Fannypack's PCT2001 August journal w/pics

Day 133- Fri, August 31 - 33.1/2081.0 miles -start- end-2040 -sunny hi-75 -tent next to the trail near Timothy Lake -elevation-3300' Up at 0640 and I talk to Jim from Seattle as he is repairing the string on his gaitors. Hobbit & Jim take off going south. We all want to go to the store one last time before we leave. I am packed at 0710 and head down to the store. I was going to get a bacon cheeseburger but they don't turn on the generator till 0800 and I need the microwave to heat the burger. I get 2 blueberry muffins, an apple, and OJ. I am the 1st to hike out and I find the trail very easy to start out the day. After about 7 miles Dave catches and we talk till we reach Lemiti Creek (10 miles). Here we decide to stop for a break. It is now 1030. George & Hagit join us at 1045 and Marcus & Robin at 1100. Marcus & Robin excitedly tell us about the mountain lion they had just seen. They described the lion as huge and it was only 15 to 20 ft from them. After a 50 minute break I move out. There is a 700 ft climb in the next 3+ miles then we will descend 1700 ft in 6+ miles to Warm Springs River. Today the hiking is under tree cover except for one quick glimpse thru the trees of Mt Hood. The downhill to Warm Springs River was gradual & I got there at 1430. I cooked a dinner and was leaving at 1600 when the Golite 3 plus 2 arrived. I told George that I am trying to make it to Cascade Locks on Sunday nite. To accomplish I would need to do 102 miles in 3 days. So I told George that I want to 30+ today. I climb from the river and it is not bad. I meet a couple hiking south to Hwy 20. My feet are aching this afternoon so I take an Ecotrin tablet and this helps the pain. I arrive at Skyline Road 12 at 1900. I am trying to get to Crater Creek which is another 5.7 miles. After a 25 minute break I hike into the woods north of Skyline Road 12. As I got to Timothy Lake it seemed to be very dark under the tree cover. As it gets dark (2030 or so) I start looking for a flat spot to tent near the trail. At 2040 I founda flat spot so I dropped my pack & setup the tent. I hope I can get started by 0600 or so in the morning. I have 21 miles to Timberline Lodge so I plan to eat a late lunch or an early dinner. Mrs Shaw, will u pls give us a status on Rufus? Where is he? U can e-mail me at mailto:fannypack96@bigfoot.com and I will post your response to my site. We all hope he makes by Sept 7 so he can make the Sept 10 Paris flight. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-31

Day 132- Thu, August 30 - 18.9/2047.8 miles -start-0715 end-1620 -sunny hi-75 -tent at Head Lake near Olallie Lake Resort -elevation-4950' Up at 0620 and hiking at 0715. The climb up from Milk Creek to Russell Creek is a 1200 ft ascent in 4.4 miles and we lose 200 ft after 1.6 miles. I arrive at Russell Creek at 0900 & find Dave, Hagit & George there cooking breakfast. After a not so easy rock hop across Russell Creek I break for 10 minutes & continue on. Just before I reach Jefferson Park there is a sign at a junction & it says something like this: "As off Aug 20 through foot travel only allowed and PCT packages are at the Clackamas Lake Guard Station, 26.5 miles to the north". Since today is Aug 30, I hope that maybe Olallie Lake Resort has re-opened & my package has been moved back there. I have a 5 day food box for the 103 miles to Cascade Locks that I sent from Ashland to Olallie Lake Resort. Currently I have NO snacks & just 2 meals in my food bag. I am hiking in the shadow of Mt Jefferson & I can see very clearly the glaciers on it. In the last few days I have taken allot of pics of Mt Jefferson. I am now walking in Jefferson Park which a very popular camping area. This area is at the foot of Mt Jefferson, it is relatively flat with allot of lakes. At 0945 I come upon Marcus & Robin taking a break. After talking till 1000 I leave to start the 1000 ft climb which will get me into the Mt Hood NF. There is allot of streams in Jefferson Park and I assume most of them are from glacier melt. At 1100 I stop for a break, I am tired and don't have much energy so I decide to see what meals I have in my bag. I find a meal that looks like a soup & I heat water for it. The meal turns out to be potato soup & it was quite good. I layed in this spot till 1200 and then continued the climb. The PCT in this Jefferson Park area is w/o tree cover, for the most part. There are trees just a little ways off the trail. I finally reach the top of the 1000 ft climb at 1225 and am greeted by a sign that says, Entering Mt Hood NF. When I look back to the left I get a great view of Mt Jefferson & when I look to the north (to the right) I see Mt Hood partially covered in snow (glaciers?). Also I think I see Mt St Helens to the left of Mt Hood. As I walk down (north) from this ridge I encounter several snowfields & allot of scree (very slow going). At this point I have about 10 miles to hike to Olallie Lake Resort (http://www.olallielake.com). Most of the trail is downhill to the resort so I hope to make it there by 1600 or so. I pass many lakes & ponds on the way to Olallie. Mt Hood now dominates the views to the north just as Mt Shasta did in northern CA. Since I am from the east I am just amazed at the size (over 10000 ft) of these mtns and also by the amount of snow (glaciers) that is still on these mtns. I remember when I was in Seattle last September how I was blown away by the size of Mt Ranier. I was driving south on I-5 and bam there it was, I mean a huge mtn with snow. I had never seen anything like it. Of course, the Seattle residents don't see Ranier every day either, since it is covered by clouds many days. Well back to my PCT2001 hike. At 1620 I finally see a building from the trail and I believe it is Olallie. As I get to the side trail there are signs on a tree that say: "PCT packages are here (not Clackamas)". What a relief, I yelled, "Yes". I walked the 100 yds or so to the store (which is on the lake) where I found Jim from Seattle sitting on the porch drinking a Budweiser. I had last seen Jim at Sonora Pass which is over 1000 miles ago. He tells me that he got off the trail for 6 wks with feet problems (his toes & front part of gis foot was going numb). He finally got off at I-80. After going to the doctor (& much more) he started hiking south last Saturday. Last nite he camped at Warm Springs River with Phluff and the crew. So that means Phluff & those guys are 2 days ahead of me which makes sense since I took off 2 days in Bend, OR. I meet another SOBO hiker. his name is Hobbit and he is hiking from Manning Park to Castella, CA. Last year he hiked from Campo to Castella. He knows my friend, H. It sure seems like the long distance hiking community is a small world, we see soooooooooo many hikers who know other hikers that we know, it is great. I am glad to be part of this community. I go in the store & get a bacon cheeseburger from the freezer & microwave it. My food box is here, hooray!!! I eat & eat & eat from 1630 till about 1830 when George, Hagit, Marcus, Robin & Dave arrive. After all is said & done I have spent $20+, $5 of it is a fee for holding my package (kinda makes u appreciate the $0 charge at places like Crater Lake NP and Shelter Cove Resort). I see Marcus is wearing a sandal on his left foot, a blister from the new shoes he bought in Bend. I give him some Iodine to put on it. Marcus & Robin's food box is also here. We decide to tent next to Head Lake which is where we left the PCT to come to Olallie . We setup our tents & they start a campfire but I don't join them cause I want to work on my journal. I will try to leave early tomorrow so maybe I can get in a 25+ day, only 102 miles to Cascade Locks. I will take off a day there so I can do my food boxes for the state of WA, i.e., White Pass, Snoqualime Pass, Stevens Pass (Skykomish), & Stehekin. I really can see the end of the hike. Right now I am planning to finish on Sept 30 or Oct 1 and hope to fly to Richmond on Oct 4. I feel so refreshed, full belly, just another day in paradise. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-30

Day 131- Wed, August 29 - 23.4/2028.9 miles -start-0715 end-1845 -sunny hi-80 -tent on PCT at Mill Creek -elevation-4320' Up at 0600 and hiking at 0715. I had only hiked 50 yds when I saw a guy & 2 girls breaking camp. I stopped to speak to them and found that they planned to climb 3 Finger Jack Mtn. Also I noticed something odd, there was a revolver in its holster lying on the ground. The trail carried me along the west slope of 3 Finger Jack Mtn. I reach a ridge just beyond 3 Finger Jack Mtn and as I look down from the ridge I see Dave, George, Hagit, Marcus & Robin. I find out that last nite they also missed the path to Summit Lake so they had hiked about a mile more than me. We hike till 0920 when we take a break at a stagnant pond. I ate a pasta freeze dried meal. I hiked out 1st & everyone passed me as we climbed to Rockpile Lake. We have many views of 3 Finger Jack Mtn. We take another break at Rockpile Lake. We are doing allot of climbing today & equal amount of descending. The trail is mostly dirt so it is easy on our feet. BTW, my feet are feeling much better today. My left heel is not as sore and my right little toe is not so sensitive where the blister was. Just 2.5 miles from Rockpile Lake, everyone has stopped for another break. We have a great view of Mt Jefferson & its glaciers. We see a father & son from WA state who are hiking north. The father lives in Port Angeles where he is reading about the PCT hike of another Port Angeles resident, Marc Logan aka Eaglet. I hike on till I reach Shale Lake. I get there at 1640 & take a 45 minute break thinking everyone will catch me but they don't (they are probably taking a long break somewhere else). I hike the 4.7 miles to Milk Creek & arrive at 1845. We plan to camp but there are very few sites. Also there 6 to 8 others hikers (not thru hikers) already here. So I setup my tent right in the middle of the PCT on the south bank of Milk Creek. The others get here at 1930 and George & Hagit tent. Dave is sleeping w/o a tent. Marcus & Robin decide to hike north on the PCT looking for a campsite. After I ate my dinner, sweet corn chowder, I noticed a mouse running between the rocks next to Dave's campsite. I forgot to say earlier, but today the trail was mostly under tree cover except when we got some views to the south of the Sisters, Broken Top Mtn & 3 Finger Jack Mtn. We had views to the east /southeast of a valley which I assume is where Bend is located. I can hear the roar of Mill Creek and I hope it puts me to sleep. BTW, Milk Creek is a milky color. Allot of the water in Milk Creek comes from glacier melt. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-29

Day 130- Tue, August 28 - 21.0/2005.5 miles -start-0940 end-2005 -sunny hi-79 -tent near PCT just north of side trail to Summit Lake -elevation-6000' Up at 0730 and had breakfast a little later. Susan made us scrambled eggs & also we had watermelon, cantaloupe & sweet rolls. Thx Susan & Mike. We had a one day at Susan & Mike's home and really appreciate the taxiing us around to get our stuff done. We loaded up the VW van about 0830 and Mike drove us to the McKenzie Pass trailhead. After all the good-byes & pics we got on the trail about 0940. We walked on lava rocks & cinders as we climbed 900 ft in 2+ miles. We had some good views. Then we descended 800 ft in 2+ miles. We are planning to stop at the Big Lake Youth Camp and try to get some lunch. After 10 miles I arrive at the camp to find Dave the Tourist, Hagit, George, Marcus & Robin taking a lunch. They had some orange slices from the kitchen but the camp is nearly deserted so no lunch, we must eat out of our food bag. We finally left at 1545. At 1700 we reached the 2000 mile mark & we stopped for a little celebration. We only planned to go 5.5 more miles for a 21 mile day. At 1800 when we reached Hwy 20 we found a cooler left by Jake from Sisters, OR. It had cantaloupes & brownies. At 1830 we hiked on. As it neared 2000 I could see the lake down to my right but I never saw a path to it. So at 2005 I see the PCT is going away from the lake so I figured that I have missed the path to it so since have 4 liters of water I decide to dry camp near the PCT. I heat water & have a freeze dried meal for 2. BTW, I forgot to mention that I a voice msg from Semper Fi Drew, who is hiking the CDT. He says that he has not had internet access for a month so he asked me to give an update on his progress. He hiked into CO from WY on Aug 24 and now he has 700+ miles to complete his CDT hike. He hopes to finish the 1st week of Oct at the CO / NM border. Remember he did NM NOBO before flipping to Glacier NP and hiking south. U may write Drew at mailto:bluedrew76@hotmail.com . Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-28

