My Hike Implodes at Crater Lake
Mile 1713.6
Went 20.44 miles today and it felt really good. We started hiking around 6:30am and after about 4 miles took a “second breakfast” break at a spring on a dirt road. We’ve been doing a lot of second breakfasts recently, it’s always so nice to look forward to in the mornings.
While there a local came riding up on his motorcycle. He was a previous PCT hiker named Humpit and it was great to meet a local on our first day in Oregon. We also chatted with a guy named Kreative for a while too. After an hour and a half we realized we should keep moving, and only after about 2 miles we ran into a guy named Sasquatch, who none of us had seen since early in the desert. It was great to catch up. He’s now traveling SOBO (southbound) and just finished Oregon so it was great getting some quality information about what’s ahead.
Later in the afternoon we realized if we took a dirt road it would cut off a mile of trail and a few hundred feet of elevation gain. We intercepted Artemis and told her our plan and she decided to come along. After running into some unexpected water on the road that was easy to collect, we realized we’d be able to take the road all the way to a campground about 6 miles away. It was great getting to know Artemis, and the road was a nice leisurely grade so we didn’t have to pay too much attention to our feet or exert ourselves too much. Sometimes it’s nice to just do something different and give your brain and body a little break. We ended up seeing some incredible views, and even made some silly videos along the way as a group.
After hitting some trail magic and hanging out for a bit, we continued until the campground. If we stayed there, we’d be 9 miles from the road to town tomorrow, but if we just pushed a bit further to the next campsite we could be 6 miles from town. That sounded too good, and we still had daylight left, so me, Ziploc, and Noodz pushed on and I’m so glad we did.
I had taco in a bag for dinner, watched a video on my phone, and now heading to sleep. I tended to the heat rash on my back which I hope is getting better, I only have antibiotic cream so I hope it’s helping. I ended up having to put a bandaid on one spot today that felt like it was becoming an open sore. Going to try and sleep on my stomach so my back can air out and have a rest.
I forgot to mention in my journal that OK had pushed ahead of us to spend several nights in the town of Ashland. Zip, Noodz, and myself would be going into Ashland to resupply, but not staying the night, so we kept our pace the same. We would be going into Klamath Falls a bit further up the trail to spend a zero at my cousin’s house, and then planned on meeting back up with OK later in the week.
Mile 1719.7
Ashland today. We hiked 6.5 miles this morning to get to town. Rode with a trail angel and got dropped off at a place for breakfast. I love getting to town in time for breakfast, it’s one of my favorite things.
Afterward we went to a cafe and setup “camp” at a table there. We all had work to do on our phones so we stayed there the rest of the day, each of us periodically leaving to go and resupply food or run other errands.
One thing both Zip and I wanted was to buy a pair of pants here in Ashland since the bugs are getting worse and worse. Unfortunately, Ashland was just a little too small and didn’t have an outfitter or anything similar. We’re hoping there will be options for us in Klamath Falls, where we’re spending a zero at my cousin John’s house in a few days.
We had dinner tonight with OK and his partner. It was a sushi place, and I should have ordered more. My stomach is already grumbling. But it feels good to have a full food bag with plenty to eat the next few days.
Mile 1742.2
Today it felt like things just took effort, but overall it was a good day. Got trail magic right at the end, then took a 3-mile road walk to get to camp. Super tired, haven’t been sleeping well because my sleeping pad has been deflating each night, ever since we left Etna. I had Erich send my old pad from home to John’s house, and I’m really hoping it arrives in time.
Mile 1760.6
This morning when we woke up, I just wanted to keep sleeping. All of us seemed to feel the same, because we ended up in our tents until around 8am. I don’t think we actually started hiking until 9:30. This was maybe one of the only mornings on trail that I’ve had coffee while in camp.
The miles felt really nice today, the terrain has been super forgiving. Not much to look at but super cruise-y and generally enjoyable. I called Erich on my way out of camp and had a nice conversation for a bit. It’s been great having cell service on this stretch. Afterward I ran into Noodz who had been ahead of me, and he and I hiked together and chatted for several hours. We had a “TMI” conversation about all kinds of stuff, and it was honestly so nice to confide certain things in someone who is experiencing similar stuff.
