August 5th
I got up nice and early today, started getting ready, and then promptly fell back asleep! Two hours later, while staring at the mosquitos hanging from the rainfly like sleeping bats, I decided to get up for real. Shaking the dew off my tent and hanging it on a sunny branch, I mosied around camp long enough for it to dry. It seems a little cooler today, which is good because there is not supposed to be a lot of water in the next 20 miles. I reluctantly got water here at Shale Lake; it was not the best water I have seen.
Leaving camp at 9am (good grief, yes, 9am), I headed down towards an area of the PCT where the side trails were all closed due to wildfires. I could smell the smoke and hear activity in the air, as well as see helicopters landing on high clearings.
There was a surprise little trickle of water just north of the Hunt’s Creek Trail Junction, and I took time to dump out my lake water and lean patiently at the side of the trail for clear, cold water. I met a few hikers this morning, including Liverpool who had been waiting to hike the PCT for twenty years and an woman (who appeared at least 70) carrying a backpack as big as herself, saying she was finishing up sections she had skipped while hiking the PCT years before with her husband.
I arrived at Rockpile Lake, a marked improvement from Shale and settled in for lunch and a nap. Bugs were minimal due to a lovely breeze, so I took time to soak my feet and lay in the sun a bit. Just two other thrus on the other side of the lake were my only company.
Wishing it was not so early in the day, I continued on at 3pm, running into a section hiker in an orange shirt brighter than my own, who offered advice on hiking California when we shared our hiking plans. I also chatted briefly with another thru, Birdseed, as we passed through yet another burn area.
About mile 2018, I came upon a bend in the trail, and startled a deer that had come out onto the view point. She did not appear to be very afraid of me, as she moved over into the neighboring trees but then stopped and stared at me. Assuming she was waiting for me to pass by so she could go back to where she was, I snapped some pictures and continued on.
I made it to mile 2016, at the small trailside lakes above Wasco Lake and stopped for dinner around 5pm. The water was relatively good, few bugs and with only 17 miles to go tomorrow (with very little water), I decided to make camp at the site by the lake. And when I say few bugs, I mean no skeeters. Of course, there are bugs!
It wasn’t long before I realized that the deer I had previously encountered had followed me here. Or her twin, anyway. For the rest of the evening, she proceeded to follow me around camp, coming and going as I did. It seemed as if she wanted something, or was simply curious in general of what I was doing. I did spot a gentleman caller on the ridge above the lake, maybe I had interrupted a date night? I spoke with one more thru today as he stopped at the lake for dinner, Carlos. That’s his real name, and he also is completing the PCT after 20 years of planning.
I have made it another day without using pain medication, so I consider that a win. I spent the night pondering how to make my pack lighter for the stretches above Crater Lake that will necessitate carrying more water. Tomorrow I will cross Santiam Pass and visit Big Lake Youth Camp. This brings to mind all my years at summer camp and time spent as a summer camp director, some of my best memories. Should I refresh my repertoire of camp songs?
For the continuation of this journey, visit Snuffy’s 2014 Pacific Crest Trail Journal-Oregon Day 12
To start at the beginning, head over to Snuffy’s 2014 Pacific Crest Trail Journal-Oregon Day 1
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