Day 129- Mon, August 27 - 0.0/1984.2 miles -sunny hi-85 -the home of a PCT hiker named Crown Vic in Bend, OR -elevation-' Up at 0630 and took at bath so I can soak my feet. At 0730 Marcus & Robin wake up. By 0830 we are taking about how we would get back to the trail. We gave the number of a local who has hiked the PCT but then Robin says that Crown Vic lives in Bend & he is off the trail. She calls & Crown Vic aka Mike & his wife are excited to hear from Robin. They say they will drive 2 cars to the motel to pick us up & we will stay at their home. They are planning a big dinner & their 2 sons will also, coincidentally, be here tonight. Their 2 sons, 24 & 26yrs old, are pro mtn bike riders. It is now 1100 & we are at Mike & Susan's home. I have looked at my "schedule" & it appears that it would be wise to skip the Labor Day party at White Pass. Also I must remember when I get to Cascade Locks I will be mailing food to White Pass, Snoqualime Pass, Skyhomish & Stehekin. We went downtown to the PO, I mailed my hiking poles home. I also mailed some letters to Ben Armstrong, a SOBO friend that I am trying to setup with a place to stay in Truckee, CA. Mike, Marcus, Robin & I ate at a Mexican place, goooooooooooood. We took a short side trip to Pilot Butte which overlooks the city. We returned to Mike & Susan's home and lounged till dinner. We had a great dinner, steak, chicken, rice, watermelon, cantaloupe, & some veggies. After dinner we watched Mike's PCT slides from this yr. During a break from the slideshow we saw on the http://pcta.org that there is a section of the PCT closed between Hwy 242 & Hwy 35 because of the Ollalie fire. We are supposed to start this section tomorrow & we thought this fire was contained so we will probably have to call the PCTA office at 0900 tomorrow to see if this closure is for real. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-27

Day 128- Sun, August 26 - 0.0/1984.2 miles -start- end- -sunny hi-90 -room 114 in Dunes Motel (541-382-6811) in Bend, OR -elevation-' Got up this morning at 0130 & took a bath, I had fallen asleep last nite w/o bathing. Back to asleep. Up at 0630 and I decide I am staying until Tuesday, my feet need the rest. We walked up to Greenwood Ave the down about 1/2 mile to the laundromat. Hagit stayed in the room cause her arm is still swollen from a bee sting. We started the laundry and I decided to get some fruit from the grocery across the street & they went to breakfast. I started the dryers & they returned. We walked back to the motel & they went downtown to shop & I stayed in motel to sleep & watch football. I just wanted to rest my feet. They returned about 1800 & then we all except Hagit (Hah-geet) went to eat dinner at Deschute's Brewery. So I really have accomplished nothing today just some R&R. I will be in town tomorrow also & hike out on Tuesday morn. We have about 670+ miles to hike, so if we hike 20 mp day for 34 days we will be done. So if I start on Aug 28, I will have 4 days in Aug and then 30 days in Sept. So if I want to tae a day off I will need to earn it by doing four 25 mile days. When we return to the motel I am asleep quickly. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-26

Day 127- Sat, August 25 - 25.2/1984.2 miles -start-0625 end-1930 -sunny hi-72 -Hwy 242 at McKenzie Pass & then room 114 in Dunes Motel (541-382-6811) in Bend, OR -elevation-5280' Up at 0610 and hiking at 0625. This morning my sleeping is soaked with dew & I have frost on my backpack (I took a pic of this, the frost is the white spot on my pack). Needless to say it is cold. I am hiking out early cause I need a head start on them so I can make the 25+ miles to Hwy 242 around the same time & the rest of the crew. Today I get a view of South Sister right away. I am hiking in the open (across meadows) more today than in the past few days. There is snow and/or glaciers on South Sister. After 2 hrs I pass a couple of backpackers, they are out for 5 days (w/ huge packs). I next see Middle Sister and other backpackers. This is definitely a popular area & it is also the w/e so I also start seeing day hikers as I approach the Obsidian Trail. Just before 1200 I reach Obsidian Falls, a 0 ft falls. 100 yds after the falls I stop for lunch at Obsidian Creek. I have curry & lentil soup, very good. As I get ready to leave (about 1300), here comes everyone, Marcus & Robin, Dave, George & Hagit. I finally leave at 1340, a 1 hr 50 min break, it was nice. While taking lunch break I probably saw 10 backpackers & 15 day hikers. As I leave Obsidian Creek I am walking on pieces of "rock" that look like pieces of glass. This area has been formed & shaped by much volcanic activity. I meet & talk with more day hikers, they are interested in the details of my hike. I must get going I have 12 miles to hike to Hwy 242. Soon I am hiking thru lava rock & the the trail somehow twists & climbs up to a pass where the trail turns north & we begin to descend to tiny Minnie Scott spring. The hiking in this area is slow & tough cause u are hiking on lava rocks. As I get to the spring Marcus & Robin join me for a break. After drinking water we agree that we have 7.4 miles to Hwy 242. BTW, Hwy 242 is not a main road, it closed during the winter. It is a paved road but we don't expect much traffic except from the trailhead parking nearby. So we need to hustle to get to the road before dark. I leave Minnie Scott Spring at 1625 and start hiking on what I think will be mostly a downhill stretch to the road. Well it is very slow going & my feet are aching. On the map there is a area called "the cinder field" and that is exactly what it is. We hike on small cinders. Fortunately it is is not very hot, 70+ degrees or so. There is some slow steep climbs, all downhill, yeah right..... ugh!!!!!!! (OH MY ACHING FEET). We are about 4 miles from the road when we finally start walking on some dirt & under tree cover. We pass a couple of lakes with tents setup. Robin passes me at this point. I am pushing to get down to the road. We get to a trail junction that is 1.1 miles from Hwy 242. Everyone is here now, 1900 and I hike out 1st. We are hiking on lava rock& cinders & it is a difficult way to end the day. I can see people on the road but it just seems like we are taking forever to get to the road. I FINALLY reach the road at 1930 and I walk to the right (east) to where I had seen the people. I walk about 1/10 mile & I reach a parking lot across from a stone building. This stone building is an observatory that tourists use to view the surrounding area. I sit down to rest, I am exhausted, only 25.2 miles but it did a number on my feet. I start talking with a family just as a van comes around the corner & I stick out my thumb & the van stops. The door opened & it is Dave & the rest of the crew inside. The driver is Christian & he & his friend, Robin are returning from Eugene. They live in Bend. So once again we have lucked out. Since it is now 2000 & it is starting to get cool, we would have not had many more opportunities to get a ride. Christian says he will drive us around Bend checking out motels & also show us the hot spots in town. We end up at the Dunes Motel and Marcus, Robin & I share a room (room 114) and George, Hagit & Dave share a room (room 111). It is now 2130 so we go to eat. Marcus, Robin & I do pizza & George, Hagit & Dave choose Chinese. We walk to Albertson's (2 blocks) to get Ben & Jerry's, Wendy's was closed. We return to the room at 2300 & I am tired. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-25

Day 126- Fri, August 24 - 27.3/1959.0 miles -start-0710 end-2100 -sunny hi-72 -camp at Sisters Mirror Lake -elevation-5980' Up at 0630 and I have water in my tent again. I wonder if all this water could be condensation. I will have to do some experiments in the back yard when I get back to VA. It is in the middle forties so I am in a hurry to start hiking and I am on the trail at 0710. Once again the hiking is "easy", a lot of tree cover and it appears that I will see the sun today. I hike by many lakes, such as Brahma, Jezebel, stormy, Blaze, Tadpole, Mink & Cliff. I took a break at Tadpole Lake where I sat in the sun on a log and ate cheese crackers with peanut butter & also some Fig Newtons, I guess u can call this breakfast. At about 1230 I meet a couple day hiking from Elk Lake Resort & at this point I have hiked 13+ miles and hope to make 30 today. This couple is day hiking to Cliff Lake, having lunch & then hiking back to Century Dr. Hikers had heard the rumor that Elk Lake Resort was burnt down, well I guess not, and at this point I start thinking of a bacon cheeseburger. I hiked about another hour when I come upon a group of hikers taking a break on the trail next to a lake. As I come closer I see George then Hagit, Marcus & Robin, Dave (Big Dave, all 6'8" of him) & Amy. This is the 1st time that I had met Amy, she is hiking Oregon. I find out that they are going to Elk Lake Resort for burgers so that settles it, I am going. We have 6.6 miles to the side trail to the resort. Everyone walks off except George, he stays & hikes with me & talk about what has happened since Ashland. George tells me that they had come upon a cross country ski cabin within a mile of the Maiden Peak Trail. The cabin is not in the guidebook cause it was built in 1999. The cabin is in the 1st 7 miles north of Hwy 58 and there is no path from the PCT to this cabin but they just happened to notice it & bushwhacked 100 or so yds to investigate it. It was raining & cool so they lit the stove & ended up staying in this cabin from 10 or 11 one day since 1200 the next day. I wondered how I had caught up with them, they had been 2 days ahead of me. I also found out that they were going to take some days off in Bend, OR (FYI, Bend is 35 miles from the trail at McKenzie Pass at Hwy 242). We got to Elk Lake Resort before 1630 and I had a bacon cheeseburger, a couple of Mtn Dews, and Ben & Jerry's Aloha Macadamia (sp?). We are hiking another 4.5 trail miles to Sisters Mirror Lake plus the 1.5 back to the PCT. We leave about 1630 and soon all of them are out of sight. We have 1000+ ft climb before we drop down to the lake. We meet same horse riders that we saw on our way into the resort. One o the horses is spooked by our presence & doesn't want to pass. We have been told the horses are sometimes scared by our backpacks. I am told that the proper thing to do when u meet a horse on the trail is to get on the downside of the trail so u will seem smaller to the horse or less threatening. It is dark when I reach the campsite. I decide to NOT setup my tent cause the I will be able to leave quicker in the morning. I have decide I will go to Bend with them. For the 1st time this town stop will be more about resting & getting my feet in better shape than eating. My heel of my left foot is bruised & my little toe on my right foot had a little blister than continues to irritate me. Hot water & allot of rest should help both of these ailments. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-24

