Day 53 : Highway 138

Start – Highway 138 (1805 m)
Finish – Mazama Village (1835 m)
Daily Distance – 23 km
Ascent – ~620 m
Descent – ~470 m

The major downside of sleeping on a picnic bench vs. the ground is the number of times one is required to get out of bed to retrieve ones pillow after it has lemminged to the ground.

Such challenges aside, Crater Lake was as beautiful as I had hoped. In previous days, smoke from the Emigrant fire (currently covering some 26,000 acres) has often been settling within the caldera, making it so that the waters below couldn’t be seen. Today though, the weather Gods were smiling. The azure coloured skies were bettered only by the royal blue waters below. True, the sun was scorching, but if that’s the price for great volcano views, then it’s one that I’m happy to pay.

Plumes of smoke still rose on the horizon, but fortunately far away and not aimed in this direction.

One pleasant surprise was Nate, Nate’s visiting mother and Lena/Birdie handing out trail magic at a view point along the rim trail. Slices of banana bread, orange juice, boiled eggs, and water melon were certainly a welcome restorative. The opportunity to catch up with trail companions was an even greater treat though.

The rest of the day has been taken up with walking the beautiful Rim Trail, taking innumerable photos, trying (unsuccessfully) to book onto a boat tour of the lake, and undertaking a side trip to a watch tower, which were handing out the coveted PCT hang tag. NOBOs had the opportunity to receive them at their start location, whereas SOBOs did not, much to the disgruntlement of many.

I write this now from Mazama Village, a (debatably) one-horse town some 5km south of Rim village and the crater. The camping is free for PCT hikers, but there is little else happening here. My task in the next days will be to figure out my next steps. Walk more, or use my remaining days to road/rail tour West coast America. Both have their appeal. Much of the PCT south of here in Northern California is on fire or smoke effected. However, I would be sad to leave the hiking community behind to embark on my own journey. Most NOBO hikers do seem to have passed me now though as we approach the end of the hiking season and the beginning of the snowy season in Washington. Similarly, many SOBOs will be using vehicles to skip down to near the end of North California to ensure a safe passage through the Sierra Nevada mountains before the winter snows.

Something to sift through tomorrow.