Since it was such a late start, we ended up having lunch around 2-3pm. We found out that a campground had free showers available, so we took a short side trail to get there and hung out at one of the picnic tables for several hours. It felt great to have such a nice, long break and shower, since we hadn’t done that since our first morning in Etna.
We still wanted to do 13 more miles for the day, and we had a 6-mile uphill portion right out of lunch. We weren’t sure we’d actually make the 13, but pushed ahead in hopes that we could make it work.
After getting to the top of the climb I ran into Noodz again. He said he was thinking of stopping in another couple of miles, and I agreed. The sun was setting and we were all pretty tired. It means we’ll have almost 14 miles to get us to the trailhead tomorrow where John is picking us up. I let him know we’d be there between 12 and 1, so we have our work cut out for us.
Leaving at 6am tomorrow to make sure we aren’t late. It’s completely flat for the entire 14 miles, so I expect we’ll make good time.
Overall a really nice day. However, the mosquitoes are making going to the bathroom more and more difficult these days…
Mile 1782.5
Just got back on trail after spending two nights at John’s house. It was wonderful to see him, and also to meet Ellie, his wife, and Leona, their 6-month old daughter, who are both wonderful. We hung out, watched movies, ran errands, and justt overall it was a great zero. They were extremely helpful and gave us so much hospitality.
I’m feeling a bit anxious because the package that Erich sent to their house with my other sleeping pad didn’t come in time. It sucks because it means another week of not getting good sleep because of my pad. John is going to send the package ahead to Shelter Cove, so I’ll be able to pick it up there. I also need new shoes, and Erich is sending those to either Shelter Cove or Bend, and if it’s Bend, that’ll be over 500 miles on my current pair of shoes... ugh. I’m just feeling like I’m in a bit of “package hell” currently. Oregon doesn’t have the most convenient checkpoints, so it’s just a bit complicated.
We did reunite with OK at the trailhead though and that was great. So good to see him and joke around again. We had tried to do almost 12 miles today, but after eating a late lunch at the trailhead and not getting going until around 3pm, we ended up doing about 8. We’re camped at Swan Lake (or Squaw Lake, depending on your map) and the mosquitoes are well and truly out. I know the next couple of days are supposed to be the mosquitoes’ domain, so I’m just trying to mentally prepare myself.
Mile 1800.2
Camped with Ziploc, Noodz, OK, and Workshop about 22 miles south of Crater Lake. Can't believe I get to see this amazing landmark and national park after so many years. This has been one of the stops along the PCT that I’ve been most looking forward to, I’m so excited.
Today was really enjoyable. Got up and had a beautiful sunrise over the lake and got moving to avoid the mosquitoes. A cloud of them chased me all morning so I couldn’t stop for several hours until around 9-10am. They got much better as the sun got higher in the sky and eventually went away completely. We were able to eat lunch without rain gear or head nets on, and that felt like a lucky miracle.
I listened to a lot of podcasts today and it helped pass the time. Especially with the easy terrain, having the podcast really helps keep your brain occupied.
There's been a lot of dense forest recently which I’ve really been loving. We got some views today for what feels like some of the first time in Oregon which was a nice surprise, but I still really love being in the forest. Looks like tomorrow we might be heading through a burn area.
Getting up early to knock out the miles. Lots and lots of mosquitoes currently, but honestly after about 10am today they were pretty much gone until dusk. I’m hoping it'll be similar tomorrow. Enjoying the trail right now, miles are feeling good and the terrain has been extremely cruise-y. Now I understand why people say Oregon is "flat". It's not flat, but it's pretty much flat compared to what we've already hiked through.
Mile 1812
I woke up this morning and things took a turn for the worse. I felt horrible with a sinus infection and dry cough. I had stuff running down my throat and was absolutely exhausted. Additionally, I probably haven’t slept well in over 2 weeks at this point due to my deflating sleeping pad, and last night was no different.
