The PCT Volume 32: In Another State

[Brad Young]

Sunday, August 7:


Between getting Alex on his flight and the drive back up into the mountains, we didn't arrive back at the PCT until after 1:00. But that's OK, we'd only planned an 11.8 mile hike from Dead Indian Memorial Road to Highway 140.

I thought this hike would end up being another "forest march." Some of it was, but it was fun and satisfying, and the last two thirds were more of a "lava march" instead.

Less than two miles in we came to the trail junction that leads left 300 feet to the South Brown Mountain Shelter. At the junction we were amazed (and then, after we read it, pleased) to see this huge banner hanging from a tree (pleased, as in, come on, we just left a long, straight stretch of paved road - can't a pipeline, if one is really even needed, be run near the road instead of two miles into an otherwise undisturbed forest?):













There was a full-on kiosk with information about the proposed pipeline too; I was mighty pleased that Tricia was interested enough to read it all (she caught up with us ten minutes later):







The nearby shelter is used mostly in winter for cross country skiers, but it has a pump and unlimited water (in a fairly dry stretch of trail):







After four miles in forest we started circling Brown Mountain, an old volcano. Huge lava talus fields alternated with forest:







The trail construction across these lava fields was interesting; built, level trails with small rocks and dirt to make them more "foot-friendly" (imagine trying to boulder hop quarter and half-mile sections of this kind of talus):







There were only a few fallen trees on this stretch of trail. One in particular required us to climb over it (class four!):







One hundred yards after this tree crossing, we encountered two horse-men stopped dead on the trail. Some people think that riding the trail is easier than hiking. I've never agreed with this view. Between tending to the horses and a limited ability to move across country, horse riding in the back-country has never really interested me. And I've never seen my bias more starkly illustrated than here at this fallen log. As we passed the horse-men, they were trying to decide what to do; the log was an absolute barrier to the horses, but so too were the lava talus fields, which extended way, way out on each side of the trail. We never did learn what they did or how they did it.

The highlight of the day came near the end of the hike. We came around a corner to a "holy crap it's right there" view of Mount McLoughlin:







Soon we ran into Vicki on the trail; she'd come out to meet us:




Shortly we arrived at Highway 140 and the end of Oregon's PCT Section "B:"

[Brad Young]

Monday and Tuesday, August 8 and 9:


The PCT passes Mount McLoughlin to its east, three miles from the summit. There's a trail to the top, and the PCT guidebook highly recommends it as a side trip. And Tricia really wanted to do this summit (me too). We'd been looking at McLoughlin since June, and it sure seemed like the highest thing in far southern Oregon.

But starting from Highway 140, summiting, and then continuing to a PCT exit/side-trail to Fourmile Lake seemed like a bone-crushing type day. So we decided to do the hike to Fourmile Lake (spelled correctly) one day and then summit McLoughlin the next. The two days' paths would cross, sharing half a mile along the way.

The hike to Fourmile was definitely forest marching:




We gained 1,200 feet of elevation, but that wasn't the hard part. The hard part of this hike was the incredible number of downed trees. And some of them quite complex, almost as if designed to slow a determined hiker:







We took one break and got one view through the forest of this impressive peak:







Then we exited the PCT. Heading to Fourmile Lake we passed Squaw Lake, which I found to be typical of the area: large and utterly surrounded by forest:







We camped that night again with Vicki.

Sharon's knees begged out of the McLoughlin ascent the next day (in retrospect, a really, really good decision). Tricia and I got our usual, leisurely, late-morning start. We were surprised at the trailhead by the severe-seeming warnings at the trail-start kiosk:







Apparently is is very common for people to get sucked into the "easy" looking descent off this peak, and then to be way off trail out in forest and lost. Being new to the area, we payed attention to the warnings (and I could see on our descent how the wrong way looks "right").

On our ascent, forest hiking turned to uphill forest hiking, turned to steep uphill forest hiking:













Slowly the views got good. We saw Upper Klamath Reservoir from quite a distance:




Fourmile Lake and the relatively flat area the PCT traverses near it:




Brown Mountain, which we'd traversed on the trail two days ago (the PCT goes along the right side of the mountain in this photo):




And we had this view of Hyatt and Howard Prairie Lakes, Pilot Rock and Mount Ashland, and all of the country the PCT goes through for about 40 miles (the rock and the mountain are harder to make out in this photo than they were while we were there):







We started to emerge above tree-line:













The summit is fairly small, and the views are 360 degrees:













The descent came next:







I took this glory shot of Tricia on a protruding gendarme:




Once back on the PCT part of today's hike we contributed a little tiny bit to trail maintenance. I had a small, foldable saw with us in the car, and I'd brought it today. We cleared one (one!) of the medium-size trees that blocked the trail. The tree was still green, and our tool was too small. It took half an hour to move this one blockage (tomorrow's photos and text will make it even more clear that the Sky Lakes Wilderness desperately needs a trail crew for 40 or so miles of PCT that is horribly, horribly blocked by downed trees):







We ended this satisfying day with a campfire (and smores; Tricia still loves to make and eat them, and I sure appreciate the ones she makes for me too):

[Brad Young]

Wednesday, August 10:


Back on the PCT today. We started with the easy hike over from Fourmile Lake. Tricia found the local flora amusing:




Forest marching predominated:







We got some views though, including Fourmile Lake, and Mount McLoughlin, "in the rear view mirror:"







We were into hot weather again and we took plenty of water:




Downed trees were still a problem. In fact, Tricia and Sharon started counting them just for amusement. We defined them first ("downed trees" are any that affect a normal hiking gait). Between Highway 140 and the south edge of Crater Lake National Park there are about 800 downed trees.