Day 125- Thu, August 23 - 23.0/1931.7 miles -start-1020 end-1920 -sunny hi-60 -tent at Rifle Lake -elevation-5575' Up at 0500 to make several calls to the East coast & send e-mail. It is still raining, hard at times. I am having my waterproof camera sent to Cascade Locks, OR cause I am afraid the rainy weather in WA will make my digital camera unusable. I am having my 20 degree sleeping bag sent to Cascade Locks also. At a little before 1000 with my wet tent packed I start walking the road to the trail. I am walking up to the Hwy 58 trailhead when Jim, the owner at Shelter Cove Resort stops to give me a ride in his pickup. When I reach Hwy 58 I am joined by Bohdi & Barefoot, Allen, P'noid. As we start walking I am told that P'noid got into Phluff's pants this morning.... finally. More details later. We hiked about 3 miles to Middle Rosary Lake where they decided to take a break but I didn't want to stop cause it was so cool & breezy. The sun is peeking from behind the clouds but it below 60 degrees, a great day for hiking. I came upon a couple I saw at Shelter Cove, they are drying out their tent, etc. While climbing the next hill I see a SOBO couple who are hiking from Hwy 242 to Hwy 58. This section seems to be very popular because of the Sisters and all the lakes along the trail. I am hiking under tree cover & have very few views. After 17 miles I reach a side trail to Charlton Lake. I am taking a break when a few college age kids run by, one of them has been swimming. As I leave from the Charlton Lake area I see about more kids down by the lake. This seems to be a popular spot. I continue to hike hoping to get 25 or so miles today. As I get closer to Irish Lake I walk thru a burned area. This area is very flat & it is easy walking. When I get to the road next to Irish Lake I look for the campground 1/4 mile off the trail but I don't see it. So I decide to walk another 8/10 mile to Rifle Lake where I tent & cook dinner (actually boil water for a freeze dried entree) before dark. I really am surprised that the 20 something crew of hikers has not showed up or passed me. Before getting in my tent I must use my pack towel t wipe out the water. It has been a great day, 23 miles and the rain held off & it appears that the clouds are moving out but I am disappointed to be camping alone. Now for the rest of the story. Yesterday P'noid washed her socks & shorts in the lake & put them next to the bonfire at Shelter Cove Lake. The elastic in the waistband of her shorts melted so she got a pair of shorts from Phluff, so this is how P'noid got in Phluffhead's pants....finally and now u know the rest of the story. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-23

Day 124- Wed, August 22 - 18.2/1907.1 miles -start-0755 end-1440 -rainy & cloudy hi-63 -tent at Shelter Cove Resort site#33 -elevation-5003' Up at 0330 working on my journal then back to sleep. Finally up at 0600, complete my journal, finish the dried fruit & begin to pack. It looks like there is a campground 1.6 miles from here & only 200 yds off the trail. I will get water at the campground. I start hiking at 0755 & when I reach the campground I see there is no faucet so I get water from the lake. Then I begin what appears to be a 1000 ft climb but in fact it is a 1500 ft climb. There are a few views of Summit Lake as well as Cowhorn Mtn but Mt Thielsen is hidden by the clouds. The rain last night only dampened the trail & by 1200 the dust is beginning to fly. At 1215 I felt a few raindrops. I dropped my pack & put my camera inside several zip-lock bags & put it inside my pack. I also put on my rain jacket & continued hiking. It did not rain hard & only lasted about 30 minutes before tapering off to intermittent (sp?) showers. At 1400 I come a fella with a long black & long black hair and he is bending over his pack. His name is Jerry & he is hiking Oregon but he says he must get off the trail at Williamette Pass to correct a gear problem. I hiked on & reached Pengra Pass at 1440 & then took a right on a dirt road that lead 1.2 mile to a railroad track. I managed to slide down from the railroad track to a hard surface road. I then went 1 mile to Shelter Cove Resort. I found the following hikers there: Phluffhead, Allen, Bohdi & Barefoot, Paranoid. About 1200, Earthsurfer, No Worries & Ahab had hitched into Eugene. All of the above except Bohdi & Barefoot completed the 52 mile hike (death march, IMHO) to Shelter Cove Resort. I got some food & too many soft drinks and also got a shower ($1.50 for 3 min, very hot water), did laundry ($1 for wash, $1 for dry - 60 min, $1 for laundry detergent). I got my re-supply box & I have entirely too much food (I have eating at too many cafes & not out of my food bag) to make it to Ollalie Lake where I have my next re-supply box. Fred & Booj hiked in about 1730. Then Josh & Rob hiked in after 1900 . They need to hitch back to their car on Hwy 138. I talked to Tripod (he lives in Portland) about the Labor Day hiker feed at White Pass & he is going. Also we spoke about "problem" with the PO in Cascade Locks. It is really a timing problem cause the PO is not open on Saturdays so that means I need to make it the PO at Cascade Locks by 5pm on Fri, Aug 31 or I will have to wait till Tue, Sep 4 at 0830. There is 9 hiking days from now till Fri, Aug 31 including Fri and there is 243 miles from here to Cascade Locks. So if I hiked 8 days of 30 miles a day I can make it to the PO before the w/e. I will try to do this. Note to everyone: it is my understanding that there is no phone for us to use at Ollalie Lake Resorts or it is possible that I will not be sending another journal update until Timberline Lodge (near Mt Hood). BTW, Shelter Cove Resort & Marina is a nice clean place & the staff is hiker friendly. They are adding more cabins. I forgot to mention that Semper Fi Drew, mailto:bluedrew76@hotmail.com , left me a voice msg about a week ago saying he was just entering Colorado. Drew hiked the AT in 1999, the PCT in 2000 and in 2001 he has hiked New Mexico NOBO, then Montana, Idaho, & Wyoming SOBO. All he has to do is complete Colorado & he will have the Triple Crown. Also do not forget about 2 hiker "gathering" coming up on the last w/e in Sept (west of Stevens Pass, WA) & the 1st w/e in Oct (Hanover, NH). Checkout http://www.aldhawest.org and http://www.aldha.org for more details. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-22

Day 123- Tue, August 21 - 33.1/1888.9 miles -start- end- -sunny hi-70 -tent on the south shore of Summit Lake -elevation-5560' Up at 0625 and everyone is gone. I took a pic of the camel & spoke to his owner. This guy is from Sweet Home, OR and is doing 100 miles of the PCT in OR. I hike out at 0715. Once again the grade of the trail is nice & easy. It very cool this morning, 48 degrees. I come upon a guy hiking south & he tells me he has seen all my buddies & from talking with him it sounds like No Worries & Earthsurfer made into camp last nite after I fell asleep. He says Noid is only a 1/2 hr ahead. I reach Tolo Camp (a flat spot with water 1/3 mile away) at 1245 & find Noid taking a break. She says that she left camp this morning at 0545 & hoped to make it to Summit Lake which another 17 miles or so. I heated up some stove top stuffing. Noid left around 1315 & I stayed till about 1400. As I started hiking I was a little sluggish from the meal but soon picked up the pace since I too wanted to get to Summit Lake to camp. I reached Windigo Pass about 1600 and sat down, took off my shoes & socks and rubbed my aching feet. At this point I have 11+ miles to go to the lake & the 1st 4 miles are up. Most of the trail today is dirt or duff, only a few times do we walk on rocks. As I approach the end of the climb I see Cowhorn Mtn, a popular destination for rock climbers. After I pass a ridge very close to Cowhorn, I get my 1st view of Summit Lake. It is big & appears to have some sandy shores. I now have 7 miles of downhill hiking to the lake & I finally arrive at the south shore bout 2015. I see an orange tent and approach it to see if its owners have seen Noid or any of the other hikers. These hikers are Josh & Rob from Portland & they hiking from Hwy 138 to Hwy 58. They say they saw the girl with a red bandana & 2 guys about a 1/2 hr ago. They had been sitting on the shore then they hiked on. As I talked to Josh & Rob I felt some raindrops & I asked if it was okay to camp here. They said no problem. After I sat up my tent, we talked about the AT vs the PCT and more. Rob gave me some nuts & dried fruit, he said I could use it more than them. Thx Rob & Josh. About 2115 I got in the tent, ate a little & feel asleep. bTW, I have 19 miles to hike to Shelter Cove Resort. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-21

Day 122- Mon, August 20 - 25.8/1855.8 miles -start-0940 end-2025 -sunny hi-72 -tent at Thielsen Creek Trail -elevation-6960' Up at 0645 and I have decided to go to breakfast at the cafe in the Rim Village. Allen & Ahab hike and everyone (No Worries, Earthsurfer, Noid, Phluff) come to the cafe. The cafe opens at 0800. We also see the SOBO couple, Dan & Lauri, at breakfast. Earthsurfer gets a bowl of rocky road soft serve ice cream for breakfast & the rest of us eat a more conventional breakfast. I hike out at 0940. The trail goes along the edge of the rim of Crater Lake. After a couple of miles I decided to walk on the road (West Rim Drive) parallel to the trail. One advantage of walking on the road is that I got to read all the signs at the overlooks. After 5 miles of hiking we leave the Rim & head north. I see a couple backpacking south, just say hi & keep moving. We are trying to 25+ miles to Thielsen Creek, the 1st on trail water in this segment since the Rim Village. We come upon a register & I see that Hagit & George, Marcus & Robin signed in on 8-18, Sat so they are still only 2 days ahead of us even though we did 2 short days on Sat & Sunday. The walking is easy, not much up & down. At a little after 1600 I come upon Phluff, Allen & Ahab and we all walk over to Hwy 138. At Hwy 138 I cook dinner & take an hour break. They hike on. A trail angel has left water on the north side of Hwy 138. I take a quart of water for the next 8.5 mile hike to Thielsen Creek. The 6+ mile hike up is on a easy grade & we are in the shade of the trees. The temperature never got above 72 today. At one point on the way up we look back to the left & we can see the mountains that surround Crater Lake. About 2.5 miles from Thielsen Creek Noid catches me. She passes me. With 1 mile to go to the creek I look down to the left and I think I see a tent down in the valley. When I finally reach the creek I look up to the right to see snow still on the north side of Mt Thielsen. I get water & continue on a 1/10 mile to a campsite where Allen, Phluff & Ahab have setup. It is now 2025 & it is very cool & almost dark. I hurried setup my tent & get in. BTW, there are other campers next to us that have a camel packing their gear. Phluff, Allen, Ahab & Noid are still talking about getting up at 0230 & hiking 52 miles tomorrow to Shelter Cove Resort. Not me. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-20

