Author: mmbowden60

At mile 2096.9. Hiked 7.4 miles today. 

This morning I hiked a half mile and was at 1000 miles remaining to finish the PCT. I continued to Barlow Road where there was a picnic table and trash can. I rid myself of my hiker trash and proceeded across the road. I saw two trails across the road but could t find any PCT sign or marker. Checking my GPS, I saw that the trail did not quite cross the road right here. Following GPS I returned to the picnic table where I picked up the trail. As I hiked toward Timberline I noticed more lilies like I had seen earlier and decided to photograph them this time. After a mile and a half I saw a sign for Palmeter trail. I first thought that Palmeter must cross the PCT twice and maybe it was a shortcut. Then I realized I had been hiking the wrong way since the picnic table. In fact, I was nearly back to where I camped the night before. Also, I was exactly at the spot where I had 1000 miles remaining. This may make me the only PCT hiker to hit the 1000 miles remaining point twice on the same thru-hike.

This was doubly irritating because I hiked 25 miles yesterday and cowboy camped on the side of the trail to make it possible to get to Timberline early for the breakfast buffet. I also woke early for the same reason. RRRRrrrrr 🙁 

The trail viewed looking in the correct direction.

I did reach Timberline and enjoyed a huge lunch buffet. I ate one or more of each of the 8 desserts. That was after I stuffed myself with everything else.

After a good deal of trouble, I managed to order new shoes from Amazon which I will pick up in Trout Lake.

On the way

At mile 2089.5. Hiked 24.9 miles today.

Near the end of the day as I crested a hill, I was rewarded for pushing through sore muscles with a stunning view of Mt Hood.

When I wake up tomorrow morning and finish hiking my first half mile, I’ll have hiked 1650 miles and have 1000 miles remaining. 

The morning was tough. My legs were sore until after I took a break at 12 miles. During this long break, I slept, ate, and rested. Eventually after walking again, the muscle soreness went away. I thought hiker legs meant that your legs don’t get sore. 

Here is the only PCT archway I recall seeing. Nearby is a sign asking people to identify and report grey wolves. Simba, going southbound told us he saw a couple of wolves north of Ollalie lake.

Butterfly on Timothy Lake where I took a power hiker nap.

I visited Little Crater Lake which is an artesian spring. You can see 45 feet through crystal clear water to the bottom. I wouldn’t swim here because the water is 34 degrees F (1.1 degree Celsius).

 

 

 

At mile 2064.6. Hiked 27.9 miles today.

In the morning long before my muscles and feet get tired and sore at the end of the day I have a big smile on my face.

I paused to look back at my last views of Jefferson and her glacier.

Mt Jefferson is a beauty when beheld from Olallie Lake where there is a small resort with a store.

The resort has a floating dock that pitches back and forth when you walk out on it. As kids, walking out and rocking on something like this was the kind of thing my brother and I loved to do. Though, it was usually a swinging bridge.

Nate, the Trail Angel, and I at Ollalie Lake. I walked up to the picnic area and Nate called me over for trail magic. He had a griddle and chairs set up and quickly made me a stack of blueberry pancakes. I had 6 pancakes, 3 fried eggs, and coffee. 

Another hiker or two were there when I introduced myself to Nate as Uphill. Nate became excited and said that he had been following me on Instagram and my blog and that he had been hoping to see me. It was nice to feel like a celebrity in front of the other hikers. 🙂 I signed Nate’s register with my trail name and logo. I’ve been signing registers up and down the trail with my logo of a    bent over hiker with trekking pole climbing a steep slope. This signature is really starting to get noticed and mentioned by other hikers.

The hiking was hot again so I stopped at a lake for a swim. As I was sunning myself dry, I saw these blue florescent dragon flies. I think they eat mosquitoes and if so, these were doing a good job keeping mosquitoes away from this spot.

By the end of the day my legs were really sore but I kept on walking to rah Warm Springs river. There I met Hoop Dreams of PCT Class of 2013. She knew Shedder of PCT2013 who had given me a ride from Bend to McKenzie Pass and had gone to his wedding. He had proposed to his future wife on the PCT.

As you can see, Hoop Dreams, Sage Brush, and I had our tents very close to one another. Unfortunately, we found out that Sage Brush snores. 🙁

At mile 2036.7. Hiked 21.9 miles today. 

Today was different because I was hailing with others nearly the entire day. Soon after I started, I came across Sid again and we joined up. Soon Amaneta showed up and Amaneta and I moved on ahead. Shortly after lunch. Eric caught the both of us and I hiked with both until  the night’s camp. All of us had camped at one spot or another the previous night around Rock Pile lake.

We had great morning views of ithe south facing side of Mt Jefferson.

Working our way around the west slopes of Mt Jefferson we saw a green valley with cool looking lakes. It was already getting hot and we were climbing much of the day so the lakes looked good.

Making it even hotter, we walked through long miles of burned forest that provided  no shade. I was sweating a lot and drinking a great deal of water. Even the PCT sign was burned in the fire.

Fortunately there was plenty of water so we didn’t need to carry a lot. Here is a stream that was fed from a glacier on Mt Jefferson. It wasn’t dangerous, but it wasn’t the easiest crossing. We had to find the right place to cross.

We passed meadows with bright red Indian Paintbrush and purple Lupine. The north facing glacial slope of Mt Jefferson was often in the background and we were out of the burned area.

Since it was green, it was time to pose for photos.