This example was easy to work around (other photos in later days will show - again - more massive messes that were a lot harder to pass):







We finished today by again hiking off the PCT to meet and spend the night with Vicki. In this case we hiked out to Cold Springs Trailhead (chased, for the first time on this trip, by mosquitos).

Another good day with fine progress north through Oregon.

[JC w KC redux]

Nice. Thank GOD someone has an orange shirt on again.
I was starting to worry.
All this talk of marching makes me glad I was not pressed into service.

Sorry but I caught a typo on the next to the last caption for the 10th and sent you an email regarding the 8th and 9th.

Tricia and Sharon started counting them must for amusement.   mostly?

sincerely,

your editor

[JC w KC redux]

Tell Tricia the green whiskers go nicely with her shirt 

[Brad Young]

Well, that was interesting. The dogs were going bananas on the back deck. Tricia went out to shush them and, it turns out, we had a bear walking across our back yard.

I think the photo issue is corrected. And I'll likely be able to finish the rest of the report this very evening.

[Brad Young]

Thursday, August 11:


Although today started with forest marching back to the PCT, and then some forest marching along it, most of the day wasn't that. Most of this day's hiking was in terrain that allowed nice views (sometimes really spectacular views) and which kept us in the breeze. This was a really great hike.

I started early, with a sunrise on the west shore of Upper Klamath Lake (we were camped there because it was a nice, central location). Soon everyone else was up and we were back to Cold Springs Trailhead (and Vicki was ready to give us some preventative mosquito spraying this time):







The dogs highly approved of today's return hike to the PCT; it went right by Deer Lake (lake - whatever else is in the name, it's the lake part they like):




Views and more open terrain started quickly (first photo is down to Upper Klamath Lake):







We got high enough to actually see some of the lakes that give Sky Lakes Wilderness its name:




Luther Mountain:




Looking at the next five miles of trail across Devils Peak and Lucifer:




Open hilltops and ridges on Shale Butte gave vistas all around (including Mount McLoughlin from well to the north):













We got a great view of sharp, distinct Mount Thiesen, which is north of Crater Lake National Park:




Devils Peak is a real mountain (not a forested hill). Passing its east side put us over 7,000 feet elevation again for short time:







We ended a long stretch without water among a series of nice creeks north of Devils Peak:







And then, just before today's exit point, we crossed the fourth "hundred mile point" of this summer:







We took the Sevenmile Marsh Trail out to meet Vicki (despite its name, Sevenmile Marsh Trailhead had nowhere near the number of mosquitos that Cold springs Trailhead had):




But poor Tricia was still suffering the effects of yesterday's mosquitos this afternoon. Both girls seem to have inherited my long legs, which, I think, is good for them. Unfortunately, Tricia did not inherit my relative immunity to the itchy nastiness of bug and mosquito bites; she is instead as sensitive to them as her mother (my "princess and the pea" little beauty):




And a nice sunset then capped off this, our second to last hiking day of a massively successful summer:

[lasher]

I didn't see anything about the bees/wasps?  Seems like it would be story worthy

[JC w KC redux]

That is a great sunset.
Did you ask that frog if his arse was water tight?

[Brad Young]

I didn't see anything about the bees/wasps?  Seems like it would be story worthy

Yes, you are right and I will tell that story too 

[Brad Young]

That is a great sunset.
Did you ask that frog if his arse was water tight?

That's not a frog, it's a toad. You of all people should recognize that 

[Brad Young]

Friday and Saturday, August 12 and 13:


We finally just had to take a rest day on Friday. We were "ahead" of "schedule" for what we'd hoped to get done this trip. Tricia and Sharon had hoped to take kayaks out on the lake but we hadn't had enough time during any afternoon yet, and I was just tired and sore.

So we rested:













Sharon couldn't join us on Saturday (she'd had to head homeward). The dogs took a second rest day; they'd been hiking barefoot for well over 100 miles and weren't allowed in the back country of a National Park anyway. So our last day, 18.4 miles of hiking, was just me and "T-Bird:"







More log-jams today slowed us almost right up to the Crater Lake border:




The hill/rock formation Lone Wolf was visible to us because of a previous fire (one wonders if the area was less forested - and more visible - a hundred or so years ago when geographic features were first named?):










We viewed Union Peak from a distance. This old volcanic plug is two miles west of today's end-point, and was an encouraging waypoint all day:




Mount Thielsen again (can't wait to get up close to this one next June):




And then we made it to the border of the National Park; Crater Lake (shown here without the lake - yet):







More miles through the forest were flat and easy:




After not-so-long, the forest cleared out, we saw the highway, and we'd made it.