Day 121- Sun, August 19 - 4.7/1830.0 miles -start-1540 end-1720 -sunny hi-85 -stealth camp down from the West Rim Drive about 2/10 mile from the gift shop -elevation-7075' Up at 0830. I got a very bad cramp in my left hamstring again this morning just like last nite in the restaurant. Last nite I took 3 Ecotrin & the cramp was gone in 5 minutes. At 1030, everyone (Phluff, Allen, Danny, Lisa & I) are ready hike up the path the 3/4 mile to the car at he Lightning Spring trailhead parking. In the parking lot Allen I meet Richard from the Bay area & Lanita from Portland and we talk a little about the hike. Lisa takes Allen & I to the restaurant at the Rim Village and goes back fro Danny & Phluff. Allen & I are too late for breakfast but the bacon cheeseburger & fries is good. I meet an employee who is stuffing straws in a container & she tells me she is from Mars. She is talking to the ice cream machine. We talk to a couple from CA named Dennis & Isis. Dennis told us about hiking near Tuolumne in the 60s. He was curious about our hiking poles, my Black Diamond & Phluff's Leki. He says he only has a wooden hiking stick. Danny was telling me he belongs to a travel club where he is able to get great price reductions for plane fares & motel rooms. The site is http://??places.com . Right now I am thinking about a flight from Seattle to Richmond on Oct 4. This would mean that I need to be in Manning Park by Oct 1 so I can then travel back to Seattle. Becky, if u are reading this could u pls check to see if there are any good fares for this flight & let me know. I hope to have a ticket purchased by Sept 15 or when I am at White Pass in WA on Hwy 12 (milepost 2298). Allen & I hitch down to Mazama Village to resume hiking but we must get some Ben & Jerry's first. We see Fred & Booj are Mazama Village & they are going to the AYCE at The Watchman tonite. Allen & I have already changed our hiking plans for the day, instead of 15+ miles, we will hike to the Rim Village & go to the AYCE again tonite. Oh, Fred & Booj saw Earthsurfer this morning at 1030 and they believe he hiked up to the Rim Trail. After eating tonite we will probably hike a short distance on the the Rim Trail before camping, maybe we will stay near Discovery Point (a great view of Crater Lake & Wizard Island. Well it 1530, we will start the 5 mile hike to the Rim shortly. See ya there. I started hiking up the road from the Mazama Village and took a left on Annie Spring trail which leads 6/10 mile to the PCT. Before reaching the PCT I meet Abby who lives in the Virgin Islands. She was dayhiking down from the Rim. She had just had a long conversation with Earthsurfer. The hike was relatively easy except for the last mile which was steep. When I reached the restaurant I found Earthsurfer outside saying he was not going to eat the buffet. Finally we talked him into joining us. I went upstairs to The Watchman restaurant & found Paranoid aka Noid who did the AT NOBO in 1999 and Ahab who did the AT SOBO in 1999. Besides meeting both of them on the AT, I also saw Ahab working for Mtn Man in Damascus in 2000. We asked the hostess to seat the 4 of us together. Then Allen & Phluff hiked in. Then came The Honeymooners, Brent & Amy, who taken off 2 weeks to go to weddings in Ohio & NC. Also a SOBO thru-hiker couple named Lori & Dan(?) joined us. Then finally came No Worries aka Eric. I just learned that Brent knew Earthsurfer from the AT in 1997. Correction, I believe the website that Danny was talking about should be http://bestfares.com . The AYCE was good again but I couldn't eat as much as yesterday. We all finally left the restaurant about 2000 and we all filled up with water cause the next 26 miles are waterless. After taking a few pics by the lake, we decide to stealth camp down from the West Rim Drive about 2/10 mile from the gift shop. We got a spot down in the trees & it seemed a little warmer than on the Rim. BTW, Earthsurfer said that this mornung he had frst n everything. He was camped near Mazama Village. Here camping are the following: Allen, Ahab, No Worries, Phluff, Noid, Earthsurfer & me. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-19

Day 120- Sat, August 18 - 10.3/1825.3 miles -start-0655 end-1045 -sunny hi-85 -Hwy 62 near Mazama Village the tent at Lightning Spring campground off of the West Rim Drive -elevation-6108' Up at 0500 finishing journal for yesterday. Back to bed at 0535, it is getting a little light outside. All of us, Allen, Phluff & I, are hiking at 0655. The terrain is very easy, a few ups but it is all good. Remember I only have 10.3 miles to Hwy 62 then 1.3 to the campground at Crater Lake. At 0948, I get to a sign that says 2.9 miles to Hwy 62 and at this point I start to pick it up. I arrive at the road at 10:45 and walk down to the campground. I forgot to mention that this part of the PCT is on the edge of a desert, the water is scarce. As I get to the entrance to Mazama Village (the campground, etc) I see Earthsurfer, Allen & Phluff hitching to the PO (4.5 miles). As I walk away a ranger picks them up, of course, he tells them they are not supposed to hitch in a NP. Well it is 1130, I need to get some food, shower & do laundry. Washed clothes & got a shower and boy do I feel good. My food box that I UPS'd from Ashland was here. Unlike the PO, UPS seems very reliable. I hope o be in Shelter Cove Resort on Wed. It is about 80 miles north of Crater Lake. About 1230, Allen, Phluff & Earthsurfer returned from the PO. Also Bohdie & Lisa showed up also, they have been hanging out here for a couple of days waiting for there maildrop. Earthsurfer has ended his fast after 4 days of NOT eating and he is hitching to Klamath Falls to go grocery shopping. Actually he is craving a veggie burger which is kinda hard to find outside of a large town. Bohdie & Lisa are hiking north a short ways. Allen, Phluff & I are waiting for Phluff's friends to arrive. We are going to The Watchman restaurant on the Rim of Crater Lake for the AYCE meal for $11.95. We anticipate Phluff's friends arriving at 1900 and they will stay the nite. It is 1600 and we are yogiing a friend to the Rim. Allen talks to Roger, a park employee, and asked about getting a ride to the Rim. He said sure, let me call my wife, Becky and she will give u a ride. Well, Roger had been joking with us earlier so I wasn't sure he was serious about the ride. But true to his word, a Lincoln pulls up about 1615 and Becky gives us a ride to the Rim. Roger & Becky live in the NP during the season & in Drain, OR during the winter. Becky told us that the road to the Rim is kept clear all winter so u can drive to the Rim but not around the 33 mile road around the Rim (around Crater Lake). I took several pics of Crater Lake & Wizard Island as well as the placards describing the creation of Crater Lake. Hoping u can read the writing in this pics, the creation of Carter Lake is a very interesting process. We sat in cafe ("burger joint") until they closed at 1800 & then we took our packs upstairs to the waiting area for The Watchman restaurant. Allen was already seated so I went over & joined him. Phluff had already said his friends were driving from Seattle & may not arrive till 1900 or 2000 so he didn't mind if we starting eating but he said he would wait. Allen & I began eating the AYCE buffet which included salmon, ham, ribs, meat lasagna, veggie lasagna, baked chicken, chicken wings, baked potato, mashed potatoes, corn, chocolate pudding, carrot cake, Jello, plenty salad bar items including melon & cantaloupe. Also for the $11.95 a beverage was included & once again I had lemonade & it was gooooooooooooooooood. A little after 2030 Danny & his wife, Lisa, arrived. They currently live in Atlanta after recently moving from Tuscaloosa, AL (Danny is an Arkansas fan). Danny told us how he had listened to Bill Bryson's book, "A Walk in the Woods" on tape & then decided to listen to or read the rest of Bryson's books. Danny also mentioned a program that Kracker Barrel stores offers. If u get a tape from one Kracker Barrel u can trade it for another tape at a different store. So if are driving around the country it would be beneficial for u to the locations of the Kracker Barrel stores (I'll try to get a list for yall... Is such a list on the web?) We had decided to camp at Lightning Spring campground which is a couple of miles from the restaurant on the west side of Crater Lake. Lisa gave Allen & I a ride to the trailhead & we hiked down about 3/4 mile to the campsites. Lisa returned to restaurant to pickup Phluff & Danny. Everyone was at the campsite shortly after 2030. I went to my tent to work on my journal. Phluff started a fire and it is 2315 & everyone is sittin' 'round the campfire except me. I am too tired to join them so I say Good nite to all. Pics from 2001-08-18

Day 119- Fri, August 17 - 31.1/1815.0 miles -start-0720 end-2035 -sunny hi-85 -tent approx. 10 miles south Hwy 62 -elevation-6180' Up at 0600 and on the trail at 0720. I hiked till 0830 in tree cover until I reached Christi Spring. When I went down for water i found Earthsurfer camped. BTW, Earthsurfer is fasting for the 5 hiking days from Ashland to Crater Lake. He is only drinking water with maple syrup and fresh lemons added. I think he is getting a little weak today but he says he is fine. He says he does this to cleanse the body. At 0900, I continued to hike and in this section of the trail there a nice dirt tread way & the tree cover is great. About 1100, we are encountering more rocks on the trail and more of the trail is blasted out of rock. We have a view of the valley down to our right. This valley appears to plots of farmland. We are hiking at around 6000 ft so we are above the many lakes in Oregon. Allen finally passes me about 1200 and Phluff comes by at 1345 while I am taking my lunch break. I ate a large packet of tuna for lunch. Well break is over & I must continue to climb to 7000+ ft. I hadn't seen Earthsurfer since 0900, I hope he is ok with his fasting regiment. As I as descending towards Honeymoon Creek, our last water source before Crater Lake, I come upon Allen & Phluff lounging next to a babbling brook. Of course I stopped to lounge. Earthsurfer joins us & tells that he had to go do the Snow Lakes Trail for water. He said the water was not much more than mud holes. At 1600 we hiked on & arrived at our last water for 13 miles. I got 4 liters & then went on. We are now 20 miles from Hwy 62 which leads 1.3 miles to a campground at Crater Lake NP. We want to get to somewhere around 10 mies from Hwy 62 so we will have an easy walk in tomorrow. Oh, since tomorrow is Saturday we may be able to do some yogiing in the campground. Also hopefully they have Ben & Jerry's at the camp store. Earthsurfer goes to Jack Spring and it is DRY, NO WATER, Tony Measures, pls pass this on to others. Earthsurfer hikes on ahead of us. We stop about 2035. It is still a little light but we have to use our headlamps to set up camp. It appears that we have 10.3 miles to the Hwy 62. I am tented about 5 ft from the trail. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-17

Day 118- Thu, August 16 - 18.4/1783.9 miles -start-0940 end-1945 -sunny hi-90 -tent at Summit Lake -elevation-5840' Up at 0600 doing my journal for yesterday & finished at 0730. We messed around and finally we were ready to leave at 0930 or so. SOBOers, Dave & Beth Ann, a couple from north of Philly, walk in just as we are about to leave. They hiked the AT in 1997 and they know my father, Tex. They met Tex in DWG (Delaware Water Gap) and saw him on & off up to Vermont. They are hiking the state of Oregon & will finish in Ashland. Dave & Beth Ann, pls e-mail me, mailto:fannypack96@bigfoot.com cause I forgot to get your e-mail, thx. I may try to make the 1997 reunion at Bears Den, what is the date for this?? We hiked out at 0940 & I am still thinking about going to Fish Lake Resort for lunch. It is 10 miles to Hwy 140 & then 2 miles or so to Fish Lake Resort. After an hr everyone leaves me behind but I still feel like I am moving at a good pace. We are in the sum about 1/3 of the 10 miles & we are walking on allot of volcanic rocks, like cinders. The trail is not hard as we traverse around the foot of Brown Mtn. We have a good view of Mt McLouglin as we get closer to Hwy 140. I take a 15 minute break at 1140. When I reach Hwy 140 at 1305 Allen is hitching to Fish Lake Resort. At 1330 we have still not got a ride so I start walking & hitching towards the resort. After 20 minutes a fella from Medford picks me up. He said he stopped cause he thought my hiking poles on the back of my pack was a fishing rod, he is a fisherman. He asks if the 2 guys hitching are my friends & I said yes so he said he would go back & pick them up. He dropped me off & picked Allen & Phluff up & brought them to the resort. Thx sir for your kindness, I never did get your name. Thx again. Well, u guesses it a bacon double cheeseburger & it is gooooooooooooooood. We plan to hike 13 more miles today. It is now 1500 so we are leaving soon to get back to the trail. To summarize Fish Lake Resort, their prices are high & their food is decent. A 12 oz soda is $1 & 32 oz of Gatorade is $2.25 . After a few phone calls, one to my dad to ask for the use of his pack cover. My sister will mail it & another pair of shoes somewhere before WA. We finally headed back to the trail about 1615 and we walked all the way (2+ miles) back to the PCT. At 1720 I started a 4 mile hike with an elevation gain of 1000 ft. 1st we got water from a stream that is running so hard. The stream is right next to the trail on the north side of Hwy 140. The climb was very gradual & as usual Allen & Phluff were out of my sight. I was under tree cover for the climb and did the 4 miles in 1 hr 10 minutes. The next 4 miles were down hill & I got to the sidetrail to Summit at 1945. When I got there Phluff & Allen were waiting. We had done 18 miles for the day & we decided to stop because we had water & a place to camp. We have 42 miles to Crater Lake so we hope to 25 to 30 miles tomorrow so we have a short day into Crater Lake on Saturday. We cook dinner after setting up our tents. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-16

