August 3rd
Well, here I drive back down to Oregon to continue on this summer’s journey. I arrived in Battleground at Elizabeth’s house and leaving my car, we headed down the 205 towards Mount Hood and eventually Little Crater Lake (Timothy Lake), my most southern location so far.
Somewhere along the way, while discussing the road walk detour south of where I will be hiking and with Elizabeth’s generosity, I decided to have her drop me off south of the detour to avoid walking the 25+ miles on the road. I just couldn’t do it. This change meant navigating several forest roads, including a gnarly gravel one into the Ollalie Meadows Campground. It was almost 4pm when she dropped me off at this small primitive campground, and I said goodbye and see you in a week.
I sat down at a picnic table at one of the sites, had a snack and changed into my hiking shoes. The entire campground was unoccupied except for a solitary SUV parked close to the trailhead. I enjoyed the peace and calm for a short while, then headed up the Russ Lake Trail to see how far I would get tonight.
After a short walk, I connected with the PCT at 2057.31 and was greeted with signage and tape indicating the trail was closed northbound and maps of the detour. It also told me that Russ Lake was just a quarter mile in at the junction, so I continued on the Russ Lake Trail to check it out. Starting this far south on the PCT means I am ahead of schedule for meeting Elizabeth at Big Lake Youth Camp, so I don’t have to really hike out until tomorrow morning. If Russ Lake is nice, I’ll just hang out here tonight.
Russ Lake had multiple campsites and was rather tranquil so I pitched my tent and started dinner (added water). A nice breeze blew across the water and the bugs were marginal. After a half hour or so of munching and weighing my options, I packed back up and returned to the PCT to walk south a bit further.
The miles were uneventful other than my first sighting of Mt. Jefferson. The area is drier, the air had the hum and chatter of mosquitos and there were multiple burns before I reached the Ollalie Lake junction. There was colorful signage welcoming PCTers and letting them know the store had cold drinks.
I made it to Upper Lake (2051.2) about 8:30pm, camping away from two thru hikers, Barrel and Pip who were headed northbound. I settled in for the night, anticipating some fun tomorrow as I made my way around Mt. Jefferson and possibly some snow!
I have zero regrets skipping the 25 mile road walk and have not returned to hike those miles I missed on the Oregon PCT. So, if you have been following along with me for awhile and have heard me say that I have “hiked Oregon” you now know that is not completely true. Oh my! Truth is, I may never return to hike those miles as there is nothing particularly nice along them. And as you will read further in my Oregon PCT journey, I did return to this area to visit something I passed on this day that DID peak my interest but couldn’t afford the side trip until later on.
For the continuation of this journey, visit Snuffy’s 2014 Pacific Crest Trail Journal-Oregon Day 10
To start at the beginning, head over to Snuffy’s 2014 Pacific Crest Trail Journal-Oregon Day 1
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