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…

Daily Miles: 9.0, Total Miles: 1726.8 Coming down into Ashland was like descending into a heavy fog. The Southern Oregon fires west of here are still largely uncontained. I got to the freeway on-ramp near Callahans and quickly got a ride into Ashland and checked into a motel. I need to learn the bus schedule to cut down on walking. A lot of people are wearing masks due to the smoke. The outdoor Shakespeare Theatre performances have even been cancelled…

Daily Miles: 29.1, Total Miles: 1717.8 Last night I finished a book recommended by Mrs. Haze – The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. This is a moving novel about a recent retiree who left his house to walk to his mailbox. He ended up on a 600-mile walk across England. The real story is about the reasons for this journey and his experiences on the way. Suffice to say everyone should hike their own hike. The first…

Daily Miles: 26.7, Total Miles: 1688.7 All of us went over to the Seiad Cafe for breakfast. No one accepted the PCT Pancake Challenge – if you can finish five of their pancakes in a two-hour time limit, you don’t have to pay. Each pancake weighs about one pound. Someone actually finished all five pancakes yesterday, the first time in 5 years. I was told Puma, who I know from earlier on the trail, attempted the Challenge yesterday. The waitress/cook…

Daily Miles: 31.9, Total Miles: 1662.0 I awoke to the smell of smoke in the air. I hiked up and around Black Mountain and several marble outcrops, then descended to Paradise Lake below King’s Castle, a marble block on a ridge above the lake. I headed to Buckhorn Spring for water and then a long, forested descent to the Klamath River via Grider Ridge. I picked my first blackberries on the hike! From the Grider Creek CG, I had a…