We were supposed to do 21.7 today to make it to Crater Lake where there’s a little village for us to enjoy, but after 2 miles I knew that was no longer viable for me. Everyone was up ahead. I grabbed extra water at the last source for 20 miles and trudged on. I cried heavily several times as I hiked. I was so miserable and all I wished for was a way out of the woods that was faster than walking 20 miles, but unfortunately there were no bailout points (at least none that appeared on my map).
I took a long break after 5 miles, absolutely exhausted. I hadn’t eaten anything because food didn’t sound good, but I managed to get a couple fruit leathers and a cliff bar in me. I pushed on after deciding to stop in another couple miles, but the next 5 miles I encountered a burn zone with all of the campsites in sketchy situations with dead trees. Each time I thought I was coming upon a site that would be better, it was full of dead trees again. I saw a comment in FarOut that said there was a large open field at mile 1812, and luckily that person was correct.
I pitched my tent after walking almost 12 miles for the day and went to sit in the shade. I was really happy to be joined later by a woman named Peep, so I don’t have to camp alone. That makes me feel so much better. I ate cereal for dinner and definitely haven’t drank enough water. I took NyQuil, the only cold medicine I have, and am hoping it well and truly knocks me out tonight. Planning to try and leave camp by 7am. There’s a side trail that OK and Workshop used to access the road to Crater Lake and they said it was a great trail away from the burn, so I think I’m going to take that and hope I can get a ride at the road. The junction to that trail is 5 miles away, and then it’s another 3 or so miles on the side trail. Workshop said the side trail took them 45 minutes, so I imagine it might take me an hour feeling like this. Hopefully sometime around 10:30 or 11am I can be at the road trying to get a hitch. I have no plan for tomorrow other than to get to town. I’m feeling desperate to be out of the woods right now. Being sick and trapped in the middle of the wilderness really fucking sucks.
I’m kind of nauseous now and I’m worried it means I might puke. That would really fucking suck because I tried so hard to get food and water in me the last couple of hours being at camp.
Mile 1821.9 (Crater Lake Campground)
I didn’t journal this day, as it was probably my lowest point on trail thus far. I left camp around 7:30am and got moving, but it was just the same as it had been the day before. I was exhausted with no energy, I was coughing, had a sore throat, couldn’t eat anything, and just wanted to lay down and sleep. This was the slowest I had ever moved on trail. A few miles into the day I had service on a ridge, so I called Erich to see if he could get me any sort of accommodation with a bed at Crater Lake. We found out there wasn’t anything of the sort that was available (everything had to be booked well in advance) and so I just needed to go to the campground there and sleep in my tent again. That was a tough blow to my already-sinking morale, as I was sick but also still struggling with my deflating sleeping pad.
After a terrible day of self-evacuating myself out of the woods, I finally made it to the road to town. I felt ok about hitching in this area by myself, because Workshop had let me know the road was inside the park boundary, so everyone in that area had paid to drive in and was a tourist. She was right, and I got a ride from an awesome couple in a red Jeep who drove me the rest of the way to the campground. (This would end up being the only time I’d ever hitch alone, and in other circumstances I likely would not have chosen to do so).
When I got to the campground, I got my resupply package, but didn’t see anyone I knew. There were tons of PCT hikers everywhere, but all were strangers to me. After an hour or so, a guy named Storytime who I recognized from around Ashland noticed me sitting in the shade and we started chatting. He’s a super kind guy, and when I told him what had been going on, he offered me a lot of support. Even just some emotional support and seeing a familiar face was so appreciated. He made me feel not so alone. After chatting for a bit, he helped me find my way to the PCT campsite area to set up my tent.
That evening I was relieved to run into a few more friendly faces (Artemis, a guy named Dog, and the group Skittles, Squats, and Wrong Way who I’ve leap-frogged with ever since the end of the desert).
I heard from Ziploc that evening on my Garmin (there was no service at Crater Lake campground) letting me know that her, OK, and Noodz had toured along Crater Lake that day and were about 16 miles ahead of me. At this point, I knew I wouldn’t be able to catch them until maybe Bend.
I decided that the next day I would take a zero. I could rest and not hike, and if I felt up to it, there were trolley tours around the lake so I could experience the park without needing to hike.