Day 117- Wed, Augusr 15 - 23.4/1765.5 miles -start-0940 end-2030 -sunny hi-90 -South Brown Mtn Shelter -elevation-5360' Up at 0630 and went to payphone to send journal but I cannot get the payphone to cooperate. The restaurant opens at 0830 so I will wait & do breakfast & ask Mr McQuire to use his phone. It is an 800 call. Then i will start walking about 0900 & I hope to do 25 miles today. Yesterday, I forgot to mmention Meadow Eds' plans: catch a bus to Skyhomish, WA then go to Stehekin to hang out. Also I am hoping to line up some "trail magic" for Ben, the SOBOer, so if anyone is willing to take Ben in for a shower & a meal, pls let me know. Ben doesn't have an e-mai address so I will get a msg to him thru his parents. It is a very lonely hike southbounding & most of the support system available to NOBOers is non-existent for SOBOers. Contact me if u are interested in meeting Ben, he is a vegetarian so that makes his hike a little more difficult. Back to the Green Springs Inn, it is 0830 & they are open for breakfast. Mr McQuire lets me use his phone to do my e-mail thing. Thx Mr McQuire. For breakfast, I eat a bowl of oatmeal, french toast, & a cinnamon raisin bun. Finally at 0940 I am walking up the road to the trail crossing at Hyatt Lake Resort. I don't see much smoke in the sky and don't smell any smoke. Today the trail iis very easy on my feet and there is not a huge amount of elevation gain/loss but we do seem to be constantly going up & down. I am in & out of tree cover so I am getting a little hot by 1200. There are only a few views today, one is of Howard Prarie Lake which doesn't seem to be as low at Hyatt Lake. At 1330 I come upon Allen aka The Cartoon Ostrich, Earthsurfer & Phluff at the canal just before Grizzly Creek. They have been here for 1.5 hrs & stayed at the Hyatt Lake campground last nite. They say that they are only doing 20 miles a day till Crater Lake so they will arrive Saturday afternoon. They plan to stay at Brown Mtn Shelter tonite which is 12 miles more. I start hiking with Earthsurfer but soon I must stop for a break & he moves on. We are crossing many roads today, most o f them are logging roads. I reach the boundary of the Rogue River National forest at 1640. I have completed the last climb of the day, so it is all downhill (6 miles) to the shelter from here. I reach Dead Indian Memorial Hwy at 1820 and I cross the road & sit down on my pack. The shelter is only 1.5 miles ahead. I am thinking about hitching to Lake of the Woods restaurant. I have sat at road crossings many times in the past hoping that someone may stop & do some magic for me. Well, I have NEVER had anyone stop but today is my lucky day. I am looking at the Oregon state hwy map when a white pickup puts on its brakes & pulls into th trailhead parking lot. A fella with a short white beard gets out of his truck & walks towards me. I asked him, "which way to Lake of the Woods"? He points to the east. He says he can give me a ride after he picks up a cooler that he has on the trail. We get to the cooler with sodas & a register and I tell him that I walked right by it, I missed it. He takes me to the restaurant & as we pull in he asks if I mind if he joins me & that he could take me back to the trail. Of course, I said pls join me. He had coffee & apple pie and I had the usual, bacon cheeseburger with baked potato w/ sour cream & butter and a garden salad and lemonade. On this trip I have drank more lemonade than I had drank my entire life. I 5 or glasses of lemonade. I find out that the trail angel's name is Lance & he lives in Sacramento. He is returning home tomorrow from his summer home near here. He is a semi-retired teacher & currently teaches a couple of classes at a community college. I get his e-mail so maybe I visit him when I am driving around the country in Oct & Nov visiting hiker friends. I go to the store to get something for the fellas at the shelter & Lance gives me 4 sodas. He returns me to the trail a little after 2000 after the 7 to 8 mile drive back from Lake of the Woods on Dead Indian Hwy. I get to the shelter about 2030 with the sodas & chocolate chip cookies and find Phluff, Allen & Earthsurfer sitting around a campfire. They had wondered why it was taking me so long to get here but now they know. I tell the that Fish Lake Resort (10 trail miles north of the shelter) store opens at 0800 & the restaurant opens at 1100. The resort is about 2 miles west from the PCT on Hwy 140. I had called to confirm their hrs cause they are closed a couple days a week (not sure what days). They tell me that they will probably start hiking tomorrow sometime after 0900. It looks like there is a spring 23 miles north of here (no water at 20 miles, which is what they want to hike each day to Crater Lake) so that is probably where we will go to tomorrow. I forgot to mention that Lance said he has noticed thru-hikers in the last few yrs seem to be enjoying themselves more than past yr s. He said several yrs ago many of the hikers seemed to be suffering from withdrawal or from being isolated from others. I would suggest that many hikers today are realizing that they are not just out here to hike but they should enjoy themselves, after all they are on vacation. Another day in paradise. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-15

Day 116- Tue, August 14 - 17.3/1738.8 miles -start-1340 end-2005 -sunny hi-85 -Hwy 66 at Green Springs Summit, then to room at Green Springs Resort -elevation-4551' Up at 0530 finishing up packing my food drops. Went to breakfast at 0800 at a little coffee shop between E. Main St & Lithia Way on First St. This place has internet connection, $2 an hr, boy this is cheap. Also this coffee shop is only a block from the PO. 0855, I am waiting for the PO to open & then I will catch the bus out to the place to UPS 2 of my pkgs. After the UPS stop I will hitch to the trail, of course, I will stop along the way to get some food & drink (if possible). BTW, I have to hitch a couple miles to I-5 then 13 miles south on I-5 to Exit 6 (Mt Ashland exit). Maybe I will go to Callahans to eat & see what hikers are there. I feel rested ready to go. I hope 30 mile days in Oregon are as easy as I have been told they are. The public library is 1 block over & 2 blocks up from the PO (Third St & E. Main St). There is also a taxi called Ashland Taxicab, didn't use them si I don't know the rates. Did the UPS thing, caught the bus (25 cents to anywhere in Ashland including near I-5 near Hwy 66) & saw Bodhi hitching north on I-5. Bodhi said he  & his girlfriend, I think  just hitched up from San Diego to Seiad Valley. There was a sign at the PO saying the smoke from the fire was bad or something like that so they decided to hitch to Crater Lake to get around the fires. It is 1030 & Bodhi just got a ride. I am looking north & it appears to be smoke from another fire. The fire near Applegate is causing the smoke south of Ashland. I do not know where the fire is north of Ashland. I am hitching back to near Callahans (Exit 6) then hike north until I feel in danger or am told the trail is closed. Just realized that if u are hitching (I-5 north) from Callahans to Ashland, u could get off on the exit for Hwy 66 then take the bus into downtown Ashland. It appears that there is bus service each weekday from 0530 till 1830 or so. I believe there is no w/e service. Also u can catch a bus to Medford. Medford has a shopping mall & is a bigger town. At 1130, I got a ride with a trucker named John from Montana, who is driving to Santa Rosa, CA. Thx John. I got to find Meadow Ed (with no ride) & Japhy Rider, AT98, known as Ben on the PCT this yr. I didn't recognize Japhy. We are eating lunch now & I still maybe on the trail by 1300. Japhy is a SOBOer who started July 2. Ben saw Earthsurfer, Phluff & Allen 4 miles north of Callahans. ---------

 A partial msg on Tues, Aug 14 from Junkfood Jen follows: 

Hey Fanny! Smokeless, Citrus, Puff, GIJane, Simply Seeking, (Joe Moon was here too but he took off yesterday) Gilligan and I have been lounging here at Mazama Campground. I got here Sun around 5p and plan to hike out today. Jane left last night.. Later, JF.

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I am leaving Callahans now at 1310. I have a 1 mile walk to the PCT trailhead. Meadow Ed & Ben hitched to Ashland they got a ride with the 1st vehicle, 2 minutes after they got to the on ramp. I walked up Hwy 99 to the trail & got on the PCT at 1340. My plan is to hike the 17 miles to Hwy 66 & then decide what to do from there deending on the time & how I feel. The hike has a little climb but I am well rested & full of energy. This section goes thru allot of private land. I am in & out of tree cover. I go thru 5+ "cattle" gates (gates that can be latched). I reach a fenced in spring with a cistern & faucet after 10 miles & a little less than 4 hrs. It appears that I can make Hwy 66 by 2000 to 2030 then all of sudden I started mind racing. I thought what if I go the 1.5 miles right on Hwy 66 to the Green Springs Resort & eat dinner then continue hiking up a road in front of the resort which meets the trail at Hyatt Lake. The road walk would be about the same distance as the trail & it would be easier than the trail to hike after dark. The moon is currently not very bright. Also I could stay at the resort, the town guide says they are hiker friendly. There is a hot tub at the resort. Also Hagit & George, Marcus & Robin, & David stayed here on Sunday nite and if the resort is good enough for Hagit then it is good enough for me. I continue hiking from the fenced in spring & I still see the smoke in the sky all around me but I don't smell smoke much. I decided to go to the resort but now it is only a question of "can I make it before dinner is over...." I feel like I am moving fast but my right foot is aching some on the ball of the mouth. Remember, today is my 1st day hiking in these new shoes. I got to Hwy 66 at 2003 & had a ride in the back of a pickup at 2008 (i had started walking down the road to the resort). I was at the resort at 2015. On Tuesdays, the special is AYCE spaghetti for $4.95 . I got the special. Mr McQuire (sp?), the owner, served me. I asked about a room & he said we could work something out. The regular price $59 and he ended up giving me a very, v ery reasonable rate. After finishing some lemon pie made with real lemons, I walked to the room which is behind the restaurant. I was happily surprised to find a tub in the room & the room was gorgeous, no TV or phone but very modern, just like any gooooooood motel. It has air-conditioning also. I sat in the tub for at least 30 minutes. The hot water felt soooooooooooo good. It is now about so I need to get to sleep so maybe I can get an early start in the morning. Mr Mcquire, u have a great place & u & your family are great hosts. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-14