And it was time for a photo of the trail with Mt Jefferson as a backdrop.

Here is a closer look at the top of the north facing side of Mt Jefferson.

With the long climb in the heat, it was time for a lake break. We all went swimming. The lake was bordered by bright red Indian Paintbrush and had a nice beach that made it easy to enter the water without the ouches of walking across a rock strewn bottom. My Jefferson decorated this perfect swim spot.

I couldn’t stop taking photos of Mt Jefferson.

 

Here is one with Mt Jefferson and Amaneta (front) and Eric  coming down the trail.

Now a real close-up of the top of the mountain.

Reaching the ridge top, I could capturée entire mountain in a single shot.

Amaneta and I had a Duct Tape for Cliff Bar trade. I had more bars than I needed and he was a little short on snacks. I needed Duct tape to patch a hole in my right shoe and to wrap around the lower section of one trekking  pole to parent it from collapsing.

And at the ridge top new mountains to the north were revealed. Here is my first real view of Mt Hood. Only 60 miles hike away from tonight’s campsite.

Next we had some walks across snow. Look closely for Eric and Amaneta who are well down slope hiking in the snow on these shots..

The mosquitoes mostly left us alone today, but gathered up for a fearsome attack at our campsite. They were gathered at the net door of my tent and covering the side of a nearby dead tree, something I have never seen before. After dark the wind became gusty and temps dropped. Nice sleeping weather. I had already fallen asleep in my tent in broad sunlight. A hiker names Jacob set up next to me. He started May 15th and this is his 65th day on the trail. Quite a hiker. Eric is camped to the other side of me. Amaneta continued hiking with the aim of making 30 something miles. Now is the time for me to sleep again.

At mile 2014.8. Hiked 19.7 miles today.

Having eaten 2 meals at Big Lake Youth Camp I was still carrying most of the food from my resupply and my pack was heavy. I  had a very late start so I was hiking during the hottest part of the day on a hot day. Not only that, I had also started late the day and hiked through exposed burns and lava fields, so this was the 2nd day in a row of intense heat.

Shortly after crossing Hwy 20 at Santiago Pass (very heavy fast traffic and near impossible and easily the most dangerous road crossing on PCT) I saw a large group of backpackers obviously about to finish up at the parking lot. I asked if this was the case and if so, whether I could have some of their water. In minutes I had as much water as I wanted to carry. This was fortunate because with the heat of the next 8 miles, I drank all the water I had initially carried plus the water the hikers gave me.

Here is the view back toward Mt Washington and Sisters as I climbed toward the south facing side of Three Finger Jack.

I as seeing many hikers of all sorts and the mosquitoes weren’t bad, but when I reached the top I ran into a lady who had rock climbed Three Finger Jack and wasn’t covered with large welts of mosquito bites. She looked like she had been carpet bombed. Her arms and legs and when she turned her head I could see continue welts across her neck and face. She warned me about mosquitoes if I was going to the top. I wasn’t. I told her that mosquitoes weren’t bad from here to the road and gave her some Deet.

 

Here ia a view of Three Fingered Jack. I’m finally out of the burn area.

Here is a view of the north facing side of Three Finger Jack.

Here is Wasco Lake or should I say, “Here was Wasco.” The PCT didn’t go to this lake, but my swimming pond flows to Wasco.

After finally reaching a series of small ponds, I resupplied water and cooled off with a swim in the largest pond.

The day wasn’t over. I had a long climb straight up a rock washed out trail in a burn area. Again it was hot, but I was tired now and stumbled and tripped my way across the rocks. One time my water bottle went flying with water spraying on and around me. The bottle  top broke, but at least I didn’t hit the rocks myself.

Here is my campsite next to Rockpile lake. There were a lot of people camped there including Sid, Amaneta, a Boy Scout Troop, and new friend, Eric. Philmont Scout Ranch is closed due to fire so this was the troop’s backup plan. Late in the day, I saw Farley come limping by. He didn’t stop.

 

At mile 1995.1. Hiked 11.4 miles today.

Breweries are a big deal in Bend, OR.. I stayed at the Bunk and Brew Hostel with first beer included. At Safeway I was offered a beer sample while shopping. I checked out barber shops and the first two I pulled up included beer with a haircut. Here I am in the barber chair with my 7 AM IPA. 

Had to cross lava flows. Looking back were great views of Sisters.

Here is the trail going through lava that made hiking difficult.

A view of Mt Washington and trail through Lava. I rounded the mountain on the left(south) side and between lava and forest burns I was exposed to sun and heat during much of the afternoon. Having come from Bend. I did t start hung until half past noon.

Tonight I was treated to dinner at Big Lake Youth Camp and hung out in a new building with laundry, showers, kitchen, etc dedicated for PCT hikers. Amaneta, a hiker that I first met in SOCAL showed up at Big Lake. It was great catching up with him and we know or have met many of the same hikers. He started his hike the day before me and he went straight through the Sierras in May. One of the INTENSE hikers. 

Later another of the INTENSE  hikers, Farley of New Hampshire  showed up at the camp. He looked a little drained and was wearing a plastic blanket fashioned as a skirt to keep mosquitoes off his legs. He really didn’t like the mosquitoes so had started walking all day and through the night and didn’t stop until reaching the Youth Caml 38 hours and 118 miles later. I don’t know whether 118 miles without sleep is a record. But it may be. 

Here is Farley after a 118 mile day. Farley finished the long 118 mile day with 4 miles of brutal walking on lava rock.