Day 17 (0 Miles)

I went to the doctor first thing in the morning. Tested negative for strep, but the doc figured something was up after seeing how red my throat was. He prescribed me some antibiotics to take in the event the situation didn't improve over the next few days. After I picked up my prescription, I went back to Sue's place to take a nap. Lo and behold, I think my fever may have broken during the nap. Keep your fingers crossed. If I continue to feel good than I hope to resume my walk tomorrow morning!

Day 16 (0 Miles)

Not feeling better in the morning. I was hoping to get back on the trail this afternoon but it doesn't look like its going to happen. It wouldn't be smart to hit the trail sick. Sue pointed out that it could be strep throat. Molly theorized that it was West Nile Virus (due to mosquito exposure). My mom was concerned that it was lyme disease. All three of those are serious issues so I resolved to visit the doctor the next morning if I wasn't feeling better.

Day 15 (0 Miles)

I met up with Sue, the mother of my friend Christine Stanley, in the late morning at REI. Sue was just returning from Portland and had graciously offered to put me up while I was in Bend. I felt super lucky to have a friend in town who could show me around, not to mention I was just plain happy to have someone to talk to after spending so much time with just myself and those little winged-vampires!

I was able to get some much needed gear at REI: new pair of hiking pants, bug shelter for day use, new socks, and other miscellaneous things. REI is my favorite store in the world no question. If you ever buy something there that does not meet expectations you can return it for a refund no questions asked.

Sue and I grabbed lunch at a nice riverside seafood restaurant. We watched hundreds of people float by on inner tubes on the Deschutes River. I was impressed by how well the city of Bend managed to control development of the river in a way that did not spoil its charms.

Sue took me back to her lovely home to clean up myself and my clothes. By the way, I was stinking pretty bad. It was nice to be in a place so clean and orderly after spending the last two weeks on the trail.

Later in the day, as Sue and I were making some dinner, I noticed that my throat was hurting. I took my temperature and sure enough I had a fever. Being sick wasn't great news, but at least I wasn't stuck in a tent on the trail with the same condition. I went to bed hoping that I would feel better in the morning.

Day 14 (0 Miles)

In the morning, I got a ride with Greg and his family into Bend. I decided that a little rest and relaxation would do me some good. I ate a great breakfast at the Alpenglow Cafe, wrote some journals at the library, and booked a room at the Econo Lodge. I pretty much chilled out at the hotel all day, happy to be relaxing at not under the constant attack of mosquitoes.

For dinner that night I went to Safeway and proceeded to eat 20 chicken wings, 6oz of cherries, a tub of spinach, a liter of orange juice, 1 banana, and a pint of Ben and Jerry's Cinnamon Buns ice cream.

Day 13 (23 miles)

I began the day staring at the mosquitoes that awaited me outside the door. I took my time getting ready and eating breakfast, as I knew I probably would be running from them most of the day. And sure enough that is what I did. I managed to hike over 3 miles an hour for the entire day (inclusive of breaks), which is fast for me.

My goal was to reach Elk Lake Resort, which I did. I met Jordan there at the bar and managed to wolf down a burger and a salad. Jordan hitched a ride into nearby Bend and I weighed my options. I could not deny that the previous three days had not been much fun, and I was wondering if I needed a break to get my morale in better shape.

While chilling at the lodge I met a teacher named Greg who with his family from Eugene was taking a vacation at Elk Resort. Seeing as how the campground was full, they invited me to share their site with them. This was very nice of them, as I did not want to do anymore walking that day.

Day 12 (26 Miles)

Today I was able to increase my mileage, but mother nature had a big surprise in store for me. I departed Shelter Cove Resort at about 8am. I pushed hard the entire day, happy to have a trail that was snow-free and fairly level. I resolved to go as far as I could by 5pm, take a break, and then make a final push for the evening.

