PCT Day 36: Little Crater Lake (7/29)

Today’s miles: 18 PCT miles, 5 miles on forest roads

PCT Miles Hiked: 574/2660

Last night, I camped in the trees behind Timberline Lodge. It was overall a decent campsite, but throughout the night I heard lots of loud beeping noises. I realize now that those were snow cats moving snow around Mt. Hood. Mt. Hood operates a ski resort that remarkably still has a lift running here at the end of July.

I pack my stuff and head to the Timberline Day Lodge to pick up my resupply. All goes without a hitch and as I sort through it, I’m joined by Max-Heap and Muggle. Everyone is talking about what they are going to do for this fire closure coming up. It’s not an active fire, but a burn from a fire in 2020 that has remained closed for restoration of the land. Max-Heap is bussing around from here to Bend, which seems to be what most hikers are doing. Muggle is talking about a complicated walk around, that navigates a host of forest roads around the closure. Some hikers are just walking right through it.

The critical hour of 8:30 am rolls around, marking my reservation time for the breakfast buffet. Muggle, Max-Heap, and I feast on frittatas, eggs, sausages, ham, waffles, potatoes, fruit, muffins, coffee and a host of other food items I have since forgotten. It’s worth every penny of the $25 entry and I walk out of the dining hall at 10 am in something of a daze.

So what’s my plan for the day and fire closure? I’m going to walk 20 PCT miles south of Timberline Lodge, camp at Timmothy Lake, rewalk those 20 miles north the following day back to Timberline, and then bus to Bend. From Bend, I’ll stay the night with friends and hop back on trail. I find it to be the best compromise from not missing too many miles from the closure, but still not walking through it. The out-and-back should be 40 miles of walking, cutting off some of the 95 miles of missed trail for those going from Timberline to Bend.

Heading south from Timberline, the trail is extremely pleasant. The path is well shaded with trees and you are treated to varying views of Mt. Hood. I walk very steadily, covering 17 miles without breaking for more than 10 minutes at a time. I arrive at a junction to “Small Crater Lake”, which is a quarter mile off the PCT. I take the side trail and am treated to the delightful phenomenon of this little lake. The lake is small in diameter but features some of the deepest and bluest water I have ever seen. There is limestone rock in the water and it creates something of an underwater cliff.

As I’m sitting there, taking in Little Crater Lake, a man approaches me and asks me if I have heard of the fire burning near here. I shake my head and he tells me a campfire in the area got out of control this morning and has burned 6 acres. As if on cue, we hear aircraft coming in right over our head. The man points to the planes and says they are grabbing water from Timmothy Lake to put the fire out.

The man has given me all the information he knows and I sit there considering it. I talk to a few other folks and no one has any precise information. So far, the campground at Little Crater Lake hasn’t been evacuated so that’s a good starting point. I was planning on camping at Timmothy Lake but that seems like no longer a viable option.

So I decide to head back the direction I came, seeing that I need to go back to Timberline Lodge anyways. As I’m walking through the dense forest, the smell of smoke grows thicker and the planes seem to be flying overhead with more consistency. I like being in middle of all the trees less and less.

I pull out my paper maps and take a look. There is a dirt road about a mile up. It looks like it will eventually lead up to Hwy 26, a popular highway that I can try to catch a hitch back to Timberline or the neighboring town, Government Camp. I walk the mile and turn on the dirt road exiting the PCT. After walking on it for 20 minutes, I see a Prius of all vehicles driving toward me. I wave down the driver and ask if he has heard anything about the fire. He says no and keeps on driving from where I just came from. About 5 minutes later, he comes pulling alongside me, having flipped directions.

“You were right about the fire man,” he says with his window rolled down. Got another mile and half up the road and ran into all kinds of emergency personnel. Looked like the border of the fire. I turned the hell around.”

He offers me a ride for the next few miles of dirt roads, which I gratefully accept. I walk another 2 miles to Hwy 26 and from there grab a 20 minute hitch to Government Camp. Government Camp is a fairly popular town for PCT hikers to head to and my bus to Bend leaves from there tomorrow.

Government Camp still has a few things open when I roll in at 8:15. I order a bacon cheeseburger from a saloon type of restaurant and as I’m waiting for my food, some guy points towards his beer and makes a gesturing moment to me. I accept the free beer and chat with him a bit, and his daughter’s girlfriend is hiking the PCT Northbound. “His trail name is forty dollas. He’s in Nor-Cal so you will most likely pass him.” He shows me a picture and I make a mental note to keep an eye out.

I finish my burger and beer and head out to find a spot to camp. It’s dark and I’m tired and I find a place to stealth camp off a frontage road. I pitch my tent in the dark, fumbling around with the poles. I finally get into my tent and rest on my sleeping pad. Sure didn’t think I’d be here tonight. Never a dull moment on the PCT.