To get back to the trail from Callahan's Lodge we had to cross under the interstate and walk about 1 mile of old Hwy 99. Road walking is not so fun. We heard Gumby and Double-It might have got on trail just before we did. It was true! About 2 hours into the hike we ran into them at our first water stop. It is always fun to be reunited with friends you have been hiked with throughout the trip. We hiked with them on and off for the rest of the day.
The 4 of us camped at a trail side camp near Hyatt Lake. We were all disappointed by the condition of the lake water. We had thoughts of swimming, but the water was murky and almost too warm to seem sanitary. We settled for a chat at the picnic table and watching Double-It boil over his cooking pot twice.
Gumby and Double-It were taking an alternate route, walking a portion of the Oregon Skyline Trail. We decided we would meet back up with them in two days and the four of us would partake in the all you can eat pizza at Mazama Village restaurant as described in Yogi's trail guide. Hiking out of Hyatt Lake was one of our smokiest mornings yet. It was super thick smoke that impeded any view we would have had. Yuck!
In order to get to Hwy 138 by the time we told Mom and Dad we would meet them we had to book it. We had a 29 mile day. We came into camp just as it was getting dark and dark clouds were rumbling in the distance. Sometimes we feel like our timing is so lucky. Not 10 minutes after we found a spot and got all our things in the tent we heard rain drops. Yeah, we made the right decision not to hike on.
On the 4th day out of Ashland we met back up with Gumby and Double-It and made our way to the Mazama Village. We were all excited for our pizza. All excited for nothing. We found out they have not had the all you can eat pizza for several years. Damn you Yogi! We settled for the all you can eat soup and salad bar. We must have started to eat real fast and/or smelled really bad. A restaurant patron sitting at the table next to us kept looking over at us as if we were a show.
On the last day before Hwy 138, the trail goes through Crater Lake NP. You have an option to take the Equestrian (still the official) PCT or the Hiker PCT. We opted for the Hiker PCT because it goes up to and follows the rim of Crater Lake. Crater Lake was created thousands of years ago when Mt. Mazama blew its top and caved in on itself creating a huge hole. Over time rainwater cooled the bottom of the crater, sealing the bottom, and filling it with water. Nearly 2,000 ft deep, the lake is the deepest in North America. It is also known for its clarity, being able to see as far as 130+ feet into the deep blue water.
We got to the rim early in the morning along with Lodgepole, Maverick, and Gavin. Luckily we had clearer skies and great views of the lake as we hiked around the rim.Once leaving the rim the trail heads straight north to Hwy 138 through pumice fields, dry forests and lots of down trees. We had to step, jump over, and make our way around over 100 down trees in this short stretch of trail. It seems that National Parks have both the best and the worst trails. Any trail near the tourist hot spots are wide and well maintained. Get outside of that 2 mile radius and you have some of the worst maintained trails on the whole PCT. Or so it seems.
Cowgirl and I were the first to arrive at Hwy 138 at 4:15pm. About 1/2 mile before we got to the highway Cowgirl had a wiggly waggly reunion with her dog. We sat with Cowgirl's parents while Lodgepole, Maverick, Gavin, Gumby, and Double-It hiked into the highway junction. As scheduled my parents showed up at 5pm. We all jumped into the cars and were off for our 3 days of rest at my parents cabin.
Happy Trails!
Trail Statistics
Days: 108
Miles: 1,852
Days of Poison Oak: 15
Sent via the Samsung Galaxy S™II Skyrocket™ an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone.
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