After my break at Lake Charlton, I met another hiker named Jordan, who is a student at BYU in Utah. He and I resolved to hike six miles together, putting us at Irish Lake for the night. We passed through a big burn area in our walk, and it was good to get a break from the mosquitoes.
As night began to fall, we approached Irish Lake. All of the sudden, the mosquitoes began to swarm in unprecedented numbers. During the time it took me to fill my water bottles and set-up my tent, I was bitten countless times by mosquitoes, and mind you I was wearing full clothing, a head net, and plenty of 100% DEET repellent.

I took a deep breath, resolving that by getting in the tent, everything would be okay. I counted to three, opened the door, threw all of my belongings inside, quickly jumped in, and zipped the door shut. All in all the door could not have been open more that ten seconds.

When I turned on my headlamp, I couldn't believe my eyes. Many, many mosquitoes had managed to get in the tent in that short window of time. I spent 30 minutes trying to kill them all but it was no use. These were young, fast mosquitoes capable of changing direction at any time, very tough to get.

After I awhile I became too tired to keep up the fight and had a miserable night's sleep. For the first time in the trip, I was happy that no family and friends were with me, as I would never want them to experience that same hell.

Day 11 (16 Miles)

I resolved today to have a breakthrough day with respect to mileage. It did not work out as expected. Diamond Peak was heavily snowbound and an avalanche had wiped out a section of trail during the offseason. When I arrived at the avalanche site, footprints went off in all directions. I pushed ahead with my best guess and sure enough I was lost in no time.

This was the second time on the trip that I had found myself lost and this time was tougher for a variety of reasons. For one, the snow made moving around in any direction tough, so I was tending to favor snowless tracks whether or not they were best. Two, it was difficult to orient with my map and compass becuase of the forest cover. Last but not least, my frustration with being lost was exacerbated by my expressed goal for the day -- the more time I spent being lost the less chance I would have to do more mileage for the day. This last thought might seem absurd but getting a lot of miles done can be good for personal morale if a trip is proving to be a challenge.

I did find way back to the trail, after an hour of being lost, and I was physically and mentally exhausted from the ordeal. I pushed on, vowing to take a break when the opportunity presented itself. When breaktime came I crashed hard, unable to get walking again for another hour. I then decided that Shelter Cove, which is where I was going to pick up a resupply package latert in the day, would probably be my finishing point for this day.

Shelter Cove proved to be a welcome change. I picked up my package at the general store and ate a couple of hot dogs and drank some sugar. I met four other hikers who were also staying there for the night. Two of them, Penguin and Hydro Heidi, were thru-hikers who had started in Mexico and due to bad weather in the California Sierras had "flip-flopped" or gotten and ride to Oregon to complete this part of the trail now, and then finish California later.

That night we all sat around the campfire and told stories. It was very good for my morale.

Day 10 (20 Miles)

Solitude is an amazing gift. Loneliness is the worst kind of curse. In the backcountry, whether one experiences solitude or loneliness can be decided by a wide variety of factors. Are you out of water and very thirsty? Are the mosquitoes so bad that you can't ever stop for a break? Are you lost? Are you exhausted? If you can answer yes to these questions you can sometimes find that loneliness can creep up on you.

I think everyone wishes to fashion themselves a content Buddhist Monk who can transcend all suffering -- but this is not easy to do. Spending long amounts of time by yourself, left to your own thoughts be they positive or negative or both, is a project that always brings plenty of challenges. Even "positive thinking" can have its shortfalls as the backcountry constantly demands a shrewd and sober eye on everything all the time.

One of the things I like best about backcountry travel is that my experiences there force me to face these questions. So many times, I feel my "regular" life, which is blessed in so many ways, can allow me, through day to day repetition, to lose track of just how lucky I really am. It is through contrast that I discover (or am reminded) what I have momentarily lost and what I desire to have again.

Day 9 (20 Miles)

Leaving civilization for the woods is always a mixed bag. On one hand you are chomping at the bit to get out and see the countryside, and on the other hand you are sad to say goodbye to your friends: indoor plumbing, hot food, and showers.

The climb out of Diamond Lake back to the PCT was a little on the tough side given that the Howlock Mountain spur trail was still snowbound in sections and the trail occasionally obscure. But sure enough I found my way back to the PCT, always a good feeling.

