June 19-27, days 82-90
PCT kilometer post: 3,068, kilometers hiked: 1,353
On June 18, after a long chat with Andi (El Problematico) and Jonas (Herbal Witch), we hung out in Manzama Village in rocking chairs in front of Annie Creek Restaurant, updating our blog. Jonas, who had hiked with Little Bee and was still in touch with her, passed on the happy news that Little Bee and Second Chance were on their way to Ashland and were planning to flip the Sierra and head northward, like us.
Then, to our surprise, Moneymaker and Bacon arrived in Manzama. Last we'd heard, Moneymaker was in the Tehatchapi hospital due to blood clots in the lungs. We were delighted to see them. They, too, had flipped to Oregon: after an abortive attempt to climb Devils Peak, they had turned around and hiked to Manzama via Snow Lake. Around 6:30 pm we practically "ran" down the steep bypass leading to Crater Lake Rim Alternate (short: Rim Trail) - the bypass is called Annie Springs Connector Trail initially, then becomes Dutton Creek Trail - in an incredibly 2.5 hours because we wanted to catch the sunset. After about 2 km, the Annie Springs Connector meets the PCT, then another 2 km to reach Dutton Creek Trail, which takes you to Crater Lake. The PCT passes in a wide curve around the caldera, a fairly even trail, but with more kilometers and without a view of the lake - and mosquitos aplenty. The steadily ascending bypass required some navigation through snow ... Around 9 pm we reached Crater Lake, just in time to see the last of the setting sun, a breathtaking view! Crater Lake, notable for its unusually blue color, is a crater lake in Mount Manzama volcano, which erupted about 7700 years ago. The lake formed when the caldera filled with rain and melting snows. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the USA and has the best water quality as well as visibility depth ever measured. This is the PCT highlight in terms of natural phenomena, simply overwhelming!
We wanted to have a meal at Crater Lake Lodge, but the kitchen was closed. We would have booked a cabin, but the historic hotel (established 1915) was competely booked. So we warmed ourselves up in the hotel lobby’s open fireplace till just past midnight; the young guys at the reception desk kindly kept us supplied with chips and soft drinks. The mosquitos en route from Manzama Village to Crater Lake had been merciless. Thanks to the courteous staff, we learned about the facts and legends surrounding the volcano’s eruption. We finally pitched our tent below the rim in the wee hours. Surrounded by snow. The mosquitos had lost their "bite" in the cool air.
Next morning we watched the sun rise, took down the tent, and ate a luxurious breakfast at the lodge. Got to know the very nice section hiker Chris. He was as tired of snow as we were. His roots on his mother's side are German and his pronunciation of some German words was excellent.
We enjoyed Crater Lake so much that we spent the entire day on the Lodge's patio in the sun, drinking cocktails and red wine, followed by ice cream at the Rim Cafe, then interviewed two work-and-travel students from Thailand. Toward evening we hiked a few kilometers, albeit in demanding snow conditions. Pitched our tent just below the rim, which is in fact not permitted (the distance to the rim must be at least one mile – but the official campsite was too far for us under the conditions - hiking downhill on snow). Next morning, Olli walked to the site because it offered one of only a few springs. Continuing on the Rim Trail Alternate turned out to be, as we expected, extremely demanding because the Rim Trail was almost entirely covered in snow. Also, we'd missed a warning sign that indicated the trail was closed due to snow. After a deal of trouble and a dangerous traverse, we reached the Watchman Point parking lot, which the Rim Trail passes. The road circumnavigating Crater Lake in its entirety was only open part way, due to weather conditions. From the parking lot, we discovered the warning sign we'd missed. Terrific view of the lake and Wizard Island, a small volcano inside the volcano. We must have taken hundreds of photographs of the lake from every possible angle. In an area sheltered from the wind on the parking lot, we cooked supper – which earned surprised stares from most of the "jump-out-of-the-car-for-10-seconds-and-snap-a-photo" tourist crowd. But sitting on the ground next to our camping cooker in dirty bare feet – our socks and shoes were spread out to dry – we must have looked more like homeless people rather than PCT hikers. We were suddenly approached by a young woman who asked whether we were hikers and whether we needed anything. Ashley (trail name Sunshine) told us she'd hiked the Appalachian Trail last year between high school and college. A while later she gave us a some water from a huge canister, surrounded by her entire family. What a delightful encounter!
