June 12-17, day 75-80, PCT-km 2,844 bis 2,930
Total kilometers: 1,215
Today we finally have "service" again; time to update our blog! However, we've decided to continue in a shorter form, maybe telegram-style, because we spend way too much time for media. (Note from the - rather exhausted - translator: Whew! Sure hope this will mean shorter entries...) It's a bit tedious to enter text on the mobile phone, along with trying to get internet reception. We hope you'll still follow us!
June 12, day 75
We met two young women, trail names Buttercups and Biscuits, who also skipped the sierra and are hiking southbound from Fish Lake – which is the northernmost snow-free place in Oregon. There's a camping site with a restaurant, which both the women warmly recommended – especially the biscuits and gravy. They also warned us the mosquitoes will be worse. Mosquitoes are, in fact, THE topic these days. Apparently, the plague is much worse than usual because Oregon has more snow than usual.
Took our lunch break by a stream, where we met Mulan und 173, whom we'd first encountered weeks ago at Trail Angel Vera's station (the lady in pink). They'd attempted to head south at the border between Oregon and Washington, but had to give up because of snows and storms. They reentered the trail at Fish Lake, heading southbound, where we met them, continuing on to Ashland, where we were coming from.
Mulan explained why some people suffer more from mosquito bites than others. Apparently if you're bitten a lot, it's a sign of "good" - that is, oxygen-rich – blood, which the buggers prefer. At home we say, "you have sweet blood." Sabine maintains she eats a lot less sugar than Olli, so this explanation leaves her baffled. The other explanation comforts her far more: some mosquitoes sneak up on you silently. Others land in the middle of your face when you lift your mosquito net to take a drink ...
We ultimately decided to stop over in Fish Lake to have a meal, drink a chilled beer, buy some more food supplies, swim in the lake, and use the showers (6 quarters for 3.5 minutes!) Sabine needed more insect repellent and after-bite cream. The resort is run by Kaitlyn and Rob, who hail from California and recently settled here with their two small boys to build a new life, in the hope that it will be a better, more healthful life for their kids. We had a heartwarming encounter with Kelly, her partner Leroy, and their dog Jazelyn. Kelly, who grew up in Fish Lake, was visiting the place after an absence of 32 years in order to scatter her mother's ashes here. Sabine was especially touched by this story, as her own mother died almost 2 years ago. Then mosquitoes were once again the main subject for discussion. Kelly, who noticed Sabine's condition, gave her a bottle of Vitamin B1 tablets. One a day is believed to keep the beasts at bay. Even one bite less means an easier night for Sabine.
The trail gradually took us uphill and the first snow turned up. At first, we were exhilarated by the sight of it because it had been very warm, even hot. Eventually the trail was entirely hidden by snow, which made navigating extremely difficult. In addition, over the last days we've been the first and only PCT hikers on the trail, so there aren't any footprints to follow. Found a tiny spot to pitch our tent in the middle of the snow, then made a campfire to get warm and dry our shoes and socks – the smoke chased the mosquitoes away.
June 13, day 76
The trail slowly ascended to Devils Peak, at 2,200 meters' altitude. Midmorning we had to tackle a very long and very steep snow slope. The risk of slipping was extremely high! Even with microspikes. We managed the slope satisfactorily by sticking close to trees and boulders, although there was snow here, too. Had a lunch break at a lovely mountain lake, where we encountered three Americans who were quite experienced hikers: Beast, Skittels, and Savior. They thanked us for our tracks. Their break was shorter than ours, which was great for us because we were able to walk in their tracks, in turn. In the evening we met up with them at the summit again, because they were planning to continue next day, when the snow is more packed. Since there was absolutely no room for a third tent, we continued on to Devils Peak – and were rewarded by a breathtaking view! Pitched our tent right there, on 2-3 square meters; continuing at that late hour would have meant risking slipping down the next difficult snow slope. And we weren't sure where the trail went. Olli reconnoitered an ascent that looked like the trail, almost going to the top of the mountain. But it was too extreme hiking along the gap between rock face and meter-high snowdrifts.
Unfortunately, there are mosquitoes even up here, which lessened our enjoyment of the fantastic sunset. On the other hand: zero internet reception! For the first time in ages, we were too tired to cook or eat dinner.
June 14, day 77
Early in the morning Beast, Savior, and Skittels turned up, which we'd hoped. We discussed the best way to tackle the snow slope, deciding to traverse the snow to the snow-laden trees, then zigzagging our way down along the flatter part of the slope. After that, it was a piece of cake. The three of them immediately headed off, while we finished packing. They left perfect tracks, which we followed somewhat later. Quite tricky: one false step and you could slide 1000 meters down the slope! Hiked through snow the rest of the day.
June 15, day 78
Hiked through more snow and ice and a few snow-free woods that had burned. And still thousands of mosquitoes continued to plague us. Near Goose Egg peak we found a terrific spot to pitch the tent; made a campfire. This time, alas, the smoke wasn't successful in keeping away the mosquitoes. Maybe they're a resistant species. The pine wood did smell lovely, though.
Since we had reception, we began to update our blog, which only works online. Our daughter Zarah had done some research online in the meantime and wrote us that only the female mosquitoes suck the human blood! Maybe because they need more energy to lay eggs?! How much you get bitten also depends on your genetically determined body odor. There's no evidence that consuming garlic, beer, or vitamin B1 are silver bullets when it comes to mosquitoes. Damn.
In the meantime, Sabine’s taking Cetirizin (allergy medication) again, to be able to sleep through the night without scratching. She's sticking to the daily B 1 tablet. The evening's highlight was a long overdue phone call with Zarah.
