I woke up feeling parched and knew that my quest to rehydrate from the day before was not yet complete. Its tough to catch-up when you are always moving under sometimes extreme conditions. Nevertheless, I was feeling better and confident that things would continue to improve if I just kept drinking -- and they did.
The big task for the day was the approach to magificent Mt. Jefferson, the second highest volcanoe in Oregon. Talk about a stunner, this mountain is enrobed with some amazing glacier and the summit's glacier-worn look is truly beautiful from all sides.
The crux of the day's hike was a fording of Russell Creek, a "creek" that receives an enormous volume of water off of Jefferson's melting glacier. I arrived at the creek at about 6pm, one of the worst times to cross, since the snowmelt was in full effect and creek volume way up under the blazing afternoon sun. After a ford that was a little to dicey for my own taste I made it to the other side, only to discover that my pack had gotten wet in the process. So I put the blazing afternoon sun to some good work and dried my things out.
At the end of the day I arrived in Jefferson Park, a beautiful high mountain meadow perched below Jefferson's glaciers. This has to rank up there with the prettiest places I have ever seen.
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