Day 115- Mon, August 13 - 0.0/1725.5 miles -start- end- -sunny hi-85? -Columbia Hotel in Ashland, OR -elevation-' Up at 0600 working on my journal for yesterday. Phyllis fixes breakfast for us, Bill, me & her. Thx Phyllis. Bill is on the trail by 0850 & plans to hike about 30 miles & end the day at Hwy 140 near Fish Lake. Phyllis & I continue our discussion on what I can eat to get more energy & protein. I have fixed the soy powder in all my meals & I will try to do the same for the meals I buy & mail to myself in WA. Phyllis drove by the Hyatt Lake campground as we left & w saw Anne from Seattle hiking up to the trailhead. I haven't seen Ann since Reds Meadow (over 800 miles ago). Phyllis returns the used battery in Ashland & I find a room at the Columbia Hotel ($56). This is an old hotel downtown with no air conditioning but it is close to the PO, grocery, etc. Today I need to get new shoes and put together 3 boxes of food to mail to myself (these boxes will take care of the state of OR). 2 of the boxes must be sent UPS. I got a new pair of Merrill low cuts but i had to buy a size 10 instead of 9 1/2. I went to Safeway & bought more food & have put my 3 boxes together (4 days, 5 days, & days) & of course I am leaving town with 5 days to make it to Crater Lake. Hope to be in Crater Lake late Saturday or early Sunday depending on when I get on the trail tomorrow. I must mail a couple of packages at the PO and 2 packages via UPS. If I am lucky I will be on the trail by 1300. I fell asleep this afternoon in spite of the extremely hot room. At 1900 I went to wash my socks, shirt, etc. Clean socks feel soooooooooooo goooooooooood. At 2000 I went to Geppettos, a restaurant 1 block from the hotel. I had pasta stuffed mushrooms & a bacon cheeseburger. Well I came to the room at 2100 & fell asleep. Boy is it hot in here. If u want some rest & relaxation & it is hot in Ashland, u should get a motel with air. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-13

Day 114- Sun, August 12 - 10.0/1721.5 miles -start-0725 end-1125 -sunny hi-75 -Hwy 99 near I-5, then camp w/ Phyllis & Bill Davies near Hyatt Lake Resort -elevation-4250' Up at 0655 & hiking at 0725. I can still see & smell the smoke from the fire somewhere north of me. This morning, I have an easy hike for the 1st 7.5 miles ("level" or down). After 2 miles I reach Road 20 & find a note from the FS (USFS) that suggests walking the Road 20 for the next several miles because the smoke from the fire is thicker in this part of the trail. I start walking down Road 20 which leads all the way to I-5 & pretty much parallels the PCT. At Wrangle Gap I saw a USFS green truck with no one around so I continued. After about 2 miles on the Road 20 I met a truck with 2 men from the Jackson County Sheriff's Dept Fire & Rescue Team. They told me Road 20 was closed cause of the fire and they would give me a ride down the road to Long John Saddle (about 2 miles). At Long John Saddle I started my 1st limb of the day (on the trail). When I got near the top of a climb I decided for a change of pace I would walk on Road 20 for awhile. A couple of vehicles past me going the opposite direction & I spoke to ranger for the Klamath National Forest & he said they expected the wind to shift in the next couple of hours & the smoke would be where I was walking. Earlier this morning I couldn't see the smoke where I was walking but I could sure smell it. Now I could not smell the smoke much so the walk was not bad. As I approached Mt Ashland a truck came from behind me & I decided to stick out my thumb & he stopped & gave me a ride. NOTE: this is the 1st time I have hitched (yellow-blazed) to avoid a section of the PCT, back in the Mojave I did skip some of the PCT by walking an alternate route.) This fella was a cowboy who lived in Yreka, CA & was up here checking on some cattle for his neighbor. He told me that the Road 20 that we were riding on, usually has a couple of feet of snow by mid-November. I told him I was going to Callahans (a restaurant & motel) & he dropped me off about 1/2 mile from there. I walked under I-5 headed for Callahans and an RV passed me going the opposite direction. The lady driving the RV yelled that there more hikers at Callahans. When I got to Callahans a hiker came out & said hi but I didn't recognize him. The guy was Marcus, I had only met him once & that was at Tuolumne Meadow & his beard was much longer now. He said Hagit & George were here. I went inside to see Hagit & George, Marcus & Robin, David & Bill. They are hiking out today & have been here for 3 days. Hagit tells me about them doing 30 & 40 mile days then staying in towns for several days. A short while later the lady, Phyllis, driving the RV returns and I meet her for the 1st time, even though she she has e-mailed me. Phyllis is Bill's wife and is driving the RV from Mexico to Canada while supporting Bill. Bill started his hike on April 28. Well Phyllis took all the hikers to the trailhead & she said she had to run errands in Ashland, so I could get a ride. She went to the motel they had stayed at last nite I was able to take a shower & she used her laptop to check e-mail. I told Phyllis about my thighs aching recently she said I probably wasn't getting enough protein. She had some suggestions for my grocery shopping. She got a new marine battery & had it installed. I went to several outfitters & bought some freeze-dried meals. We also went to a grocery store, a co-op, looking for some healthy, energy foods for me. I bought a few things & now it was 1800 And Phyllis needed to head out to Hyatt Lake Resort to meet Bill. She said I ride & she would be returning to Ashland tomorrow. I said great. I got a couple of burgers & hotdogs to tide me over & we headed out of town on Dead Indian Memorial Hwy (what a name for a road, huh?). We had a little difficulty finding the side road to Hyatt Lake but finally we found a PCT crossing but no sight of Bill. It is now 2000 and Phyllis leaves a note for Bill to stay at this crossing cause she was going to drive around the lake to get to a road crossing of the PCT that was 2.1 trail miles to the south. I said I would walk the trail to intercept Bill so we left about 2105. I arrived in the dark at 2145 at the road crossing 2.1 miles south. I went to the right towards Hyatt Lake looking for Phyllis & the RV and as it turns out she was parked about 40 yds to the left of where I turned right. I saw the lights from the inside of the RV but didn't recognize that it was the RV. So I walked at least 15 minutes the wrong way and returned to the trailhead & eventually found the RV about 2230. Bill had arrived at 2130. Phyllis had made a salad & pasta with mussels. When we finally finished dinner it was near midnite. I put my ground cloth, z-rest & sleeping bag down next to the RV & I am set. Good nite. I did forget Phyllis (Davies) is the author of a book, "Grief, Climb Toward Understanding", ISBN 0-941343- 39-1 (paperback) . Her website is http://www.sunnybank.com Pics from 2001-08-12

Day 113- Sat, August 11 - 16.3/1698.1 miles -start-1110 end-2015 -sunny hi-86 -tent at spur rd to Sheep Camp Spring -elevation-6920' Up at 0620 at Grider Campground. Meadow Ed is already up & has his morning coffee. I suggest to him that breakfast at Seiad Valley Cafe would be nice. He agrees. We get to the cafe at 0800. I attempt to send my e-mail on the RV Park payphone (which had been working) & it didn't work. The lady in the store let me us use the phone hooked to the fax machine. We left for the trail at 0900. It is a 45 mile drive to where Meadow Ed is letting me off. We get there before 1100 & I start hiking at 1110. On thhe way up to the trail we see smoke in the distance but none where we are but we do smell it. I begin hiking just below the ridge & above the Road 47N81. I stop for a short break at 1230 & fell asleep. I continued hiking & crossed Road 40S01. We down to 5300 ft at Wards Fork Gap (which has an intersection of 2 good roads & has logging roads nearby). I walk on the edge of a meadow where cows are grazing & see 4 or 5 pickups. It appears that the persons with the pickups are having some sort of party (they are 200 yds away). I climb to 6000 ft at 1715 & reach the Oregon/California border. I sign the register & continue on 1/10 mile to a logging road where I stopped & cooked dinner. At 1835 I started a climb which would go to 7000 ft in 1.6 miles. When I get to Observation Gap, I see & smell more smoke. Shortly after this I started seeing a few ashes falling, just a few. I hiked to Sheep Camp Spring & found a nice piped water source. The smoke is stronger. I setup my tent here cause this is the last water source for 13 miles. If the smoke is causing me to have breathing problems I will hike several miles to Rt 20, a major dirt road which did have traffic on it today. I would think someone from the FS or the local police would have put up signs warning hikers if there was an danger. It is now 2120, good nite. Pics from 2001-08-11

Day 112- Fri, August 10 - 24.8**/1681.8 miles -start-0940 end-1825 -sunny hi-91 -start at Road 47N81 & finish at Seiad Valley Store then tent at Grider Campground -elevation-6310' **slack packing south bound (SOBO) Up at 0540 & packed by 0600. It is very warm, 72 degrees here at Cook & Green Pass on Road 48N20. Meadow Ed awakens & we start our descent of 11.5 miles to Seiad Valley at 0630. This descent is made under circumstances a little out of the ordinary. The circumstances are that Meadow Ed has NOT had his 1st cup of coffee but since we are trying to get to a store for breakfast food & then get me up to trail somewhere along Road 40S01 so I can start slacking back to town, Ed makes this sacrifice. We get to the Seiad Valley Store a little after 0700 & it & te cafe are closed till 0800. Earthsurfer is sitting in front of the store. Mrs Shaw, pls tell Rufus that Earthsurfer is no longer MIA. Earthsurfer did 33 miles to get here at 2030 last nite & had slept in the yard of the Wildwood Lodge ( a no no, the lodge no longer allows free tenting, new owner). We invite Earthsurfer to ride up to the trailhead with us. He accepts. I have not seen Earthsurfer since Echo Lake Resort on July 3rd. On July 4th Earthsurfer & Alexa left Tahoe City to hitch to San Francisco for which turned out to be a 5 day trip. Earthsurfer told Ed & I about his adventures & misadventures in SF but I will only give u one now. They walking down the street & a girl with a shaved head & many piercing asked what they were doing. Remember, they both are carrying their backpacks & Alexa has hiking poles & her guitar attached to her pack. They told the girl that they were hiking. The girl said, "the PCT?" and answered "yes". The girl said she had hiked some of the AT & she invited Earthsurfer & Alexa back to her place where they ate & crashed for the nite. Many more Earthsurfer in SF stories to come. Hopefully I can clear up a misconception about Earthsurfer. He is sometimes called Roadsurfer because he uses the roads soooooooooooo much when hitching. Earthsurfer does NOT yellow-blaze, in other words, he is hiking all of the PCT. We rode east on Hwy 96 to near the town of Klamath River where we found Road 40S01 which took up the hill to the PCT. We drove 2 miles from Hwy 96 to the PCT on Road 40S01 until it changed to Road 47N81 where we were 10 miles north (on the PCT) of Cook & Green Pass. It was a total of 40+ miles from Seiad Valley to the trail crossing of Road 47N81. At 0940 I started hiking south with only my fanny pack, camera & a 1 liter bottle of water. Within an hr and a half a crossed path with NOBOers Allen aka The Cartoon Ostrich, Bruce for San Diego & Phluff. The trail to Cook & Green Pass (10 miles) was easy & I had allot of views. I arrived at Cook & Green Pass at 1235 so I am going about 3.5 mph. I took a 15 minute to eat my roost beef sub sandwich. The climb south of the pass was steep & exposed. I soon realized that I didn't have enough water (I had picked up a liter of water at the pass). I rationed my water till 4 miles north of Lookout Spring where I ran out of water (No problem just an inconvenience). I saw Mt Shasta again. I continued down till I reached Lookout spring about 1615. The water was cold & I drank about a liter. It is amazing that a spring is running at this location. It is very rocky & dry & the elevation is 4800 ft. I now have 6 miles back to the PO. My pace quickens as I continue down. I finally reach Fern spring about 1800 & get a nice cool drink. I walked by Wildwood Lodge (& restaurant) on Hwy 96 & thought it would be nice to eat dinner there. I made it to the Seiad Valley Store at 1825 & bought a liter Mtn Dew and went to the RV park to wait for Ed. He showed up about 10 minutes later and said that Ron Vaughan & Earthsurfer were hiking up to Cook & Green Pass. FYI, Ron Vaughan has been sick & off the trail in Yreka for a few days & told Meadow Ed that he will probably leave the trail in Ashland. I decided I wanted to eat at Wildwood so Ed & I went. The filet mignon was great. Hagit & George had been here to eat also. We signed the hiker register. At 2030 or so we drove back to Grider Campground to spend the nite. It is much cooler at Grider and it is FREE. I setup my tent in the dark and start doing my journal. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-10

