Bushcamp to Bushcamp
30.3 miles
Mile 1839.2
I woke up early, jazzed for the hot breakfast waiting us just 12 miles up trail. Spikes and I quickly packed and we’re on our way before 5.
The burned forest was tough to navigate for the first hour due to the blow downs and poor tread.
About the time we crossed into Crater Lake National Park the dead forest ended, turning into lush green woodlands once again.
The final hour flew by. Eventually the trail deposited me onto a paved road that I following into Mazama Village, where the restaurant and store resided.
I beat Spikes to Annie’s Cafe by a few minutes. Once seated I ordered the Pacific Crest Omelet and a coffee, before locating an outlet to charge my phone and power bank.
After breakfast, we headed next door to grab our resupply boxes, as well as a few other items from the camp store, most notably bug repellant.
We spent the next hour organizing our food while enjoying a beer.
By 11 we were back on trail. We walked the three miles up to Rim Village, where we stopped again for ice cream and soda.
The timing of our Crater Lake visit was less than ideal. It was Sunday, so that meant loads of tourists. After snapping a few photos I was eager to vacate the dreadfully busy tourist trap.
The next 7 miles of trail wrapped around the perimeter of Crater Lake, offering epic views as we hiked.
While making our way around the lake we ran into Airborne, a thru hiker who’s attempting to yo-yo the PCT this year. This means that once he gets to Canada, he’ll turn around and walk all the way back to Mexico. Nuts!
He ended up joining Spikes and I for the remainder of the day. Once we arrived at our campsite, we all hung out for a bit before he continued up the trail.
It was a good campsite, mostly because the skeeters didn’t seem to be around. After dinner and some Netflix, we retired to our tents for sleep.
P.s. Spikes and I are approaching our 24 Hour Challenge! Next Monday we’ll hike for 24 hours through the flats of Oregon into Cascade Locks, where we’ll zero for a day before heading into Washington! Shout out to Hobbes for generously sponsoring our challenge. We’re shooting for 70+…so wish us luck!
Cheers!