilderness, Fremont – Winema National Forests.

Full moon rising over Klamath Lake.

7/31/2012, Near Brown Mountain, mile 1,776.5, 25.0 miles traveled.

Conditions were perfect for hiking again today: cool with hardly any mosquitoes.  The trail made a gentle, 7-mile ascent and remained fairly level for the rest of the day.  Again, there were no clear views from the forested trailside.  I visited one of the only shelters on the PCT (South Brown Mountain Shelter), but it was too early in the day to stop there.  I met Sarah in the late afternoon, and we found a slanted tent spot amongst the lava fields on Brown Mountain.

South Brown Mountain Shelter.

Imported cinder tread across lava fields on Brown Mountain, Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest.

Hollow log with spokes (Sarah).

7/30/2012, Hyatt Lake Recreation Area, mile 1,751.5, 25.0 miles traveled.

After a wonderful sojourn with my parents in Talent, Oregon, Sarah dropped me off at the Interstate-5 trailhead at 7:30 am.  The PCT meandered eastward to Pilot Rock, and then slowly turned north.  There were lots of little ups and downs and very few views as the trail stayed in thick forests.  I heard two ravens quarreling in a fir tree.  Out of nowhere, a hawk swooped in and swung its outstretched talons towards one of them.  The quarry flew from his perch just in the nick of time.  I met Sarah at 4:00 pm as she was talking with a young trail crew just finishing their day of removing star thistles from a quarter acre area by the trail.  They informed us that a natural predator moth would be introduced next year to hopefully finish the job. 

Blossom near Hyatt Reservoir (Sarah).

NYC crew removing star thistle from PCT trailside near Green Springs Mountain (Sarah).