July 2-4, days 94-96
PCT: 3,220 km; total km hiked: 1,505 km
After our shower at Elk Lake Resort, we met Kyle. Sarah and Jess had hitchhiked to Bend in the meantime.
Kyle chatted us up at the bar, buying us a beer. We PCT hikers must appear to some like a cross between aliens and outlaws, yet we’re always addressed with admiration and respect. Kyle was no exception. He had to bring the food he'd ordered to his family, who were camping in their VW bus at the campground, but invited us to stop by at their campfire on our way back to the trail. We got to meet his wife, Allison, and their 8-year-old daughter Reily (2nd grade). They were delighted that we stopped by, despite the late hour. We had a look at their wonderfully equipped VW bus, which is a popular camper in our country, as well, and Reily waved to us from the upper telescope bed.
Hiked back to the trail (about 3 km) to Elk Lake long past 9 pm, and after a few more kilometers on the PCT we pitched our tent in the woods.
On July 2, we headed uphill: the trail ascends for over 50 km parallel to the Three Sisters mountain range, still slumbering under snow and majestically crowned by a slowly moving swath of clouds that occasionally lifted to bare the Sisters. We calculated 2 days, in hopes the snow wouldn't be too bad and that enough footprints would mark the trail. It’s worth mentioning that the snow mass isn’t dependent on the altitude; it’s rather the position with respect to the sun and the density of the vegetation. So it’s possible to encounter a deep, closed snow surface at 1800 m altitude, while the top of the ridge could be fairly free of snow. Midday we hiked through an unbelievably wide valley, with a view of the South Sister. Hiking in such remote wilderness alone was sublime: these moments are among the most beautiful we’ve experienced so far. But it gets even better!
By afternoon, we had quite a job coping with the snow. The magnificent snowy landscape around the Three Sisters was breathtaking. The stunning views made hiking a bit easier, though we needed our microspikes. Just before sundown, we found a perfect spot, protected by trees and surrounded by snow, to pitch our tent. It was 4 degrees Celsius, not much colder than what we’d experienced in the weeks past.
On July 3, we continued around the middle and northern Sister. Took a short break after an hour and changed our clothes. Although the sun only occasionally peeked through, Olli found his long pants too warm. Clad in shorts, we continued, thankfully spared from mosquito attacks on our legs. A short while later we met a couple of hikers – we had no idea we’d been so closely followed! Interviewed Kolohe and Skipper (both over 60), which of course included the question of their personal view on the meaning of Independence Day. This interview was followed shortly after by an interview with two more hikers, Salty Dog (60ish) and Chad (27). In this way, a casual hiking community spontaneously arose, allowing us to share this truly splendid landscape! Although trekking through the snow was tiring, we managed to cope quite well.
At a junction in the middle of the snow, a surprising reunion with Moneymaker! He was headed southbound with an older hiking buddy. So 8 hikers stood in a circle exchanging information about what to expect in terms of snow in either direction. Forever peckish Chad made himself an incredible tortilla with mayo, mustard, and tuna, regretting having forgotten the cheese – despite being a native of the cheese state, Wisconsin. We were able to help him out on that score. Moneymaker told us he’d flipped from Manzama Village, where we’d last met him with Bacon (they’d turned around at Devils Peak and taken the Snow Lake Site Trail to Manzama Village), to Cascades Rocks because satellite images appeared to show less snow. That turned out not to be true: satellites can’t see snow under trees. Then he’d hiked southbound to Manzama Village in order to finish that section. Bacon, however, had ultimately quit, as they’d hinted in Manzama Village.
To our delight, the trail to the summit was free of snow! We had a grand view of Oregon (see photo). The snow slowly shrank on the descent. The final 10 km to highway 242 were fairly smooth going. We took our leave of Salty Dog and Chad, then Kalohe and Skipper, who planned to pitch their tent well before the highway. We reached the latter around 7 pm, after crossing 2 kilometers of sharp, jagged lava stones – extremely tiring for the feet! Our goal was to get to highway 20 next day, which would make it easier to hitchhike to Bend. That was 28 km. To make tracks, we continued another 5 km through colossal lava fields in the evening sun. We didn't want to risk losing our room reservation in Bend, which our German frirend Silvia Falkenmayer had kindly made for us and where we planned to enjoy the July 4th fireworks. At the end of the lava fields, we found a place to bivouac with a view of the Three Sisters.
On July 4 we had another 23 km to hike. Initially through more lava rubble, later through burned forests. Particularly beautiful were the vast quantities of bear grass: a veritable ocean of white umbels surrounded us, in stark contrast to the blackened tree "carcasses." At midday we stopped at Big Lake Youth Camp. Very hiker friendly. Organized and sponsored by the Oregon Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, the summer camp offers week-long programs for 200 kids between 9 and 12 years old. Since the PCT passes by the camp, hikers are always welcome and invited to join in during mealtimes – breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or all three. There's even a separate building just for hikers, where you can shower, do laundry, recharge your devices, or hang out. There’s an campground for hikers, too. Donations are welcomed. While we waited in line for a meal, 19-year-old Kayanna introduced herself as PCT Mama, saying we could come to her if we had any problems. Later we gave her the lowdown on theater in Germany, something she was especially interested in. She also expressed interest in learning a few German phrases. Including: "ich bin blau," which literally means I am blue, but figuratively means I am drunk. The phrase, however, came up when we pushed a blue pin in the dot marking Stuttgart on a map of the world. We ate our mac & cheese with peas and salad and brownies at a table outside with Les, the camp manager, and his family. Here too we discovered connections to Germany; their daughter Sophie is named for a German ancestor. We then interviewed Russ, who’s responsible for all the buildings at the youth camp and who helped set up the areas for hikers. In the afternoon, we met Kolohe, Skipper, Salty Dog, and Chad again. Since we had wifi, we tried to connect with a trail angel for a pick-up on highway 20 two hours hence. Left a message. Ran through the woods the last 7.5 km to escape the mosquitos, in hopes the trail angel would come through and give us a lift. And, indeed, a few minutes after arriving, Jam contacted us to say he'd be there shortly. Wild! On Independence Day evening, he picked us up in his car and drove us the 70 km (!) to Bend, where we checked into the Three Sisters Inn & Suites. Got ourselves sorted and showered, then enjoyed a terrific view of the big Independence Day fireworks from our balcony (10 pm). Meanwhile, we got to know our neighbors Rorie and Michael, who immediately offered us a glass of pinot grigio. How marvelous! We hadn't had time to buy anything prior to the fireworks, as showering was more important. So we watched the fireworks together and had a great chat. Michael had studied medicine, chemistry, and German in Göttingen in the 1970s in Medizin/Chemie/Deutsch studiert and still speaks German perfectly! The meaning of Independence Day was a topic of conversation once again. Michael had been a doctor at a family medical center, had taught at Berkeley University, and had then become a high school teacher for native American kids in Montana. From San Francisco, Rorie and Michael were on their way to Idaho on vacation (bike riding in Glacier National Park), making a pitstop in Bend. They planned to continue on to Montana, were Michael planned to meet some of his former students.
After the fireworks, we ate pizza and fell asleep exhausted.
Link to photographs:
Juli 2
Juli 3: Three Pictures
Juli 4