Did I mention that today was also a long water carry? Seventeen miles in total. This is not as bad as twenty-three but it is still a long way. On my way to Horse Springs, the next water source on the trail, I met a couple from Washington doing a five day southbound hike. Turns out they are both sheriff's deputies and use their backpacking trips as a chance to unwind a bit. They were tired from having traveled with a lot of gear and I gathered they were envying my light load. At the time I was envying some of the creature comforts they had brought with them. The grass is always greener.

My arrival at Horse Springs was greeted by thousands of mosquitoes. I got my water from the springs and then sprinted to a drier area to make camp for the night.

Day 8 (3 Miles)

Today was a "near zero" day--that is thru-hiker speak for a day of very low miles, usually involving a town visit. I walked three miles along Diamond Lake from the campground to the Diamond Lake Resort, looking forward to my first shower in a week. Along the way I noticed some great car camping sites -- it's rare anymore for parks to allow lakeside camping on a mass scale but they do here and it works well.

My arrival at the resort was met by the friendly people at the counter. While my room was being prepared, I visited the cafe for an omelette, pancakes, and about twelve root beers (it was a short walk to the room so I figured pounding a bunch of root brewskies would be safe). The main lodge was pleasant, the lobby was filled with overstuffed chairs to accomodate my understuffed rear end.

Eventually I got the keys to my room and a hot shower ensued. That has to be the best feeling in the world. It took about four washclothes but I got the job done. This all was followed by sleep, laundry, and a lot of watching Tour de France coverage on the tube. All in all, it was as a day off should be, uneventful and relaxing.

Day 7 (23 Miles)

I started the day camped out just beneath the "rim". Crater National Park rangers let hikers pitch a tent anywhere they like so long as they are out of sight of park roads.

During the day I would hike across the eastern span of the rim, following a road that circumnavigates the entire rim. The rim hike was steep in places with some fantastic views of the lake. The lake's surface is hundreds of feet beneath the rim, so getting access to it is impossible (except by an access road at the south end of the rim).

This means, among other things, that water access is a major concern for the backpacker. By days end, I would have to carry water 23 miles between resupply points. I have four liters of capacity, so this translates to 8.8 pounds of water to haul. Did I also mention the trail is hot? That means you must fight the urge to gulp down water, you've got to make it last.

After I descended the rim, the hike became ho-hum as far as scenery goes. In fact I actually hiked about ten miles through the Oregon Desert in my travels today. At least the trail was flat, so I dropped the hammer on my hiking pace. My goal for the day was Diamond Lake, where if things lined up correctly, I would take a "zero" day the next day and get some needed rest.

As I made my way through the desert, I met another PCT hiker headed South. He mentioned that he was picking up from the place in Oregon where he broke his leg on his first southbound attempt from Canada to Mexico. He was hiking in flip flops!!!!! I couldn't believe it and i wanted to ask but I figured he was probably tired of answering questions about it so I let it go.

Before we parted ways he let me know that someone had left a small water cache a few miles ahead. Since I had begun to grow short on water this was good news. I raced ahead to find there was still a liter left. This would get me to Diamond Lake, no problem.

A couple of hours later I did arrive at Diamond Lake. I immediately proceeded to a local pizza shop and ate a monster salad, 3/4 of a pizza, and two pitchers of water. I was also able to get a room at the Diamond Lake Resort for the following night, and found a hiker's camp where I could stay for this night. All in all a good day.

Day 6 (20 miles)

this is backpacking. you carry a load of only those things you need a few things that make you happy and put them on your back. you walk 15 miles to the next water source hoping it will deliver. your muscles ache as you climb ridge after ridge. the sun is beating down on your brow. you back is soaking wet. the mosquitoes are everywhere. you are eating constantly because you have to. the trail becomes even steeper, your muscles ache even more, and the mosquitoes become thicker still. doubt enters your mind. what the fuck am i doing??? you push on. you are getting thirsty. your mood is foul. the trail gets steeper still, the sun get hotter. you are ready to quit.

and then all of the sudden you see it.

your jaw drops.

you peer down from the edge of a rim into a massive dormant volcano crater filled with the deepest crystal blue lake in north america, crater lake.

