Daily Miles: 27.0, Total Miles: 1939.6 I woke up around 1:30am and remembered I had left my SPOT on a railing at the Shelter Cove General Store. I had turned it on there earlier in the evening because it was an open area. Of course, I had to get up immediately and retrieve it. It was so dark, I almost got lost getting back to my campsite. I dried gear in the morning and had a cup of coffee at…
Daily Miles: 26.7, Total Miles: 1912.6 The day started off well enough. Beautiful sunrise and walk up a ridge towards Cowhorn Mountain with views both east and west. I could see down on the fog in the valleys and lakes below. I descended to Summit Lake and the mosquitos were savage, forcing me to put on the head net. I walked to the CG at the north end of the lake and met two campers, Sophie, Lana and Shady, their…
Daily Miles: 30.6, Total Miles: 1885.9 On a relatively clear morning, I continued the climb up and around Mt Thielsen with good views of the sawtooth pinnacles and ridges and Diamond Lake below. The climb crested at a saddle and the highest elevation of the Oregon-Washington PCT at just under 7,600 ft. Just north was dark red Tipsoo Peak. I had lunch overlooking Miller Lake and headed to Six Horse Spring, the last reliable water for 17 miles. It was…
Daily Miles: 26.1, Total Miles: 1855.3 Didn’t rain overnight but the condensation was very heavy. I packed up my wet gear and hiked the five miles to Crater Lake’s Rim Village. Found a scenic spot on the edge of the rim, about 900 ft above the lake, and spread the tent and rain fly out to dry. The precious day’s rain had knocked the smoke down but it was still partly cloudy. I took several pics of this gem of…
Daily Miles: 22.1, Total Miles: 1829.2 I knew that thunderstorms were in the forecast but not at 1:30am. I had to get up and put the rainfly on the tent. The headlamp must have attracted the ground wasps because a few followed me back into the tent. I got stung on the palm of my hand before swatted four more in the tent. Not much better in the morning with a pretty steady drizzle off and on through the day….
Daily Miles: 26.1, Total Miles: 1807.1 Mrs. Haze drove me back to Fish Lake and hiked the first five miles with me which got us in Sky Lakes Wilderness. Had an early lunch and said our goodbyes. The winds shifted and the smoke came back into this area in a big way. The Sky Lakes Basin was barely visible. I hiked around Shale Butte and up to Devil’s Peak Saddle then down to a seasonal creek where I camped nearby….
Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 1781.0 A wonderful few days with Mrs. Haze doing a little wine tasting, touring around the local area, saw Midsummer’s Night Dream at the outdoor theatre, caught a movie and ate a lot. Our favorite, the Morning Glory, where I had a red crab omelette and pancakes with blackberry syrup. Got some good soaks in the motel hot tub. Well rested and ready to go!
Daily Miles: 26.9, Total Miles: 1781.0 A hooting owl woke me up so off to an early start. Passed by south and then east of Howard Prairie Lake. No good views but I could hear a few outboards cranking up. I left BLM land and entered Rogue River NF, got water at Brown Shelter and continued around Brown Mountain. Good views of Mt McLaughlin, a dormant volcano, while traversing lava fields. Overall, a relatively flat hike today. Mrs. Haze, my…
Daily Miles: 27.3, Total Miles: 1754.1 The wind must have shifted during the night because visibility was much improved this morning. I started back on the trail near Highway 99 and headed towards volcanic Pilot Rock, passing several section hikers just starting their journey. I traversed around Hobart Peak and crossed Highway 66 at Green Springs Summit. I stocked up on potable water near the Hyatt Lake entrance road and hiked another four miles to the end of the lake…
Dailly Miles: 0, Total Miles: 176.8 I had a good rest on my zero day in Ashland. I got a call from Mrs. Haze who has been touring Oregon with a good friend. They picked me up tonight for dinner at the Caldera House – blue cheese burger and beer was the order! I will start hiking tomorrow for two days and Mrs. Haze will pick me up near Fish Lake. We will return to Ashland for two days of…