Headed back up the Rim Trail through snow. Then, at one point close to the road, we were so fed up that we took to the road and hiked the last 6 km on the asphalt to where the Rim Trail rejoins the PCT. The wind was intense, roaring in our ears. Back on the PCT, the trail led away from the road and into the woods where we were finally able make camp in a snow-free, wind-sheltered spot, with relatively few mosquitos.
Next morning, Daddio passed us, a mid-60s hiker hiking the PCT with his daughter Bloody Mary. A few kilometers on, we met up with him again, taking a break and waiting for his somewhat slower daughter. A few minutes later she turned up and we interviewed the two of them. Between the lines, we sensed the PCT provided an opportunity for the two of them to deal with some family conflicts.
Pursued by mosquitos and a certain unease, we spontaneously decided to hitchhike on highway 138 to get to Diamond Lake, where we wanted to buy a few necessary groceries we hadn't been able to get in Manzama Village: bread, cheese, and dried fruits. We'd purchased these in Manzana with considerable difficulties (you recall: complicated credit card refund due to overpricing) in an unsuccessful attempt to compensate sugary Poptarts, a trail classic, of which we were thoroughly fed up, despite the fact that at 450-540 calories they weigh little. Besides, we were in the mood for some good food at the lake restaurant. Olli especially was having stomach troubles. The prospect of sleeping in a bed again also tempted us. After 10 minutes of trying to get a ride, we gave ourselves another 5 cars – and the fifth stopped for us!
Otherwise, we would have continued walking, as we had neither phone nor internet service. It turned out this ride was a piece of luck, because we didn't hike the Mount Thielsen section of the PCT ... more on that later ...
Driver Daniel’s ancestors, an aristocratic family, originally came from Germany. (His grandmother was a baroness from Frankfurt; his complete name, which included a long list of given names, was impressive). His T-shirt was printed with the words “Men of Oregon.” He and his Chinese wife wanted to do some sightseeing at Crater Lake with an older Chinese couple (likely his in-laws), and dropped us off at Diamond Lake beforehand. They gave us a bag of cherries! Took a short break at the lake, ate cherries, then hiked the last 4 km to the resort. Sabine immediately bought groceries at the well-stocked store, while Olli rested. The resort is family-owned. Alex, son of the owner, and his girlfriend Shyann waited on us attentively. Sabine had a wonderful steak with zucchini, rice, excellent gravy, and ! horseradish!. Olli again ordered a burger with fries. We drank Coke and coffee. Olli cleaned the Camelbag in his backpack because we weren't sure if his queasiness was due to contamination.
We interviewed Alex and Shyann (her mother chose this spelling because she believed it to be easier for kids). Of course the main theme was the hikers, who come and go, but as always it's about life plans and special anecdotes, e.g., the pine-cone chains he and Shyann wore to keep bad energies at bay and other good effects.
Had we been able to book a cabin, we would have stayed at Diamond Lake. Unfortunately, because of Oregon's fishing derby (winner gets $5K), everything was booked here, too. So we hung out there for hours, having great conversations, watching the arrival of dozens of fishermen – a rather unique community. It was dark by the time we set off for the gas station (service available at night only via phone call on an ancient telephone at the "night desk" of the little gas station). We were unsure whether anyone would give us a ride, or whether we should return to the PCT trail near Highway 138, or take the Howlock Site Trail, directly across from the gas station, working our way back to the PCT. Just then, Justin stopped in his pickup. One of Alex's cousins, he offers horse riding on various trails. He strongly urged us to bypass the original PCT Mount Thielsen Passage, recommending the Howlock Trail, which was attractive, offered great views of Mount Thielson, but with farless snow! We took his advice. After another 5 km, we pitched our tent in a very beautiful, nearly mosquito-free spot, our bellies sated.
