Onwards Through Oregon

After packing down ridiculous amounts of food at the Etna brewery, I drove myself and a few of the other hikers back to the trailhead so that we could get a few miles in before sunset.  I think I forgot to mention in my last post that just as I was arriving at the access point to Etna, a group of PCTA members pulled up to the trailhead to start a section hike.  Kodak Karen recognized me as a thru-hiker and immediately offered her car keys to me on the condition that I drive PCT hikers back to the trail head when I returned.  This was definitely one of the more interesting rides I have had into town.  I was grateful to be entrusted with her car, but in hindsight it was a bit crazy on her part to just hand over the keys.  Even if integrity was not a concern to her, I would have thought twice about giving the keys to a hiker who hasn't been behind a wheel for over three months - especially considering the road.  The wide two-lane road at Etna Summit quickly turned into one of the windiest one-lane mountain roads that I have ever driven, and the car didn't exactly handle as smoothly as my Saturn Ion.  Having my view obscured by the rising sun and a dusty windshield (wiper fluid was empty of course) added an extra bit of "excitement".  Clearly I made it in and out of town safely though.

From Etna, it was about another two days until we hit the last trail town in CA: Seiad Valley.  Passing through the small town of Seiad Valley, we quickly learned that there was actually one more state to pass through before we could enter Oregon: The State of Jefferson.  Long-story-short, the rural counties in northern CA and southern OR have a history of feeling neglected by their larger state governments.  In response, there was a fairly serious movement in the decades before WWII to gain autonomy by succeeding from their respective states and joining to form the 51st state (they even went as far as electing a governor).  However, the movement lost steam when WWII fell into swing - yet the independent attitude of the area still remains.  State of Jefferson seals were plastered everywhere, along with "NO K.S. MONUMENT!" signs.  The latest ire to the locals is a proposal to designate much of the surrounding area, including the town of Seiad Valley, as a Klamath-Siskiyou National Monument.  Although the proposal is being pushed by environmentalists in Ashland, the locals are STRONGLY against the plan.  Granted I was party to very biased details since my main source of info was talking with the store clerk and campground manager, but my understanding is that a national monument designation would greatly hamper the town's land and water rights. Whatever the details, it is very clear that this town does not want to be messed with.  Anyhow, I passed on the cafe's Five Pound Pancake Challenge and left early evening to make the 4,500' ascent back to the crest.  The climb was pleasant considering we sat out the afternoon heat, but I was definitely looking forward to Oregon on account of its rumored flatness.

Oregon came soon enough and there was much rejoicing.  After three months of heat, sun, cold, and snow, it felt great to finally make it out of CA!  Before I left for this trip, I had never even backpacked over 100 miles - yet there I was with 1,700 miles down across an entire state.  To make the celebration even better, our next resupply was the town of Ashland.  Of all the towns that I've visited on the trail, Ashland is the one that I would most like to visit again in the future (preferably with a car).  Between the great downtown area, a large city park, and a renowned Shakespeare festival, there was so much to see and do but too little time.  I focused on resupplying and relaxing - thus I held back from wandering around and exploring everything that the town had to offer.  While the hikers that were sharing my motel room went to a late-night play at the other end of town, I put in a solid 12 hours of sleep instead.  So it was a good rest stop, but I have motivation for going back at some point.

From Ashland, the trail turned towards Crater Lake National Park.  The trail also lived up to its reputation of being flat and soft - but it was not the land of milk and honey that I had been hoping for.  To be honest, walking through a perfectly flat expanse of trees can get boring pretty quick.  I like climbing, and I was soon longing to be up in the mountains again.  Furthermore, there were mosquitoes.  Lots of mosquitoes.  Literary devices escape me for an accurate description of the horror (Gangsta Rap, Collin, and I have concluded that only creative sounds - not words - can come close).  How an ecosystem can support that many blood-suckers is beyond my comprehension.  From about two days out from Crater Lake to four days past the park, I was swarmed 24/7.  I'm not keen on exposing myself to poison, but I finally broke down and began (sparingly) using DEET in the afternoons when it was too hot to ensconce myself in rain gear.  Fortunately there were a few scenic gems floating throughout the mosquito hell-hole.

