Mazama Village – Ashland

Total mileage = 936.5

Day 60 Wed Aug 23rd

Mazama village – Tent site + Spring Junction

833.3 – 849.9

Approx. 2254 ascent + 2510 descent

16.6 trail Miles

18.6 Miles incl side trail to Mazama

The alarm went off at 5am, the inside of the tent soaked with condensation. It appeared to have been a colder night than expected.

Last night we had packed our fresh supplies into our bear proof bag in a rush and hung it from a tree rather than using the designated bear boxes. I slept poorly half expecting that a marauding bear might get to our food.

Sarah and I had hatched a plan to go to our laundry before the rest of the hiker trash fraternity woke up. This seemed to work well although it wasn’t long before other grubby looking hikers started to appear asking questions about how to use the washing machines and when ours would be done.  “The early bird doth catcheth the worm”

Once showered and clean we went to the restaurant for breakfast before hitting the trail once again. Starting back later than hoped at around 10:30.

Maybe I’m going into too much detail here but it was strange having to queue for a toilet break when in the real world.  Where in the woods you can simply just dig a cat hole and go wherever you want and when you want within reason i.e. away from the trail and water sources etc.

During our time in Mazama village we saw a number of familiar faces and found out that people are starting to skip sections. This played on our minds throughout the day, making us question validity of our hike.

What keeps us grounded is the cliche “Hike your own hike man” Everyone is different and has different ideas of what a thru hike really looks like.

Sometimes you do indeed need to skip miles due to trail closures or unexpected detours.  We have heard that there is a fire closure up ahead and we may also have jump past this as the trail is dangerously close to the fire and officially been closed with people being evacuated.

Elevation wise it was a pretty straight forward day and the temperature was also in our favour. Although the main issues of the day was a 19 mile water carry in conjunction with a freshly loaded food resupply.

The next section would take approximately four days.  Although with the food we’ve carried over from previous sections we were carrying more like 6 days.  Resulting in impossibly heavy packs.

Hopefully once we reach Ashland we will have no more food resupply boxes and we then can then start to use some of this excess surplus food more wisely.

We are also thinking about trialing different food resupply strategies. Dehydrated meals are one option, but are expensive i.e. around 15 dollars per meal,  You can also purchase Range meal bars, that are around the size of a deck of cards and at 700 calories. This might help reduce some of the snacks we carry, hence reducing overall weight.

We spent most of the afternoon hiking through the remnants of an old burn.

This was nothing we hadn’t seen before. The ground was littered with fallen trees and obstacles which made for a challenging afternoon.

Despite the barren landscape we saw sage bushes growing amongst the remains and species of plant / bush we hadn’t seen before. There leaves all dancing in the wind, like the decorative sequin coins on a belly dancers vale.

Then as we round the next corner we are confronted with a sea of small christmas trees ranging from four to eight feet in height, with flocks of tiny birds flying from one to another. It’s almost as if life has been breathed back into the mountain once again.

Starting back this late adds extra pressure onto the day to try and fit in the miles. We rolled into camp again late around 20:30.

It is starting to get colder in the evening, almost autumnal. I had to remind Sarah that it is nearly September after all and the window to hike the PCT is very narrow.

Considering we were up at 05:00 this made for a long day.  Based on this we have made a pact to make sure we leave a town early in future, even if this forgoes showers or laundry etc. We also plan to make sure we pack a simple meal for the 1st night back on trail to minimise time spent cooking at the end of the day.

Day 61 Thurs Aug 24rd

Tent site + Spring Junction – Twin ponds trail junction – Squaw lake

849.9 – 872.7

Approx  2800 ft ascent + 2800 ft descent

22.8 on trial miles. 0.5 side trail. Total 23.3 miles

We woke up to another cold start with condensation on tent despite sleeping with vestibule doors wide open.

We had dry camped last night with the next water source approx.. 5 miles away. Following this there would be no water for another 18 miles. Great…

After yesterday’s burn zones it was great to be back in the woods. The light dappled and the air cool.

As we hiked up the 1500 foot elevation to the Devil’s peak the ground damp from the night before. The mountain impressive and rugged.

We carefully avoided hundreds of small thumb nail sized toads covering the trail.  All of them desperately trying to escape our heavy footprints. We can only assume that they had all turned from tadpoles to toads in mass.