June 16, day 79
In the morning, we were passed by two PCT hikers whom we didn't know yet. We were sitting in the shade of burned trees, writing our blog until about 11:30 am. We'd thus missed the best time to hike, but we savored the gentle breeze, which blew away most of the mosquitos. After making sure our fire was out and tossing more sand on the ash, we headed off. We had about 13 km to go until Kontrolle, dass das Feuer gut aus ist und Werfen von weiterem Sand auf die Asche, ging's los. Wir Manzama Village in Crater Lake National Park – which seemed doable. But the last 8 km downhill meant coping with 2-meter high snow in parts, and the going was very slow. The trail, barely visible, seemed endless. Time and again we had to stop and navigate with our cell phone via GPS. But whenever we stopped, we were surrounded by swarms of mosquitoes. Finally, around 5 pm, we reached Manzama Village in Crater Lake National Park, a famous tourist town. Pitched our tent on the campground, since all the cabins were booked on account of father's day weekend. Showered, did laundry ($1.25 for the washer and $1for the dryer) and had the most expensive pizza to date in the restaurant ($21-23). We met up with Beast, Skittels, and Savior again; they'd arrived late that afternoon. Hung out around the campfire till late with the few other hikers – including Sina, from the Walking Dead group – and drank beers (trail magic from a noble donor who works in a brewery). Listened to Sina’s rather sad tale of her group, which had started out with 7 hikers, but was now down to 3. The others had encountered "Atlantis" from Munich, whom we'd met on our second day – April 1 – 20 kilometers from Campo, and who averaged an unbelievable 35 miles a day and appears to have "flown" along the trail, including the sierra, which he seems to have been the first to have hiked through this season - and with even more snow. He'll likely reach Canada soon. Stefan, Mountain Lion, from Switzerland, wrote us he'd left the trail at Fuller Pass and planned to wait a week or two until the snow thaws before continuing. This means he's not sure he'll be able to do the entire PCT by the end of September. But he's grateful for the experiences, for the chance to test his limits. After the campfire discussion, we fell asleep exhausted.
June 17, day 80
Zero day in Manzama Village. Breakfasted in the restaurant: eggs and cheese on biscuits, yoghurt with fresh fruit (Sabine); and eggs, sausages, potatoes, biscuits, and pancakes (Olli), with Starbucks coffee.
Then Sabine suffered a profound nadir. The prospect of many more days of snow AND mosquitoes, probably for the entire 100 miles to Washington, was just too much. The snow is totally exhausting,
and the necessary rejuvenating breaks aren't possible because of the mosquitoes. You can deal with heat, cold, storm, rain – and these phenomena pass – but you're nearly powerless when it comes
to tormenting mosquitoes.
Then Andi and Jonas (El Problematico und Herbal Witch), looking a bit ragged, entered the restaurant, happily ending Sabine's misery and brooding. They too profited from our tracks in the snow – and concurred that the last 5-8 miles to Manzama were nothing to sneeze at. Navigating while a horde of mosquitoes are eating you alive ain't no party. A problem shared is a problem halved. And Olli, who kept saying it's a free decision. ? OK, let's carry on.
Bought supplies for the next seven days at the store. Snagged the last can of camping gas and the last DEET mosquito repellent (unfortunately an aggressive chemical). The day before, right after arriving, bought a "natural" lemon-eucalpytus spray to have a break from the headache-inducing DEET. Alas, the "natural" spray is practically useless. At the cashier's, seven of the ten Poptarts were rung up at $5 a piece instead of 99 cents, which resulted in a 40-minute credit card refund act ... But in the end Sabine's patience was rewarded: she got the seven Poptarts for free.
While waiting, met Ben from the Netherlands: Sabine gave him some after-bite cream because the store was out of the stuff. Ben in turn had to wait because the complicated refund business. He was able to go to a second cashier's, however, and pay for his spray. We bumped into Ben and his wife Ina at the restaurant again. Olli spoke Dutch for a long time with them, while Sabine was engaged in a conversation with Jonas about personal transformation processes. Later, the Dutch couple invited us to have a glass of wine in their cabin. They've agreed to bring our second tent back; we've never used it. Indepence has its limits when it comes to difficult terrain. But the $185 spent on it were worth it, if only symbolically. Even a couple that's been married for years (you remember, the 23rd anniversary in pouring rain at Little Jimmy Campground near Mount Baden-Powell) undergoes transformation.
June 18, day 81
Breakfasted at the campsite whilst taking down the tent. The ranger had left bananas, apples, and carrots in the food storage locker (a metal cabinet with a special bear- and otherwise animal-proof handle). A kind offer on the part of the Dutch couple provided us with a very pleasant shower. Not that we're opposed to coin-operated public showers, but this was definitely better.
After updating this blog, we'll head for Odell Lake, about 130 km away. We plan to hike the PCT variant along the crater's edge of Crater Lake, which is more challenging, but shorter than the detour. And since there's snow everywhere, we'd prefer the shorter variant. Our anticipation is muted, however, because there's snow and mosquitoes ahead.
Our departure was delayed once more when Andi and Jonas came out of the restaurant in front of which we were blogging and having coffees. There followed a lengthy conversation about education, our impressions of the people here, some politics, hiker encounters, experiences hiking as a duo tolerance, the quality of the food in general and then specifically Jonas' burger, all of which was rounded out by Jonas' gift of a cigarillo to Sabine. It's said cigarillo smoke keeps away mosquitoes. In fact, the mosquitoes took off. As we are about to do ourselves.
Due to network speeds, the photographs will be uploaded at a later date.
The next blog entry will follow in approximately a week ...