Highway 62 had been a kind of "maybe" since spring. I hate to have hard and fast goals on trips like this. Better to go for it with energy, get what can be done done when it's fun and see where it ends. But on this trip, plans coincided perfectly with what we got done. This was pretty pleasing:













And that's it. The summer's statistics are fun, and deserve to be recounted: during the summer of 2016 we hiked 350.0 miles actually on the PCT and over 50 more on side hikes or in getting to the trail itself. We're now at trail mile 1,818.4 out of 2,650.1 total miles. So, over the ten years we've been doing the trail we've averaged just over 181 miles each year.

We've made it to Oregon. We're in another state now. We've hiked over one quarter of the PCT in that other state.

What a fantastic summer!

Which brings me to my own "other state." We've been home several days now and I'm still so damn pleased with what we got done and with how much fun we had. Yet I'm also in withdrawal. It's "up and down time."

There isn't likely to be any more PCT for us again for ten long months. I was completely jazzed on our last two days when Tricia started talking about "next summer," and how we'll likely pass the 2,000 mile mark. Ten months seems like forever right now.

We need to get back into a school routine (she starts high school in less than 10 days). I need to get caught up at work. This huge summer, with its days and days of outdoor family time, its fun, and energy and spontaneity is done. We will, however do all the other outdoor things we do, we'll remember this summer fondly, and we'll no doubt be ready next year to get after it again.

Hey! Maybe I should think about becoming a rock climber again

[mungeclimber]

I toad you so!


and this is the real TreeBeard

[mynameismud]

Whoo Hooo!  Congratulations. 

But, if you had 18.4 miles to hike, why are you on the 7 mile trail?

[Brad Young]

Whoo Hooo!  Congratulations. 

But, if you had 18.4 miles to hike, why are you on the 7 mile trail?

We're math-challenged?

There are a lot of names up in that area like that. Fourmile Lake, Sevenmile Marsh. And others. They're all spelled as one word. Odd.

[JC w KC redux]

Well the other state was not what I anticipated.
Congratulations on another job well done.
I have to wonder if you two will just get to the point that you decide to complete this journey as through hikers.
By the way, did you ask that duck if his arse was water tight or was it a goose? 

[Brad Young]

I've got to tell one more story about Alex on this trip (although I've got no photos to illustrate it).

On our fourth day, as related in the main report, Alex and Tricia both carried sticks and, for entertainment they popped and pounded on branches and leaves and such as they hiked.

At one point three miles into in the day, Alex hit several large, dead trees alongside the trail.  A moment later, Tricia got stung on her leg.  She cried out and I bent over to check out what had happened. Within a second I got stung too.  I yelled “run!” and we get out of the area fast. The stings were very painful (I think they’re from yellow jackets).

As we moved away, I talked to Alex about the number of hikers that must have passed by this point without disturbing yellow jackets. I explain that he probably hit just the wrong log and disturbed their nest, getting both of us stung.
  
Later in the day, over near Howard Prairie Lake, Alex pounded other dead logs and managed to disturb another yellow jacket nest. This time Alex got stung. We moved quickly away from this site too.

This time I started a discussion with Alex about “the scientific method.” He'd heard of it of course (he's about to start sixth grade). He and I formed a hypothesis that his pounding on dead trees is what has disturbed yellow jackets twice. A second part of the hypothesis is that his pounding on dead logs is what's gotten all three of us stung. Alex gets it (he's a pretty damn smart kid). He agrees that we've formed a strong hypothesis.

The next part of the discussion is what will always stay with me. I asked Alex whether he wanted to test the hypothesis again. His eyes got big, the light clicked on, he threw his stick way off to the side and he said: "NO!" I couldn't help laughing. He's a great kid  

[mungeclimber]

Empirical evidence!

[Brad Young]

Hey! Maybe I should think about becoming a rock climber again 

Well that was a complete fiasco. I went out today to beat myself up on cracks (to start getting back into climbing shape).

Uhhm, no.

- I thought temps would be reasonable at 6,200 feet. They weren't;

- I didn't think about yellow jackets. They were everywhere we tried to climb, and Vicki got stung;

- The cracks I wanted to climb are terribly crystally inside - they really have to be climbed with tape. I'd used the last of mine last time out and had not replaced it (so I had none);

- We switched over to a few slab routes on a different crag nearby. But I'd brought the rack and forgotten quickdraws.

So I did some reconnoitering and then got in one measly 5.8 R slab route. We bailed early.

But you know what? Being out there felt good and right! I felt like I should be climbing again.

It's gonna be a great few months until Pinns season (and then another great Pinns season!!).

[clink]

But you know what? Being out there felt good and right! I felt like I should be climbing again.

You can't help it, you're a climber.

It's gonna be a great few months until Pinns season (and then another great Pinns season!!).

Don't tell Captain Kook.