Day 5 (20 miles)

there are days that define a trip. this was one of those days. the day began with a climb up to and across devils peak. there was snow and in places it was in steep exposed sections. i was happy to have my ice axe with me for a possible self arrest if necessary. this axe has saved my butt once before at muir pass in the sierras.

i did make it across okay but the energy used to stay calm and focused was not trivial. when you are traveling by yourself you need to keep you eyes and ears open for everything all the time. the descent down from the peak was also snowy and tiring, but i eventually made it to the next water source. water will be at a premium today given the desert climate that i am entering.

as i entered the south crater lake area i began to notice more and more trees that looked like they might have been hit by lightning. minutes later the entire forest was found to be scorched. from the look of the carbon on the trees it appeared to have just happened, maybe weeks ago. a burned forest is at once haunting and invigorating. amidst the blackened gnarled hemlocks there were already new signs of life sprouting up. it is at these times you realize that natural fire is a good thing, although we rarely see it portrayed as such by the media.

the deeper i got into the burn area the more i became worried that the next water source at jack spring, might have been destroyed or made impossible to find.

luckily the fires progress ended a few hundred feet from the spur trail leading to the spring. very lucky for me as it would be 15 miles to the next water, and i was dry.

finding the spring was not easy. the spur trail was very tough to find in places due to the fact that the terrain allowed for many false trails to appear. the spring was a very welcome find. the coldest cleanest water ever

i filled up my resevoirs and headed back to the pct. or so i thought. soon i realized that i was lost, the spur trail nowhere to be found. thinking i could figure it out i pushed forward to what i thought was a familiar land mark. no luck so i pushed forward again. still no luck and even more lost. the sun is getting ready to set and nerves are starting to fray.

thanks to the person that invented the map and compass. with some climbing i was able to get a little perspective in the failing light and was able to get back to the trail by nightfall.

i pitched my tent and fell into a deep sleep, having been exhausted by the days events.

Day 4 (19 miles)

the climb up to the lower saddle of mt. mcloughlin was virtually snow free. take that negative snow lady! however it was not mosquito free, and this was just the beginning. as i traveled through sky lakes wilderness, i was overwhelmed with mosquitoes. deet, nets, and full coverage clothing, yet nothing solved the problem. i hiked at a blistering pace today to keep them at bay. when i took breaks i forced myself to sit 15 minutes for the good of my feet and legs, which were not yet up to the task.

as night falls millions of mosquitoes descend on me. i drop my pack, pitch my tent, and spend ten minutes killing the mosquitoes that entered the tent in the ten seconds the door was open. sheer hell!

Day 3 (20 miles)

it's a resupply day. to a hiker that means a bunch of food awaits at the end of the day's trail. a carrot for the horse if you will. on the topic of food, i have adopted simple philosophy for trail food--there must be at least 100 calories per ounce of food for the item to find its way into my pack. everything else regarding trail food is up for discussion but that is not. the candy bar is, ounce for ounce, the most caloric, most tasty, and cheapest option. of course were not talking about the highest quality ingredients here so i recognize its not sustainable off trail.

when i arrived at fish creek resort i wasted no time ordering a double cheeseburger with large curly fries and a large chocolate milkshake. and the cook, seeing my "state", made everything extra big. consumed in minutes. after this brief meal i conversed with many resort guests who were passing by. when you have a thin layer of trail grease over you, people have a tough time pretending they don't notice you. oregonians, especially those that live in the mountains, seem to know a lot about the pct. a few strangers shared their own pct experiences, big and small, to show their pride for the trail.