I went to bed feeling very uncertain about what was going to happen the next few days. I was in a deeply negative headspace, felt very alone, and was still too sick to hike or think straight.
Mile 1821.9 (Crater Lake Campground, night 2)
The last few days have been rough. I spent two days sick out in the woods, willing myself forward to get to Crater Lake where there is a campground and aid. I had no energy, had a sinus infection, dry cough, and it was just horrible.
Today, even though I’m still not feeling great, was a much better day. I ended up spending the day with Artemis, a super kind woman in her mid-twenties from New Hampshire. We’ve been leap-frogging in Oregon, so it was nice to spend some more quality time together. We took a trolley tour around the lake and had a wonderful zero just enjoying being tourists. The lake took my breath away, and is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. This is not an exaggeration. The color of the lake is so blue that it’s hard to find words to describe it. One of it’s previous names “Deep Blue” is apt, but doesn’t capture the variation in color as the water nears the shoreline. It changes to turquoise and even greens, and your appetite for looking could never be satiated, no matter how long you stare. There aren’t many places which I would claim to be sacred, but this is certainly one of them. The plan is to hike out tomorrow and take the Rim Trail*, not sure what will happen after that.
*The PCT does not technically go to the rim of Crater Lake. It veers west and goes around, walking hikers through a pumice flat that is now unfortunately a burn zone, so you never actually see the lake. Taking the Crater Lake Rim Trail has been one of the most popular PCT alternates for many years, and allows hikers to see the beauty of the lake in full effect.
Mile 1840.3
Just spent the last two days enjoying Crater Lake National Park, and WOW.
It is absolutely spectacular. I can't believe how blue the water is, l've never seen anything like it. There's only one place on the entire lake that you can walk down to access the water, otherwise dramatic cliffs circle its shores. Only two or three specific boats are allowed on the entire lake, so it's glassy and pristine, mirroring the bluebird sky.
I spent the day with Artemis hiking 9-miles of the Crater Lake Rim Trail on the west side of the lake. We started out the day leapfrogging with a group of women that were SO NICE. It was great being around other women, and all people who were genuinely nice and fun to be around. I think Artemis and I will likely stick together for the next bit. We both aren’t having the best time, and I think thru-hiking is just wearing on her and I’ve had the worst few days of being sick in the middle of nowhere. We talked a ton about everything and just had some really great conversations. Grateful to have some positives after my low of arriving at the campground the other day.
I'm so glad this area is protected, and that I was able to be here and appreciate it. I can't wait to come back someday and do even more of the stuff that Crater Lake has to offer. One day I would love to take a boat tour out to the island and climb to the top. I also need to jump in the water itself someday. After being sick in the woods for two days, yesterday and today really brought me back to life. This has been one of my trail highlights for sure. It’s spectacular, and I’m only bummed that I couldn’t spend more time here and that Erich wasn’t with me. I know that he and I will come back someday together.
Mile 1857.1
I’m camped underneath the magnificent Mt. Thielsen, it’s peak like a shark’s fin rising out of the water. We have an incredible view and I’m so grateful for times like these where nature just feels magical. It’s come at the end of a tough day, which usually makes the tough times feel worth it in the end.
Most of today I hiked through a flat, dry, dusty area that reminded me of hiking through the desert again. There were even several water caches because of the lack of water in this area. I spent the entire day alone, apart from 30 minutes at the cache when I caught up to Artemis who had been ahead of me. She left before me since she’d been there for her break already, and after I ate some lunch I continued on. There was a gentle climb with better vegetation and actual forest, rather than dusty and exposed, but the climbing took effort. I think I’m still pretty tired after being sick, and am still not feeling my best. The 9 miles of the Rim Trail yesterday were flat and scenic, so we took lots of breaks and meandered along, so it didn’t take it out of me like today did. We had been wanting to do around 20 miles today, but stopped early at 17 in order to camp at this beautiful spot below Thielsen.
I took NyQuil a few minutes ago to help with the cold and I feel myself falling asleep which is good.
