At mile 1972. Hiked 21.8 miles today. I hiked through woods wearing raincoat and headnet against mosquitoes until I couldn’t stand the heat. After a climb I came out in this mosquito-free paradise. Time for photos and a rest break. This is South Sister, the 2nd highest mountain in Oregon. Here are a sampling of the flowers I saw. I had not seen this flower before. The petals have hairlike growth. More flowers. And this Indian Paintbrush just feet from my tent. Here is South Sister. This is a nice meadow enclosed by a lava...

At mile 1950.2. Hiked 25.1 miles today.  I found this sign with an old trail emblem that I hadn’t never seen before. Unlike the Appalachian Trail, the PCT does not have a white blaze painted on trees. The PCT has a variety of signs including signs for trail 2000 which is the officially designated trail number for this National Scenic Trail. Maybe this is an original sign from when the PCT was built in the 60’s. This morning the tent was wet and I was sleepy and lazy. I slept...

At mile 1925.1. Hiked 18.5 miles today.  At my camp at Charlton Lake I met Steve who is one of the early riders of the new Oregon Timber Trail. This trail open to mountain bike touring is around 600 miles long. Steve was about halfway through. Steve was wearing a Go-Lite shirt which is the brand of my backpack. Go-Lite went out of business years ago. Steve told me he had a Go-Lite Gust backpack for hiking. I told him that I had the Gust also and showed him my...

At mile 1906.6. Hiked 14.1 miles today. Also hiked off trail to Shelter Cove. Plan: Resupply and camp at Shelter Cove. Hike Tuesday through Friday and go into Belt, OR. for resupply, shop at REI, and overnight at Brew Hostel (1 free craft beer at hostel, but more expensive hostel). Mosquitoes: I haven’t enjoyed the mosquitoes, but I hike in short sleeve shirt and shorts and as longboard as I keep moving they don’t bother me much. They almost never bite my bare legs while I am moving, but will...

Day 78 - 30 Mile Day At mile 1892.5. Hiked 30.7 miles today. I hiked 30 miles today because there was water (a pond) at 29 miles and a campsite a mile further. About 3 miles before I arrived at the pond, I thought I saw a huge lake through the woods. With a mosquito head net on you can’t be sure what you are seeing. This turned out to be Diamond Lake. It was not listed as a water source on Guthook. I think the reason was that it...

At mile 1861.8. Hiked 21 miles today. This is Zach and Nora who are climbing the pinnacle of Thielson  Peak shown in the background. Zach has climbed it before and it is Nora’s first time. There doesn’t appear to be any room on top, but Zach told me that there is an area the size of a small living room.  After an area of mosquitoes during mid-morning, I didn’t see mosquitoes again until the last mile before camp. I made this an easy day by taking long breaks and naps...