Day 111- Thu, August 09 - 12.0/1657.0 miles -start-0605 end-1100 -sunny hi-90+ -Seiad Valley then tent at Cook & Green Pass -elevation-1371' Up at 0540 & hiking at 0605. It was a cool, easy hike till I got to Grider Campground. From here it was a 6.5 mile road walk to the store/cafe in Seiad Valley. The 6.5 miles went by & then over the Klamath River. For the 1st 5 miles I was in the shade allot and stopped to eat blackberries along the road. The last 1.5 miles were on Hwy 96 & were shade less. I arrived at the cafe at 1100 & promptly ordered a double burger & fries. In the cafe I met Ryan, a PCT hiker, who had dislocated a finger & cut his hand in a fall about 15 miles south of Seiad Valley. To make matters worse his dog burnt 2 paws on the hot pavement of Hwy 96. Ryan is staying at the RV park next to the store. Hikers can camp there for $5. Ryan says that last nite, the following hikers were here: Bruce from San Diego, Phluff & Allen. I got a shower at the RV park & started my laundry (the socks can always be cleaned). As I was talking to Ryan on the lawn (in a shady spot, boy is it hot) Meadow Ed pulled up. Ed tells me that Hal started from Etna Summit this morning & he would meet Hal at Grider Campground on Saturday, Aug 11. Als Ed saw Earthsurfer at Etna Summit at 0830 on Wed, Aug 8 and he expected Earthsurfer to be in Seiad Valley tonite. Ed went to check the PCT register in the store & he came back to Ryan & I asking if we had seen 3 hikers that he had seen their backpacks in front of the PO. We told him, no. Ed went back to the cafe found the 3 hikers, Scott, Tracy & Kelly. Ed had met them (i think last yr, maybe 1999) near Forester Pass. I believe all 3 live in Bend, OR. They are doing a SOBO section of the PCT from Sisters (in OR) to Castella (Castle Crags). Ed offered them a ride to Grider Campground & they accepted (skip the road walk). Phluff & Allen appeared at The RV park so we all sat on the grass talking as Scott, Tracy & Kelly repacked their packs after buying food for 6 days / 150 mile hike to Castella. Ed & I drooped them off at Grider Campground at about 1600 and the we returned to Seiad. Ed & I have looked at the map & found that I could slack back to Seiad from Cook & Green Pass, 15 miles on the trail & a 11 mile drive. We decided to checkout this location as well as look for other road crossings of the PCT. When we headed out of Seiad about 1700, Phluff had already hiked out & Allen is leaving shortly. BTW, Phluff thinks he may be getting an infection from an in-grown toenail & may see a doctor in Ashland. We arrived at Cook & Green Pass about 1730 & spoke to 2 ladies who are car camping. We wanted to see where this rode went to on the other side of the pass but we had to turn around after 5 miles cause of flood damage that required a 4x4 vehicle to negotiate. E returned to Cook & Green Pass to camp for the nite. Originally I was going to slack back to Seiad the 15 miles but I realized that by only doing 15 miles I would be falling further behind some hikers I would like see. So I searched for a road further north & found Road 40S01 & it crosses the PCT 32 miles north of Seiad. So now this 32 mile day is the plan. Oh btw, besides helping me out Meadow Ed is getting a chance scout out the locations so he can make some informed decisions when supporting Hal with his hike thru CA. So we will return to Seiad & have breakfast then I will hike (slackpack) the 32 miles south back to Seiad Valley. Then on Saturday I will hike north the remaining 32 miles to I-5 & then on into Ashland. I probably will not reach Ashland till Sunday. PO on Monday & I must mail food to 3 locations in Oregon because these locations have none or next to none hiker supplies (foods). While in Ashland I plan to visit a dentist to check on my chipped tooth that occurred in Beldon 3 wks ago Sunday. It has been a long day, oh I forgot to mention that Bruce from San Diego hiked in about 1830 & he is camped here with us. It is 2340, good nite. Pics from 2001-08-09

Day 110- Wed, August 08 - 20.7/1645.0 miles -start-0825 end-1915 -sunny hi-91 -tent at the end of the 2nd footbridge over Grider Creek -elevation-2640' Up at 0630 and I finished my journal for yesterday and am hiking at 0825. While I was in the tent doing my journal a deer came very close to the tent. I looked out to see the deer licking where I had urinated. So in the last 3 days I have seen a deer lick human urine & eat horse droppings (& we eat venison?). In the 1st 2.5 miles hiked today we climbed 940 ft and I felt as though I was crawling up this trail. It took 1.5 hrs to do this 2.5 miles. After 7+ miles the climbing was done for the day. At 1230 I met a man rolling one of those wheels (forgot the name) along the trail measuring distances. He was writing down the number of feet from a fixed point that a water bar should be constructed. He said in order to get dollars for maintenance of the trail, the maintaining club had to list the items that the maintenance dollars would be spent on. Before getting to Buckhorn spring, I met 2 younger guys going trail maintenance. One these guys told me exactly where Buckhorn spring was located. It is in the middle of a meadow about 30 yds below the trail. A wooden pole is next to it. U cannot see the spring from the trail, only the wooden pole. It is now 1500 and I am 22 miles from Seiad Valley. It appears that I will not get to Seiad valley tonite. According to the guidebook, there is a 4400 ft descent in the next 13 1/4 miles. As I descend my toe & bottom of my feet ache. At 1730 I reach a road about 14 miles from Seiad Valley and decide to take a break. As I turn to take off my pack I see 2 hikers laying in the shade. They are out for a few days & they are camping here tonite. One of the guys lives in Ohio but grew up in Oregon. He says that he likes this part of the country. Also he told me that it was 104 degrees in Seiad Valley yesterday. They asked some questions about the PCT hike and at 1830 I hiked on. As I went below 3000 ft I was hit by a blast of hot air. This hot air made it uncomfortable to breath. I am thinking that I will need to camp near the creek so I can get some cool air from the cool waters of the Grider Creek. When I get 2 miles I feel kinda faint & just want to stop & setup camp. So at the 2nd footbridge crossing the Grider Creek, I setup my tent right at the end of the bridge. If a horseman comes by I will have to move my tent. I didn't feel like hiking a couple more miles looking for a flat spot to camp. I have hiked almost 21 miles & only have 12 miles to Seiad Valley. Tomorrow I plan to hike into Seiad Valley, d laundry, get a shower, eat, buy groceries for the 64 mile hike to Ashland. Then I will stay in Seiad Valley & then hike out early Friday morn to beat the heat. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-08

Day 109- Tue, August 07 - 24.1/1624.3 miles -start-0730 end-2020 -sunny with allot of afternoon clouds hi-95 -tent at Marble Valley Guard Station (a locked cabin) -elevation-5700' Up at 0650 and hiking at 0730. Allen & I hiked up the trail from Etna Summit but after 30 minutes Allen walked away from me. It is a relatively easy climb to start the day, 700 ft in 3.7 miles. There is allot of loose rock on the trail, I think the guidebook calls it talus. We are now in Section Q but we still are climbing to a saddle and going thru to hike on the trail which is above yet another basin or canyon just as we did in Section P. FYI, Section P started in Castella at I-5. Today the 1st on trail water is 10.7 hiking miles & just as I reach the creek, Phluff catches me. It is now 1140. Phluff takes only a 20 minute break while I break for 45 minutes. Water is not as abundant in this stretch as it was in previous ones. After allot of up & downs I stop at 1505 to eat cook dinner. I had the usual for dinner, Lipton chicken & rice. At this point I have done 14 miles & feel like camping here but I must push on to at least get 20 miles today. I lay on my z-rest & rest till I finally decide I must go on. It is now 1605 as I climb the trail towards a saddle which will bring to a basin where Man Eaten Lake resides. The sun is beating down on me as I traverse this west facing slope. I climb to the high point, 7100+ ft, of Section Q. I hoping to get water at a spring that is 21 miles from Etna Summit but when I get to the spring it is not running strong enough to get water. It is now 1920 & I must hike on to the next water which is 2+ miles. I finally reach a cabin at 2020 with a stream next & plenty of flat area to camp. The cabin is locked so I tent next to it. I forgot to mention that I saw Mt Shasta several times today. By 2035 I am in the tent & relaxing. Tomorrow, I hope to hike within 10 miles of Seiad Valley. It is 33 miles to Seiad Valley from here. Well I have completed another long slow day and there are only 70 miles left to hike in California. Good nite. 

    A msg from Pretzel & Stitch, PCTers from 2000, follows: 

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    Hi Fannypack, Our plan is to arrive at White Pass the evening of Sept 2, and be ready for trail magic on Sept 3. The memory I have of White Pass is that there is camping on the trail at the highway to White Pass. It is also where we are planning on setting up. Hope we see you there. Pretzel 

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FP's comment: There will be other PCTers from 2000 there like Staggering Willie, H, and more. If u would like to bring some refreshments to this get together at Whites Pass on Sept 3 (Labor Day), pls do so. I hope to see ya there. If u want to get in touch with Pretzel & Stitch about any of the particulars, pls e-mail me & I will give u their e-mail. Pics from 2001-08-07

Day 106- Mon, August 06 - 0.0/1600.2 miles -start- end- -sunny hi-90 -camp at Etna Summit parking area -elevation-5960' Up at 0620 at Cave Springs Motel in Dunsmuir & packed up & on the road for Etna Summit. While riding on I-5 we stopped at south Weed for gas and Subway sandwiches. We continued on to Hwy 3 at Scott Mtn Summit & left Hal off about 0930 and we continued on to Etna. We checked the register at the Hiker Hut at the B&B and the only hiker who has been there since 8/1 is Ron Smith on 8/2. Meadow Ed & I went to Etna Summit and sat there & saw no hikers till a SOBO weekender came in to the parking lot. He saw Hagit & George on Saturday so they should be in Seiad by today. At 1600, Phluff & Allen hiked in to the parking lot. Phluff said that he believes Earthsurfer is behind. Phluff hiked the AT in 1997. It is now 1900 and it is now official, this is another zero day for me. Phluff, Allen & Meadow Ed also will be camped here. At 2000 Phluff, Allen & I are in our sleeping bags right on the PCT. The PCT crosses the edge of the gravel parking area. A few minutes later we see a deer coming across the parking area. It stops to eat some of the horse droppings in the parking area. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-06

Day 107- Sun, August 05 - 0.0/1600.2 miles -start- end- -sunny hi- -Cave Springs Motel in Dunsmuir -elevation-' Up at 0640 to use bathroom & back to sleep till 0755. For breakfast we had French toast, which is my favorite breakfast in town stops. Hal, Meadow Ed & I left the campground about 0930 for the approx. 90 mile drive to Dunsmiur. We arrived at the motel at 1115. The room does not have a phone or TV but we do have access to a hot tub and feet are happy for this amenity. The pics are to the website thru July 26th. Enjoy. Got an e-mail from White Root that was sent Sat, Aug 4, msg follows: 

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    Hey Man,

We are in Ashland. Go to the Rodeway Inn, room 227. We'll be here tonight and leaving Sunday. Big group here: Eagles, Rufus, dirty girls, Angel, Scalpel, Canadians, etc. The Rodeway has decent prices and is about 1-1.5 miles from downtown. Internet at library. Laundry and breakfast downtown. Didn't know before I got here, but that's the skinny. also small outdoor store. If morning glories is open go for it; superb breakfast. Also, there's a natural foods store and mail box place near the lodge. All near the college. have fun, hope to see you again. Heard you got a new pack in Reno?? What did you get? 

