Twig Adventures

August 19th, 2018 Zero in Ashland Distance: about 5 miles walking around town Ashland turned out to be SOBO central. I have not seen such a large collection since Harts Pass. Overnight, I camped with a Japanese thru-hiker named Watermelon. Then early in the morning, a circle formed around my tent. First, the Kid and Bunky (formerly Brian) rolled in…the latter I hadn’t seen since Harts Pass. It was fitting that he was with the Kid, since he is only 20 himself. Another guy named Roadrunner was there too. We told stories while I made breakfast and coffee. They were waiting until the bottomless pancake breakfast opened at the restaurant. Potter, Salty, Blue Bear and Columbus also came by and[…]

August 19th, 2018 Mm 1748.5 to mm 1718.5 (Ashland) Distance: 30 miles 0620-1730 I heard great horned owls in the morning, otherwise it was dead silent all night. I can’t believe how quiet these woods are…not even a cricket. The GH owls have such a refined and haunting call. I much prefer their hoots over the raucous barred owls that I hear most commonly. I’m an owlist, I admit it. The trail made quite a transition today. From the dense coniferous forests of OR and WA, I started to see a lot of scrub oak and deciduous trees mixed in. There were also many meadows of high grass interspersed. Despite the trail going up and down all the rolling hills,[…]

August 18th, 2018 Twin Ponds Tr. mm 1781.5 to mm 1748.5 Distance: 33 miles 0630-1930 It was another long day that I got a lot of walking done. The trail didn’t have a whole lot going on other than forest and some lava. I saw a brief view of Mt McLaughlin just as I started out and then more distant views from some lava fields. It is another classic-looking volcano. Unfortunately it was too hazy to get pictures of it. The lava section was interesting. The trail had been formed by laying down crushed gravel over the rocks and was very smooth and pleasant to walk on. There was forest interspersed in the lava, providing diversity. This went on for[…]

August 17th, 2018 Jack Springs Trail Junction, mm 1809 to Twin Ponds Tr. mm 1781.5 Distance: 27.5 miles 0630-1850 For the first time in awhile, I had something hurting me more than my feet. It felt like the beginnings of a chin splint on my right leg. It’s not a pain that is excruciating but rather just an annoyance. I had them bad at the end of the Colorado Trail but never on the TA. I’ve actually dealt with them since I was in high school, so I wasn’t too worried. The trail wasn’t all that remarkable today, save for a climb and some cool ridge traverses around Devils Peak and Lucifer…yes, those were the real names on the map.[…]

August 16th, 2018 Crater Lake Rim trail to Jack Springs Trail Junction, mm 1809 Distance: 14 PCT miles, 8 miles on Crater Lake Rim trail, 3 miles to and from Mazama Village; total 25 miles 0600-1830 I was on the trail plenty early for the sunrise over Crater Lake. I had such great expectations, after seeing so many pictures of it online and on TV. I was not disappointed. It was quite extraordinary, despite the smoke. The reflections off the lake were really interesting. I meandered along the rim for about 6 miles, in walking bliss. I stopped often to take pictures so it was slow going. That early, I had the trail basically to myself. It was great being[…]

August 15th, 2018 Maidu Lake mm 1866 to Crater Lake Rim trail Distance: 26 PCT miles, 4 miles on Crater Lake Rim trail, 1 mile from lake; total 31 miles 0620-1830 I wanted to get all the way to the Crater Lake Rim Trail on this day so I got a pretty early start. It was a bit dark on the lake trail but light enough by the time I got back on the PCT. The trail climbed gradually and shortly I was at the high point of OR and WA at 7560′. There was nothing too special about this point and it certainly didn’t feel very high, being in the trees and pretty flat. It’s hard to believe that[…]

August 14th, 2018 Diamond View Lake, Oregon Skyline Trail Alt. to Maidu Lake mm 1866 Distance: 12 PCT miles, 15.5 miles on Alt trail, 1 mile to lake; total 28.5 miles 0620-1700 I learned a couple Finnish words last night. Suvi noticed my Fjallraven trekking tights and remarked that I have kettu housut (fox pants). A fox is the symbol of the company (I think raven is the Swedish term for fox) and the brand is naturally very popular throughout Scandinavia. Apparently they are a bit of a status symbol because the line is generally pretty pricey. My tights were received for gear testing via Trailspace.com and I got to keep them. We were also discussing cat hole strategies (a[…]

August 13th, 2018 Ski Shelter mm 1914.5 to Diamond View Lake, Oregon Skyline Trail Alt. Distance: 8 PCT miles, 2 miles to SC, 5 miles on Alt trail; 15 total 0620-1700 Suvi and I walked the 10 miles into Shelter Cove in the morning. I was looking forward to my new pair of shoes the whole way. I had done nearly 800 miles in my first pair and it was time to replace them. Suvi was lamenting that her right shoe had either shrunk in the hot lava of previous days or her foot had expanded, or both. But her foot was really hurting. My shoes were just full of holes and without cushioning, but not killing my feet. I[…]

August 12th, 2018 Horseshoe Lake mm 1943 to Ski Shelter mm 1914.5 Distance: 28.5 miles 0640-1800 It got pretty cold overnight and I had the hardest time getting moving in the morning. For the first time in awhile, my tent had condensation. No wonder, the way the lakes were all steaming. Once I was hiking, I concluded that it was perfect weather. Since mid-morning the day before, the haze was gone and the nice clear views were back. Too bad it was mostly in the trees today. I went through one burn section, which was quite pleasant for a change. I had stopped early for lunch, taking an hour to cook an extra meal and dry my tent. Then around[…]

August 11th, 2018 Mm 1976.5 to Horseshoe Lake mm 1943 Distance: 33.5 miles 0515-1900 I was on the trail super early and did a record day in record time. I got my earliest start yet by skipping breakfast and coffee and packing everything in 20 minutes. I can be fast when need be. Usually I take about an hour when I take the time to eat and caffeinate. It was almost still too dark to hike. But I was walking through more open lava areas. The dim lighting and primal landscapes made me feel like I was on Mars. It was really surreal. I thought about going off-trail to climb a ridge and watch the sunrise but a cold wind[…]