July 14th
Destination: Barlow Pass
Today’s Miles: 19
Start Location: Timothy Lake
Trip Miles: 102
I woke up this morning and with plans to continue south at 5:30 am. Repacking my gear, I realized that I needed to do a better job of checking to make sure I have everything I need before starting my hikes. I had two bottles of hand sanitizer but no baby wipes. Some items had been hiding at the bottom of pack where I had thrown them when leaving home!
As I progressed through the quick 4 miles to Little Crater lake, Oregon was quickly earning its reputation for being rather buggy. Isn’t “Oh, bugger!” a swear word in England? Do they have a lot of mosquitos too? I had a trail first, a smooshed mosquito in the bloomers. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was caught where he was, or if I had flattened him upon dressing? I am trying picardin protection this season; so far it’s not bad. The bugs annoyingly land but then zip off.
Little Crater Lake was a wonderful delight in a section of the trail not known for amazing views. It is protected by fencing to keep the horses out, but it was clear bikes were possible as I saw several tracks on the side trail that leads to the lake. I imagine folks come up from Timothy Lake and slip through on the short part that is the PCT? Anyway, the lake is a wonderful blue and green that reminded me of something you would find at Yellowstone, you could see the limestone sides and bottom quite clearly.
I walked a little further to where the PCT meets the Timothy Lake Trail before turning to head back north. It was obvious this is where the people started, especially since they had to remind users that motorized vehicles were not allowed.
Back at Seeping Spring by 9:30am, I stopped to soak my feet again and eat second breakfast. I am glad to see that my feet and legs have not yet begun to swell. However, they are aching, so I took some pain reliever. I chatted with some of the local wildlife as I relaxed.
I stopped again at the rest stop at HWY 26 at lunch time. After just a few minutes, I was joined by thru hikers, Raindance and Chimp. They hail from Ireland and England, respectively, and they asked to share the picnic table with me. It was nice to chat with them and hear some of their stories. They mentioned having to rent a U-Haul in Bend to make a run to REI and Whole Foods because no cars were available. They have a journal on Postholer. They had aspirations to stay at Timberline tonight and enjoy the buffet in the morning, so it wasn’t long before they were on their way.
After relaxing and elevating the feet for an hour, I continued the last 5 miles to my car, arriving back at 2:30pm. I only passed one day hiker and a father-son team on the way the whole day. Back at the parking lot, I changed my clothes and pulled out a book to wait for my friend Elizabeth who decided she would come up tonight so we could head out early in the morning. With the hot temps, it was SO nice to enjoy the melting frozen water bottles in the cooler in the car, along with fresh fruit. I looked for thru hikers to share with, but it’s a bit early yet.
While I was sitting there with my car door open, the sound of a small helicopter landing on top of my car startled me enough to quickly shut the car door. Looking out the window, I could see an antennae waving on the side of my car. I slowly opened the door and got out only to see the most obnoxious beetle. Really, this is not selling Oregon on me.
Elizabeth arrived around 8pm and we decided to just car camp at the site right at the parking lot. After discussing the gear she brought and checking maps, we settled down to sleep with plans to make it to Sandy River in the morning.
You are probably thinking that this part of Oregon was quite piecemeal and it was. When planning my trip in Oregon, I knew I was going to be using my car (and Elizabeth’s) for getting to trailheads (unlike Washington) so I opted to break it up that way. And because my goal was not to hike the entire route this year but just to see how much I could get done, I had more flexibility. There are pros and cons, I suppose. Ultimately it allowed Elizabeth to be able to hike with me and that usurped any arbitrary goal to hike the whole trail. Because I hiked as far as Timothy Lake on this go, the plan would be to start there (it had road access) for the next section. Of course, at that time I did not know the curve ball that nature would through my way this hiking season.
For the continuation of this journey, visit Snuffy’s 2014 Pacific Crest Trail Journal-Oregon Day 7
To start at the beginning, head over to Snuffy’s 2014 Pacific Crest Trail Journal-Oregon Day 1
Thank you so much for stopping by Must Hike Must Eat.
If you need some healthy eating inspiration start here:..
Need some eating out suggestions when friends want to stop after a hike? I have a Pacific Northwest Eating Guide here.
Want to know where Must Hike Must Eat has been last? Check out the Latest Trip Reports.
Find out what’s been happening outside the blog:
Discover more from Must Hike Must Eat
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.