Bushcamp to Bushcamp
27.1 miles
Mile 2045.6
I woke on our ridge top camp to find a brilliant sunrise painting the distant peaks in deep reds. It was barely 4:30, but the temperature was comfortable as I packed my gear and padded off into the half light.
As I made my way down the backside of the ridge I was surprised by the amount of snow still remained.
I crossed a series of creeks before climbing up a burned section where I found this interesting sign.
From there, the trail descended down to Russel Creek, which was flowing well enough that crossing was somewhat challenging.
I found a large whitish rock that I thought would make a good bridge, but it turned out to be a dead horse…so that was sad.
Pushing on, I began the tediously long but scenic climb up Mt Jefferson.
The top offered excellent views of where we were headed, Mt Hood and the valley beyond.
There was a ton of snow on the way down, which made for great shoe skiing opportunities, so that was fun.
The final 5 miles to Ollalie Lake led me past a series large ponds through flat woodlands.
When I arrived at Ollalie Lake, I hit up the general store, where I bought a loads of candy and beer to enjoy on a shaded picnic table as I waited for Spikes.
Once she arrived we decided that the lakeside campground was so pleasant that we’d camp there rather than hike on as planned.
A group of hikers attempting a calendar year triple crown named The Prodigy, Graduate and T Rex joined us for a bit. Good times were had by all. When they left Spikes and I finished dinner, pitched our tents and hit the hay.
Cheers!
P.s. Originally I’d been planning on hiking the AT after getting to Canada, but recently I’ve decided to yo-yo the PCT instead. In about 20 days I’ll reach the Canada border, where I’ll turn around to hike back to Mexico…so I’m almost halfway done!
All new scenery when you are facing South!
Totally new trail!
Say hi to Darwin on your way south!
Who’s Darwin?
So much burn. Makes me sad. However much beauty too. Turning around will look entirely different I’ll bet. And you will know the good spots and bad spots. So when would you expect to be back in SD? Watch out for dead horses!
Lv u G
It’ll be a new trail! I should be in SD be late November.
Glad to hear that I can follow your exploits for a few months longer!
You got it!
awesome! yo-yo! il follow your journey and happy to help when you get closer to Campo (i live in the area). Beers on me
Fantastic! Cheers Wade!
So sad about the horse. Did you report to the number on the sign on the tree? Great views otherwise.
Wow we are getting a second chance to give you a little magic st Willamette Pass!!!!!
Looking forward to following you in reverse. I know you’ll crush it and enjoy just as much. It is a beautiful trail😀.
I’ll definitely let you know when I get close to the pass! Looking forward to the magic, cheers!
We’d love to host you in Wrightwood again and hear your stories. Mike and I enjoy reading about your adventures. 💜
Hi Sue! Can’t wait to see y’all again! So glad you’re still following along…see you in a few months!