     Root

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1800, we ate dinner at our room (actually a cabin). Hal fixed a garden salad & we had some potato salad, cold slaw, etc. A grocery store in right next to the Cave Springs Motel. This motel is about 2 miles from the center of Dunsmuir so is would be not a hiker friendly spot but since we are driving it is a great spot. I have slept most of the day since checking in around 1200. Got an e-mail from Rufus and he was leaving Ashland today & he hopes to make the Aldha East Gathering, http://aldha.org , in Hanover, NH on Oct 5, 6 & 7. I hope to also be there. Thx Hal for organizing & setting up dinner. I am asleep again before dark. BTW, I will start hiking from Etna Summit tomorrow & hope to be in Ashland no later than Saturday (121 miles & a 10 - 12 miles hitch). If i could make it to the PO in Ashland by 1700 Friday, that would be great cause then I could have my "bounce box" all w/e. If anyone is in the Ashland area on Friday please let me know, maybe u could meet me at I-5 & PCT junction so I could make the PO on Friday. The Ashland PO is closed on Saturday. E-mail (include contact #) me if u can help & I will check my e-mail in Seiad Valley on Wednesday morning. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-05

Day 106- Sat, August 04 - 0.0/1600.2 miles -start- end- -sunny hi-80 -tent at Hat Creek campground for Crestfest -elevation-' Up at 0710 & it is another zero day for me. There will be lightweight equipment demos all day. Roy Robinson will give a demo on making alcohol stoves. There will an equipment auction as well as a Golite gear demo. I have been sleeping or lounging all day, eating fruit, drinking soda, oops, I need to drink some water. At 1900 we had dinner catered. Thx so much to the PCTA folks for allowing me to eat with them FREE. After dinner Henry Shires, PCT 1999, gave a slideshow of his 1999 hike. I turned in early, 2230. This is has been another great zero day. Tomorrow will be my 3rd straight zero day and I am enjoying it. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-04

Day 105- Fri, August 03 - 0.0/ 1600.2 miles -start- end- -sunny hi-84 -tent at Hat Creek campground group ste #2 -elevation-' Up at 0600 at Econo Lodge in Mt Shasta City and hitching at 0730. I got a ride over to Hwy 89 south & it is now 0745 & I am hitching south to Old Station. The big eye in the sky is already burning bright, it is 73 degrees. On the CA highway map it looks like about 80 mile to Old Station. Yes, I am typing my journal as I hitchhike. It has already been 20 vehicles by in the 1st 15 minutes, 4 of those were loggng trucks heading out onto I-5. At 0855 I got a ride from a forest service fire fighter to Ash Creek Station (forest svc). This ride was about 20 miles. At 1145 I finally get a ride from Harley from Redding & he gives me a ride to Hwy 299 & Hwy 89 which is 22 miles from Old Station. I had a great conversation with Harley. Harley moved here about 6 yrs ago from Ohio to marry a Redding woman. 3 yrs ago he had double knee replacement surgery. Thx for the ride Harley. Within 10 minutes, around 1230, I was picked up by Ron Moak & brought to Old Station. We arrived about 1345 and found out from Doug at the Hat Creek Store that Crestfest was at the Hat Creek campground which is about 1 mile north on Hwy 89. We went to the campground & found we were the 3rd or 4th car to arrive. soon Hal & Meadow Ed arrived and just as I thought, they had stayed at the Cave motel in Dunsmuir last nite. Hal said I could get a ride back to Etna on Sunday so m agenda is set. BTW, Ron Moak stayed in Etna last nite & gave Heather a ride to Seiad Valley this morning. She will wait there for Craig. Hal & I went up to the Hat Creek Store to use the telephone as well as look for Phil from Scotland, a SOBO thru-hiker who started in Canada on April 20. I met Phil & he told me he hiked the AT in 1981. During the evening I talked with Henry Shires who hiked the PCT in 1999. Tomorrow nite Henry will give a slideshow of his PCT hike. I stayed at the campfire till 2330. This has been a great zero day. Meadow Ed, Hal & I may stay at a motel in Dunsmuir with a hot tub on Sunday nite. I would like to soak my little toe in hot to try to remove the corn. Hopefully I will get an e-mail sent when we arrive at the motel. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-03

Day 104- Thu, August 02 - 13.1/1600.2 miles -start-0700 end-1330 -sunny hi-85 -Somnes Bar-Etna Rd at Etna Summit then to Mt Shasta City, Econo Lodge, 916-926-3145 Rm 17 -elevation-5960' Up at 0610 with a wake-up tap on my tent from Dave and hiking at 0700. We navigated the 2/10 mile & 120 ft elevation & the boulders to get back down to the trail from Bingham Lake. I am feeling very tired this morning, like I didn't sleep enough last nite. We are hiking (traversing) along a mountainside where we are mostly w/o tree cover. As we look down and across the basin, there are many trees covering the mountainsides. Many times we are able to see the trail ahead of us. Jerry is in the lead today. He is a strong hiker. At 0925 I stop for a break & Jerry & Dave continue on. I usually take a break every 2 to 3 hrs & I feel that I need to eat now to get more energy. I have stopped on a ridge where I have a view of Mt Shasta & the Scott Valley. Etna & Callahan are in the Scott Valley. I ate 2 tortillas with lunch meat & cheese, crackers with cheese. At 1020 I was hiking again & after 2 miles I had a headache & felt tired so I stopped & took 2 Ecotrin & the headache was gone in a couple of minutes. There continued to be a great view of Scott Valley & Shasta. I came upon 3 SOBO hikers from McCloud. There are 2 men & a woman that all appear to be over 60. They are hiking the 20 miles from Etna Summit to Carter Meadow Summit. I then started hiking a little faster cause I knew I was only 2+ miles from the road, Etna Summit. I was almost to the road when I found 1 can of Busch we had left 2 days ago. I picked it up & carried it to Jerry & Dave who were sitting at the road. They decided to carry the beer to a stream, put it in to get it cold & then have the beer with dinner. While walking out to this road I thought about the weight I have lost (total of 48 lbs since March 1 when I started training) and how tired I have been lately so I decided I would take off 3 days (Fri, Sat, Sun) & hitch back to Crestfest at Old Station. I know Meadow Ed & Hal are going so I can get a ride back to Etna Summit with them on Sunday evening or Monday. I talk to Jerry & Dave as I hitch I get a ride after an hr. This 71 yr old man picks me up & since he is going to Ft Jones which is about 15 miles from Yreka and I-5. I plan to hitch down I-5 to Mt Shasta then take Hwy 89 south to Old Station. I am in Ft Jones before 1500 & stop at a Mexican restaurant for lunch. Great lemonade & chimichanga (sp?). I started hitching to Yreka & got a ride in 20 minutes from Chuck, a retiree from Hughes aircraft in LA. Chuck tells me allot of the local history. It seems most of the towns in this area exist cause of mining gold. We get to Yreka & I-5 south & he is stopped to let me out on the ramp & I see 2 other fellas hitching and I said that "shucks those 2 fellas are gong make it tougher for me to get a ride to Mt Shasta". Chuck says "stay in the truck I will give u a ride to Mt Shasta City after I go take this medicine to my wife." We drove to downtown Yreka. Chuck is telling me that Yreka is a town of framers, hippies, loggers & gold miners. Since logging is gone (cause of the spotted owl) and mining is dead, the hippies seem to be joining the farmers by growing a little marijuana. We stopped at a home where Chuck's wife does home care. We went in & had some iced tea & left for Mt Shasta City which is about 35 miles south on I-5. This is so nice of Chuck to give me a ride. We talk about his career as an umpire of baseball (some Triple A ball) & slow pitch softball. Mt Shasta & Black Butte come into view as we approach Mt Shasta City. Black Butte looks like a someone just poured a pile of black sand to form it. Chuck takes the time to take me towards downtown & drops me at Econo Lodge. So it is 1700 and I have had a great day. I will be sorry not to see many of my PCT hiker friends when I return to Etna Summit on Monday but this side trip is now part of my vacation, err hike. The off trail experiences of this journey will probably remembered just as well as the on trail happenings. I expect to start hitching on Hwy 89 south between 0800 & 0900 tomorrow morn. BTW, I just learned that Kelty has sent me a NEW Kelty Vapor pack to Richmond, VA. No explanation from Kelty yet. I will talk to my sister soon but for now ( & probably for the rest of the hike) I will use my Dana Designs "The Bridger" backpack. FYI' pics have been loaded on website thru July 7th. Remember, to view the pics u must click the link below the journal verbiage for each day. Write if u have questions about the website. Another day in paradise. Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-02

Day 103- Wed, August 01 - 22.3/1587.1 miles -start-0700 end-1845 -sunny hi-85 -tent at Bingham Lake -elevation-6940' Up at 0620 and hiking at 0700. A deer came into our campsite this morning & wouldn't leave until we took his pic. We climbed about 1200 ft in the 1st 6 miles. I took a 40 minute break on a ridge overlooking 2 lakes. We have seen plenty of evidence that cows have been on the trail but today is the 1st time in this section that I came face to face with them. It was was about 10 cows just below the trail eating grass & drinking water. When they saw me thy quickly ran downhill. The cows really tear up the trail with weight. There are so many on trail water sources between Hwy 3 & Hwy 93, u could just get water as go by these sources & not even carry water. Jerry, Dave & I take a break at 1200 at one of these water sources. Today the trail continues the pattern of traversing as we walk thru a gap & view yet another basin. Today we stopped going south & the trail turned northwest. We descended to the South Fork of Scott River before climbing to Hwy 93 at Carter Meadow Summit. At Hwy 93 I laid down by the road & took a 1/2 hr nap. Jerry & Dave woke me at 1315 as they went by & stayed the 1000 ft climb from Hwy 93. I got up & followed them. Jerry is using the same Kelty external pack he used in 1976 when he thru-hiked the PCT. Jerry & Dave are Navy buddies who have planned to hike the PCT when they retired. They are retired now so here they are with 1600+ miles of the PCT behind them. BTW, we will be out of CA soon, after we have have done 1693 miles we will finally walk into OR. We have decided to camp tonite at Bingham Lake but to reach the campsite we must climb a steep boulder field next to the outlet creek of the lake. The guidebook says it is 120 ft climb but it seems to a little more (not much). U just follow the creek up & u find a huge fire pit & a few flat spots to camp. We fix dinner, eat & I retire to my tent. Jerry & Dave are sleeping under the stars (no tent). Good nite. Pics from 2001-08-01