The first point of interest was Crater Lake.  I thought Tahoe was amazing the first time I saw it, but Crater Lake blew me away.  The dark and pure blue of the surface was mesmerizing, and the volcanic Wizard Island plus the rock walls combined to make one of the most surreal images of the trip.  The PCT rides along the rim of Crater Lake for just over seven miles, and my timing worked out such that I got to split the traverse over two days.  Although the rim is technically a no-camping zone, I figured that most of us PCT hikers are pretty good about Leave No Trace.

After Crater Lake, there was the jagged peak of Mt. Thielson and eventually exposed lava fields beneath The Sisters (prominent snow-covered peaks near the town of Sisters).  Overall though, I pushed hard to get through this section as quickly as possible with a 38 mile day, a 35 mile day, and no days below 30 miles.  I wanted OUT of the mosquitoes and I desperately needed to wash my clothes.  How a single pair of socks can hold so much dirty is one of the trail mysteries that no one can seem to figure out, and my two pairs were typical.  Despite my marginally-effective efforts to clean them on the trail, there was enough dirt in them that the arches of my feet were abraded to the point of needing band-aids and Neosporin for several days.  On the bright side, I had good company between Crater Lake and Sisters.  For the first few days I hiked off-and-on with Gangsta Rap and Collin, and I spent the last day or two around Rocklocks and Mr. Fox.  The last night of hiking before I split to go into Sisters was particularly entertaining since Mr. Fox also has an engineering background.  Getting two engineers in the same room together (or campsite) can be dangerous in that we will never shut up - and I reckon that everyone in camp lost a solid hour that could've been used to catch up on sleep.  The main topic of conversation was devising outlandish ways to repel and/or kill mosquitoes (of course).  After examining some less practical ideas such as a portable tesla coil (how would you power it?) and miniature laser turrets (same problem plus many more) - we started to think about acoustic methods.  If you could acoustically force the mosquitoes at their resonant frequency - or the resonant frequency of their internal organs - that ought to freak them out enough to make them less interested in dinner (i.e., YOU).  Of course that raises the question of "Well, how does one go about finding the resonant frequency of a mosquito?".  After pondering the question, I laid out an experimental procedure that ought to work fairly well (to anyone associated with PETA or other animal rights groups, let me state that ethics does not apply to mosquitoes).  I will spare you the details of super glue, shaker tables, and laser doppler vibrometers.

The only other interesting features from the last section were trail legends and trail magic.  Right before the trail junction where many hikers go into Elk Lake Resort for a resupply, I ran into a blazing-fast Southbounder.  He was the first thru-hiking Southbounder that I had encountered and he seemed to be in a hurry to push 12 more miles for the day.  There was something familiar about him, as if I had seen a picture of him before, and he politely gave a detailed report of the trail conditions ahead in Washington.  Granted things are changing quickly, so I should be better off by the time I get there, but he mentioned that he only had heavy snow north of Snoqualmie Pass.  He had introduced himself as "Bink" and was carrying what looked to be the lightest/smallest pack I've seen yet.  Only later when I got to town did I confirm that Bink was in fact Scott Williamson, a PCT legend.  Scott Williamson holds the record for the fastest thru-hike at 66 days, and apparently he is trying to beat his previous record by making 65 days this year.  Good luck to him; I'll be content just to finish the trail happy and healthy.  As for trail magic, Lost and Found (a retired school teacher) was camped at Lava Lake and providing all sorts of delicious food to every hiker willing to make the half-mile detour.

From Lava Lake I had the option of catching a ride from the nearby McKenzie Pass or pushing on another 17 miles to Santiam Pass.  Although I was craving a shower and clean clothes (trail magic had satiated my appetite somewhat), I wanted to knock a few miles off the next leg of my trip.  I decided I would rather hike the extra 17 miles with a practically empty pack than have to carry any extra food out of Sisters.  Santiam Pass proved to be the better hitch since there was actually a shoulder where cars could pull over and it was heavily traveled.  I can't say that there's anything particularly interesting to report about Sisters, but it is a nice tourist town with everything (except canister fuel) that a thru-hiker could need.  I intended to get a ton of sleep here, but I got sucked into watching both volumes of Kill Bill on AMC last night.  Fortunately the coffee shop here has the best coffee I've seen on the trail yet.  Anyhow, it looks like the afternoon rain has passed and it is about time that I get back to the trail.  Next stop: Oregon-Washington border at Cascade Locks!