The next day, everything changed. I woke up feeling nauseous, had a headache, no energy, and my head cold felt like it was back with full force. Endlessly blowing my nose, and all I wanted to do was stay in my tent and sleep. Looking at the map, it would be a long water carry that day to get to the next source, and it would be several days before making it to Shelter Cove, our next resupply point. If I pressed forward, I was worried things would just continue to get worse, and that eventually I may have to press the SOS button on my Garmin. I could see on my map that a 5-mile side trail could take me down to Diamond Lake Resort, where I’d be able to either stay the night or at least get aid.
I was crying and frustrated, but Artemis was there to help me talk through what I would do. She was extremely supportive, and once I had decided to evacuate myself down to Diamond Lake, she even offered to come with me. I knew I’d be ok, it would just be tough, so I declined her offer, but I greatly appreciated her generosity and friendship in that moment.
I had called my parents (magically had cell service at our campsite) and they called the resort for me to see if they could get me a room to stay the night. They also contacted my cousin, John, who I’d stayed with in Klamath Falls the previous week. After about an hour, the plan was for me to hike down to Diamond Lake where John and his wife Ellie would be picking me up to go and stay with them while I got better and figured out what I was going to do.
If I thought my lowest point of trail had been hiking into Crater Lake, this 5-mile side trail became my new low. After getting sick and needing to spend two days hiking myself out of the woods on the way to Crater Lake, then spending two full days around Crater Lake before finally hiking out the day before in the hopes that things were on the up, I found myself ditching down a side trail with a map that didn’t fully show me where I was going, a terrible head cold, no energy, and complete and maddening frustration at my circumstances. My friends were all ahead of me, and I was alone struggling my way down from the mountains.
About two miles into the side trail, I laid out my mat and slept for 45 minutes, just laying there, drifting in and out of sleep. John and Ellie were going to be arriving at Diamond Lake around 1pm, so I was on a schedule and needed to keep moving. I got myself up, and luckily after a few minutes ran into what ended up being the only day-hikers I’d see that whole time. I asked if they had a map of the hike they were doing, and thank GOD they did. I took a picture of their phone screen so I’d have the full map of the side trail, since the one on FarOut was incomplete. This ended up saving me immensely, because near the end of the side trail, after walking through about 3-miles of a burn area (on top of everything else… burn areas are the WORST), there were several forks in the trail that would have gotten me lost without their version of the map.
I made it down to the road, and after a few minutes John and Ellie pulled up in their truck. I felt like I’d just been rescued. I was so relieved and so tired. At this point, we drove to Shelter Cove, about an hour out of the way, to pick up the many packages I had there, one being my sleeping pad. While there, I saw Dog and Storytime, and let them know I was getting off trail. For how long, I didn’t know.
We drove back to Klamath Falls, and I spent the next few days sleeping and resting at John and Ellie’s house. I didn’t know what to do. If I got back on trail, I worried that I’d end up continuing to be sick and need to evacuate myself again for a third time. Additionally, I was already planning on leaving trail in another week for my other cousin Marie’s wedding back in Minnesota which I was a part of.
If I got back on trail now…
I risked another evac situation
At this point I was off my original schedule and was too far south on the trail to make it to Bend in time to get a bus to Portland for my flight to the wedding (my original plan)
The part of Oregon I was in was kind of in the middle of nowhere, with lake resorts and campgrounds being the main stops - this meant no real chance for aid, and complicated logistics of transportation if I needed to get from one of those locations to catch my flight
After looking at all of my options, it ended up making the most sense to change my flight and go to Minnesota early. I’d be able to stay with my parents, rest up and get over this sickness, and make sure I was there in time for the wedding without stress of multi-part hitches, bus systems, and my own immune system and ability to hike quickly (or not) and risk making me late.
This decision was difficult and meant I’d be spending about two weeks off trail. Mentally, that was hard to come to terms with, because all I’ve thought about and done for the last 3 months is make forward progress toward my goal. This entire situation felt like I was getting benched right when I had been hitting my stride. It was difficult to move forward with this plan, but at the end of the day it made the most sense.
A lot became uncertain, but I knew that I needed to take care of myself and fully recover from being sick before I set out into the mountains again. Continuing to push myself forward when my immune system was so bad would be foolish and reckless. When and where I’d be getting back on trail? I didn’t know.
