Daily Miles: 22.0, Total Miles: 2011.5 Not much traffic this morning so a fairly difficult hitch out Highway 242 – back on the trail at 10:30am. The trail immediately entered Mt Washington Wilderness and crossed a lengthy basalt flow towards Mt Washington, eventually climbing up the northwest side with good views of the steep walled peak. I crossed the Santiam Highway 20 and stocked up at a water cache. Met a few trail angels leaving some candy treats and I…

Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 1989.5 I had a good rest in Sisters, a nice, friendly little town. I replaced some worn socks and got a few other supplies. Couldn’t pass up a blackberry milkshake before walking back to the motel. I bought a roast beef sandwich and potato salad at the grocery store deli across the street and had a little picnic on the balcony of my motel room.

Daily Miles: 20.3, Total Miles: 1989.5 On the trail early so saw the sunrise over the Three Sisters. Two old forces at work here, firstly, volcanic, and secondly, glacial. I passed by Middle Sister, just over 10,000 ft, and then The Husband, an old volcanic plug to the west. 50 ft high Obsidian Falls was beautiful. The trail was littered with obsidian chips and then walked by hills and outcrops of pure obsidian. I got water at Minnie Scott Spring,…

Daily Miles: 29.6, Total Miles: 1969.2 I got an early start because I was thinking of a side trip to Elk Lake Resort for a late lunch if I can get some early miles in. I passed a number of stagnant ponds and small lakes, most not having much of an outlet. Had to get water from some of the less cloudy ponds. I had hiked nearly 20 miles by 2pm so headed down to Elk Lake off the Island…

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: 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….