Next day we had to hike the rest of the Howlock Trail to reconnect with the PCT, which wasn't easy because it was signposted only at the beginning, after which the trail disappeared completely under all the snow.
Around midday, after 5 miles, we reached the PCT and cooked a meal. Completely exhausted. Fortunately, three hikers going southbound toward Diamond Lake passed by, seeming to fly over the snow. We wondered how they could navigate through snow so quickly. A mystery! The advantage for us was being able to follow their tracks northbound, saving time and energy normally required to stop and navigate.
Eventually we reached the highest point on the PCT between Oregon and Washington (2,308 meters). In the days following, we traipsed through a lot of snow and suffered extreme mosquito scourges. Via the Oldenburg Take Trail/Whitefish Creek Trail detour, we descended the last 30 km from Windigo Pass (gazillions of mosquitos) to Odell Lake, thus avoiding Diamond Peak, which has one of the most dangerous snow passages. Reached Shelter Cove Resort around midday; picked up our mail at the PO (new shoes for us both, long pants for Olli, 10 SD cards, along with various mosquito repellents), which cost us a total of $45 - $5 per envelope and $10 for “boxes.” Had pizza and burgers afterward.
In the days preceding, Olli suffered a surprising turnaround. Hiking suddenly felt difficult, joyless. He felt utterly done, considered taking a little time off, even quitting altogether. Coping with ice, snow, and mosquitos had taken more out of him than he'd anticipated. Just before Odell Lake he decided to rest for a few days. The reason for his sudden change of heart lay hidden somewhere else entirely: Over the last 10 days or so, Olli had been having stomach trouble, later also bladder issues. While the charcoal tablets and ibuprofen in Sabine’s first-aid kit helped a bit, mentally his passion had expired. Imperceptibly, Olli lost his appetite; his food intake decreased and, in the end, he couldn't stand even to look at most of the food we were carrying. This vicious circle so weakened his body that hiking became ever more tiring, even agonizing, but he suspected the source of his discomfort elsewhere. Not until we reached Odell Lake was it clear he had simply not eaten enough. Without a doubt, on the PCT, the issue of food is a real challenge. You burn an average of 5,000 calories a day, but you can only consume a maximum of 2,000-3,000 calories a day at best, depending on how much weight you're carrying. Because a heavy backback means slower progress, especially uphill, this disparity must be endured until you can compensate at the next resupply station – or, for example, by eating at restaurants – without compromising performance. A real challenge! The job is to “learn” (especially Olli?) not to stuff yourself to the gills, as he did at Cajon Pass, but rather keep your intake of fats, carbs, and vitamins regular.
Alas, everything was booked at Shelter Cove Resort, excepting a log cabin clearly beyond our budget at $300 a night (we wanted 3 nights). We booked a motel room about 10 miles away; the closest other accommodations were in places like La Pine, Bend, Eugene, between 45 and 90 minutes away. Not exactly cheap, either, at $126 a night. Then came the "Dutch Miracle." It turns out the manager of the resort is a Dutchman. After Olli and Nico Put had a lively exchange in Dutch, Nico’s wife, manager Julie Put, asked where we were staying. Olli told her we'd just booked a motel room, whereupon Nico immediately prompted him to cancel the booking (Sabine’s job?) Thanks to the Dutch Connection, Nico let us have the log cabin for $100 a night. A lakeside cabin with living room, bedroom, washing machine, dryer, kitchen, a covered veranda with a view to the lake, fireplace, and much more. A dream! The so-called "Eagle Nest" was home for 3 days, and we hope these will be enough to regain our strength and tackle the second half of Oregon. The cherry on top: Julie gave us a packet of our much-adored Dutch “stroop wafels!”
Thanks to our own private washing machine and dryer, we were able to wash and dry our down sleeping bags and down jackets. We purchased a terrific laundry detergent (no additives) at the store.