Earlier on the trail had already stepped on one frog and stabbed another with my trekking pole (obviously by mistake). So we were being extra careful to avoid a “ribbit” performance (see what I did there).

It was like was something you might see on a beach.  Just after turtle’s hatch from their eggs, before making their way to the sea.

Dragonflies also patrolled the trail hovering close to the ground like “heliboppers” in search for mosquitoes as an early morning snack.

The climb the Devil’s peak was hot and exposed and steep, but at the top of the pass we were rewarded by 360 degree panoramic views.

This was one of our favourite lunch spots for a while. Sunbathing and enjoying a selection of high calorie snacks we had it all to ourselves.

Although it wasn’t long before we were joined by Flora and a Japanese dude trail name “Sonic”.

I followed Sonic’s lead and copied his technique in drying our wet tent and sleeping bag in the wind.  Holding tightly onto them like a sail in case they slipped from my fingers only to be carried back down the mountain. It worked a treat and both dried perfectly.

After leaving the pass there was a succession of ridge walks and we are starting to get the feeling we’re walking into California. It was nice to be above tree line with views both sides of us.

The Ridge was made up if a lot of loose rocks and we had to keep our wits about us too avoid a rolling an ankle.  It was also painful underfoot and you feel every rock on the balls of your feet.

Maybe it was a sign that our trail runners were starting to show the miles.  Where thinking about it we have also almost walked another 500 miles. Normally the lifespan of a pair of trail runners.

The Ridge walk continued into another burn zone, where the trail was even more exposed and hot.  Crickets jumping all around us like popcorn.

We both questioned whether it was these very crickets that fill the air with an orchestra of sound at night.

It wasn’t long before we returned to the sanctuary of the woods. The trail cushy underfoot lined with pine needles. This was definitely more forgiving on our feet.

Question. Why do mosquitoes always seem to find a way of sneaking up on you and landing on the backs of your arms.  I think there must be some kind of eddy effect as you hike along the trail and they manage to somehow latch on.  

Sarah is also starting to see the benefit of the food we are snacking on throughout the day. It amazing how a little power up and the correct high energy foods can make all the difference.

As the afternoon progressed it started to cool down towards the end of the day further increasing our hiking speed.

We stopped at Christi’s spring but opted not to get water as someone had taken a turd right next to the creek.  This was also well published on Far Out.

During this break we met two English brothers heading north, affectionately known as the “British Discovery team”. Both gave us some good advice about the future sections which was very much appreciated.  The younger of the two sported an inflatable plastic squeeky pig under his arm to raise moral.

We hiked on to Twin sisters lake junction and headed down a 0.5 mile side trail to Squaw lake. Once again, we arrived late around 20:00. Head torches lighting the way. Nobody said this was going to be easy + certainly no relaxing holiday!

Sonic was also here and had left us a sign on the trail to indicate this.

Sarah rustled up a pasta side with stuffing mix and chicken. It was new addition to trail kitchen and a keeper. A little like a pasta bake I suppose.

Ashland is approx.. 60 miles away and we want to get there by the wknd so it was good to do some serious carb loading before bed.

Day 62 Fri Aug 25th

Squaw lake – Spur to piped spring

872.7 – 898.9

Approx.  3094 ft ascent + 3248 ft descent

26.3 trail miles + 0.5 mile side trail from Squaw lake. Total = 26.8

Mist rolled across the lake as we packed up our home and the sun poked his nose over the horizon.

Again it was another cold star and we started the day wearing puffy jackets and rain pants gloves and beanies.

I walked with my hands under my arms to try and keep them warm.  Sarah complaining about the cold metal trekking poles against the hands.

Doing press ups against a log whilst wearing my backpack seemed to help pump the blood around my body and warmed me up.

We did yet another repair on Sarah’s  rain pants. Most of the holes seem to be appearing in a seat of her pants. I joked maybe this is somehow related to the amount of wind she lets out throughout the day. Haha.

With eight and a half miles under about by 11 o’clock we tried a sneaky hitch to Fish Lake resort. We had heard that we could grab a breakfast and milkshake + maybe I could also do some fishing. Although our hopes were dashed and after less than five minutes we soon realised that this was a long shot.

We decided to push on as Sarah seems to have a taste for 30 miler and is keen to get to Ashland by Saturday night so we can take a zero.