one woman, trailname "one step" was hiking bits and pieces of the oregon pct this summer, with her husband offering car support. while her greeting was warm, the topic of conversation quickly took on a tone of fear
she warned me that mt. mcloughlin, which i would climb near tomorrow, was so covered in snow that it had turned back other hikers just the other day she went on to tell that crater lake, a few days away, was buried in six feet of snow. although i could tell her intentions were good, i knew her goal was to put some fear into me. maybe i was too obvious that i wanted to thwart her pessimism when i replied, "six feet of snow is no problem, as i am six foot two."

in all seriousness, snow was definitely on my mind. while i enjoy it for winter sports, it can be a source of anxiety for me on the trail. it boils down to steep icy slopes that can send a hiker downhill and into rocks. i have traveled across quite a bit of it in my travels, sometimes as high as my chest, but it will always be a concern for me, especially traveling alone.

anyhow i went to bed well fed and a little nervous about the upcoming day.

Day 2 (19 miles)

i could write about other boring things but instead i will let you know that i was attacked by a hawk today. yes that's right, a hawk flew from the sky and approached me with intent to harm. for those people who read my colorado trail blog they will recall that this is not the first time this has happened. my theory is that a mama hawk was protecting a nest close to the trail. molly has theorized that these birds have mistaken my wavy brown locks for a moving nest.

whatever the reason, i felt the familiar rush of air on the back of my neck. unlike last time, the hawk did not actually touch my head with her talons but it was close enough. as with last time she came in for a second attack minutes later, but unbeknownst to her she was dealing with a seasoned veteran of hawk attacks who had his hiking poles pointed right at her upon her approach. she screamed loudly and pulled up at the site of the trekking skewers. as she retreated back to her nest, both man and hawk had learned something about the attack capabilities of the other.

the long hot hiking day ended with my arrival at a beautiful backcountry spring. there is no better drink to celebrate a hawk attack survival than with a cold liter of mountain spring water.

Day 1, Continued

the climb out of ashland was hot and tedious.

to make matters worse, i neglected to carry enough water for the ten mile walk to the first spring. it only takes being thirsty once to impress upon you how nice it is to have water.

along the way views of mt. shasta were divine, as was a closeup of the pilot rock summit. otherwise the day was rolling forested terrain, which is par for the course on the oregon pct.

i found camp for the night near a resevoir. i was again thirsty upon my arrival. i can tell right away that water will be a key challenge on this hike, given the hot climate and long distances between sources.

it was a first night for a few gear purchases. my six moon designs lunar solo tent held up well. at 23 ounces it is a pleasure to carry but let me tell you it is a snug fit for me when inside. typically i prefer using a tarp but the mosquito season is in full bloom here and only a full tent will do.

i am also trying out a new sleeping pad, one that inflates. its a bit of a gamble to carry something that could puncture but it makes for a fantastic nights sleep when compared to the conventional foam pad.

Day 1 - Ashland, OR (16 miles)

molly and i woke up on the back lawn of callahans lodge in ashland. before you jump to conclusions you should know that callahans allows tent camping for pct hikers. when you consider how fancy and well equipped this place is it really makes you appreciate how nice they are being to the pct crowd. rooms typically go for $200 a night, while we paid 28 bucks for the weekend. god i'm cheap!after breaking down the tent we had a nice breakfast. this would be my last chance for a few days to get a hot meal so i went big.

after breakfast molly and i went to sign the pct guest book in the main lobby. we of course used our official pct trailnames, mollineer and white collar. when i read through the recent entries i was flabbergasted. turns out a legendary thru-hiker named eric d had been and left the lodge in the past day. he had hiked all the way from mexico to ashland and it was only july 4th! i thought for sure i would be a few weeks in front of the elite pct frontrunners but it turned out ihad already been passed.

molly and i made our way over to the trailhead to find a shady spot for me to do my final packing. she joined me for the first mile or so and then it was time for goodbye. and believe me goodbye was tough on both of us. a month is a good chunk of time, but we have a two week vacation to look forward to on the back end.

have i mentioned that molly is most beautiful, most bestest fiancee ever?

The Oregon Trail (Well Not Really)

These are a collection of random thoughts from Greg Stein as he treks from Ashland, Oregon northwards this summer.