Had a lovely encounter with Chris and Sarah, who are planning to travel around the country in their trailer “Silvercan” over the next three years, including Mexico and Canada. Their travel companion is Bruno, a Great Dane. They'd just begun their trip and had decided to work at the resort. Chris who hails from Anspach, and Sarah, a music teacher from Texas, met when Chris was studying business in Texas (“Economy is crap; your daughter should study something else.” Sabine: "Wait and see – I envision her studying her psychology.”) Both had started working at Nico’s resort two weeks ago, Chris at the "Out-Door" restaurant in the kitchen, Sarah in the store. It was Sarah who’d handed over our mail. Bruno was THE attraction on the premises. Earning a bit of money en route isn't a bad thing, and you don't have to find a new campsite every night: Nico lets Chris and Sarah have their campsite for free, including gas port.
Met up with First Run again. We’d met him at the beginning of our trek, in California. He got his trail name because he was the first on the application list for PCT permission, and thus able to pick his start date. At the time, his pace was very fast and consistent; now, he seemed changed. He told us he had no scruples about avoiding snow by taking roads or dirt roads: his mission was to reach Canada, and even catch up on the sierras, within his time frame.
Meanwhile, our attitude can be summed up: we’re hiking from Mexico to Canada. We don't care whether we take alternate trails that aren't called PCT; the views are the same or better (e.g. on Mount Thielsen), we inhale the same air. However, we do try to avoid roads.
We occasionally meet people who do slackpacking: they drop off their backpacks at places that can be reached easily, hike the section without packs in order to make more mileage, and then catch rides back to their backpacks. So far, this seems strange to us.
A day later Jonas and Andi arrived. We talked about the past few days, philosophizing about everything under the sun. They told us about two people who had to be rescued from the Mount Thielsen area: while hiking the original PCT near Mount Thielsen, they’d heard a helicopter circling overhead. We had also heard it in the distance, and Sabine had had an uneasy feeling ...
Checking an online article confirmed that Daddio and his daughter, Bloody Mary, had sent an SOS signal via InReach (GPS emergency device) the same day we'd met and interviewed them, and had had to be rescued by helicopter in the snow near Mount Thielsen. They had lost the trail (navigating in snow can be difficult) and ultimately sent out an eCall. That's all we know so far, since we’d fortunately bypassed that section by hiking on the Howlock Trail.
Jonas and Andi mastered this dangerous section through snow within five days. However, they've had enough of snow trekking for awhile! They're planning to skip the next section and catch a ride to Bend.
How different hiking can be: some people meet and overcome the difficult sections, others fail, while still others circumvent them (albeit not always without risk). Ultimately, it's about assessing your abilities properly, and at the right moment.
We spent our last evening under the pavilion of Chris and Sarah’s camper. Chris had promised us a super delicious Willy. We each drank two (except Sarah, who’s done with alcohol, had enough in her wild times). It was a Williams Christ pear brandy from Feuchtwangen. Incredibly good!
Today, Friday, June 28th, we're back on the trail. Had a meal, blogged. People’s friendliness at the resort just doesn't end. Julie Johnston, who calls the resort her back yard, asked Sabine while waiting to order whether we’re hikers. Sabine answered yes, PCT hikers, wherepon Julie surprised Sabine with a huge hearty hug. Julie asked how it’s been so far and Sabine mentioned the mosquitos. Whereupon Julie offered her two little bottles of essential oils – mint and lavender – immediately getting them from her accommodations and handing them to Sabine. Who is now truly armed against further attacks. Also Olli, who’s increasingly being harassed by the flying monsters.
After hearty goodbyes with managers Nico and Julie Put , we head off; it’s already evening.
We plan to hike the trail section to Bend, with tent and backpacks ...
Chris is driving us to the trail head on highway 58, since we’d gotten to Shelter Cove Resort (Odell Lake) via the Oldenburg lake trail/Whitefish creek trail.
Here's the link to the corresponding photos; more to come later, when the connection's better:
Pictures June 19
Pictures June 20
Pictures June 21
Pictures June 22
Pictures June 23
Pictures June 24
Pictures June 25
Pictures June 26-27