After crossing the road we were back into lava rocks. This was a welcome surprise, but seemed to go on for ages.

I was hiking out front listening to a backpacker podcast.  The trail twisting and turning through the volcanic rocks.

My podcast interrupted by Sarah yelping and screaming. I could hear her screams even over the sound of the podcast.

Running back I reached Sarah to find that she had been stung by another marauding wasp. With stings on the back of her leg and wrist she was not best pleased. Those pesky wasps strike again…

We pushed onto 14:20 before finally pulling in for lunch, both exhausted. We had covered around 16 miles already.

It turns out we have pushed too hard. After eating a hearty lunch, we both fell asleep in the sun for about an hour.  The idea of hiking a 30 mile day now seemed more than unlikely.

We started back groggy and slow. Sarah put it well that our minds may be tired, but our bodies just somehow know what to do.  It was like we were on auto pilot.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the shade of the woods.  We stopped at South Brown mountain shelter, where there was an old fashioned hand operated water pump. We bumped into Sonic and Flora who had both passed us whilst we were sleeping on the side of the trail. Both found it very amusing.

Sonic was a Japanese Tenkara fishing ninja and we talked all things tenkara.  Before the 4 of us were back on the trail heading for Klum landing camp.

This was a campground with restrooms and showers and is what Sarah and I had our sights on from the start of the day.

Apart from one last 750 feet ascent the last push was pretty straight forward. Although as day turned into night we realised that our expectations for reaching the Campground were fading.

Instead Sarah, Sonic and I camped under some pine trees near a piped spring. Sonic seemed a little scared camping alone and I think he was glad of the company.

Two days in from Mazama village without showers and things are starting to smell a little funky in our tent.  We really must take advantage of the showers at the Campground 2mw or find a lake to swim in, once it has warmed up towards the middle of the day.

Day 63 Sat Aug 26th

Spur to piped spring – Hwy 66 Green Spring summit

898.9 – 918.6

Approx. 2320 ft ascent + 3435 ft descent

19.8 Miles

It was a cold start again and following the late-night last night, it was a little harder to get out of our sleeping bags.

The three of us headed towards Klum Landing campground where it was great to get a shower.

It’s been interesting communicating with Sonic via Google Translate. His English is pretty good, but it definitely makes things easier. He can either type the Japanese into his phone and it translates to English or vice versa.

He was even kind enough to give me a cheeky lesson in Tankara where whilst we waited for Sarah to finish her shower.

We’re now heading towards a Smokehouse which is 16.5 miles away.  It’s hot and dry with about 2500 feet elevation gain as well as descent.

We are starting to see lizards and small snakes in this barren landscape something we haven’t seen for a while. There armour grey and blue in colour and almost metallic.  

We headed towards Little Hyatt Reservoir Outlet for lunch and as we approached we heard gunshots in the distance.  

Sonic gave me a master glass in Tenkara fishing I think I’m starting to learn some of his tricks.

Just as we were leaving another fisherman came up to us in search for a pair of pliers and had somehow managed to get a fishing lure stuck in his leg.

Although we had just packed up our backpacks and we were ready to leave, I couldn’t just leave this guy in this condition and had to offer some help.

I emptied my pack and found a pair of pliers.  He then bravely pulled the embedded hook through his leg, before flattening the barb of the hook. Then once flattened he was able to pull the hook back out the way it had entered.  Either this guy was as hard as nails or he wanted to avoid an expensive hospital bill.

After all the commotion we made haste towards the Smokehouse in search for some much-needed calories and beer.  The place closed at 8pm and with 6 miles to cover there was no messing around.

We got to Highway 66 and it wasn’t long before we managed to hitch a ride from a trial angel called Craggy.  He had walked the PCT in 1979 (the same year Sarah was born) and gave us the low down on how the trail had changed since then.  As a local he also told us about a reservoir filled with trout that was close by. This sounded very interesting so we hatched a plan to go check it out after we had been to the Smokehouse.

The smokehouse was a great find and ticked all the boxes.

After filling our faces we managed to get right back to the reservoir trailhead from one of the guys that worked at the smokehouse.

We stealth camped setting up in the dark trying not to draw any unwanted attention.

We had seen fish jumping in the reservoir on the way down to the Smokehouse so tomorrow morning it was game on.

Day 64 Sun Aug 27th

Hwy 66 Green Spring summit – Ashland

918.6 – 936.5

Approx.  3091 ft ascent +  3091 ft descent

18 Miles

We got up early to avoid being seen and as we approach the reservoir we could see fish leaping out of the water.  Things look good, although as we looked in more detail we could see that we had some competition in the form of an otter. He also had the same idea and was having a whale of a time catching his morning breakfast.

Sonic and I spent around an hour fishing with trout jumping all around us without a single bite.  We figured maybe the otter had spooked them and the leaping action was somehow related.

We left the reservoir avoiding the road and hiked up a steep embankment back to the trail, right where we had picked up the hitch the night before.

We entered a nature reserve and within the first five minutes of hiking Sarah managed to get stung by yet another wasp.  We are clocking up quite a collection, although this time she seemed less bothered.  Even if the swelling from her first sting still looks very painful.

The air was hazy with smoke which offered a cool effect where the sunlight was bursting through the trees with shards of light.

Throughout the morning we started to see other types of trees including oaks.

We are seeing more and more lizards of all different shapes and sizes. Surprisingly we still haven’t seen any larger snakes.  Although we have heard that we will need to start being extra careful as we are heading into a more prolific area.

Yesterday my shin and ankle had started to hurt possibly indicating the start of shin splints.  I think this has been bought on from all the racing about to places like the Smokehouse.

Today the pain was even worse and I am starting to get concerned.  Thankful that we are heading to Ashland where we can have a well-earned rest.

We have heard a lot of news about the fire closures between the California – Oregon border to Etna + we need to investigate further.  Even if the trail is open we need to check the air quality and make sure it is safe.

We left the trail at Interstate 5 and managed to get a hitch in the back of truck to Callahan’s lodge, which was much appreciated.

Sonics friend was waiting at the lodge.  She was also from Japan and had been hiking the John Mur Trail (JMT) and was a master fisher lady.  It seemed every accessory in her car somehow had a reference to fly fishing.  I commented that I had never met a woman so interested in fly fishing and Sonic translated.

After a short ride we arrived at a hostel called Ashland Commons.  The place was surprisingly cool and the outside of the building was lined with a ceramic mosaic.  

As we were trying to figure out our plan for the night we were greeted by another hiker called Mango.  We had met earlier on the trail and she had been resting up at the hostel following an illness.  We also heard that our old pal Fred (Devinci) was also staying there.

Each block had a communal living space with separate rooms and was clean, functional and surprisingly homely.

The air quality in ashland however was not so good, with the surrounding mountains cloaked in smoke and haze.
The moon was also an unusual redish colour.

We spent the evening catching up with Fred and Mango and ventured into Ashland for a food.  We had heard that there was an Indian restaurant and we craved something different from all the burgers and pizzas etc we had been eating.  The food was exceptional and a good night was had by all.

Day 65 Mon Aug 28th

Ashland

936.5

Zero day

Sleeping in a real bed felt amazing and we have spent the day checking out all Ashland has to offer.  

We have spent much of the afternoon in a nice quiet library. Rather than editing the Google Voice typing notes I made on trail on my mobile.
Strangely it has been great using a computer again and looking at a Dell keyboard as I type away editing the pre-recorded text.  It seems very strange, but also familiar and felt good.  I never thought I would say that and we both felt the afternoon was very productive.

Sarah is sitting next to me sorting out other admin tasks that we have collected during the last few weeks.  The library is very nice in general, but there is a slight homeless presence in here as well as outside.  The guy opposite seems very strange and keeps singing / laughing or making some very strange noises.

Either way it has been a nice way to spend the afternoon.
Due to the amount of smoke and haze, we noticed a lot of people were wearing masks. Compared to the trail conditions it didn’t seem that bad to us, but we both agreed that maybe we should invest in some dust masks from the hardware store 2mw.

We concluded the afternoon with a Thai meal and a walk around town which was great. Eating normal food and vegetables was amazing.
On our way back to the hostel we also popped into the most hipster supermarket we have ever seen. It was full of rad and interesting looking people. Ranging from pasta to nuts to laundry soaps, produce was all self dispensing, minimising the use of packaging.
A lot of this produce was also organic or vegan and we both felt that they were light years ahead of us in the UK.

Next up we need to sort our resupply and work out how we are going to get down to a place called Dunsmuir due to the trail closures.  So for now its yet another good night and god bless.  Till next time y’all.