Magic on the PCT Days 117-119

*These posts come directly from the walkthrough, I apologize in advance for any typos!*

Location: Northern Oregon
Home: Maiden Peak Cabin – 1915.9
Ends: Tent – 1945.0
Miles: 29.1
Promotion: 2818 | Descent: 3805
Sleeping: Tent

I’ve been dealing with lower back pain these past few days and today it really flared up. The day was long and hard despite the easy terrain. The pain is concentrated in the lower right part of my back, but today it radiated to the front of my stomach and made me feel like I had a jab in my side for most of the day. This made my stomach hurt and I felt a little nauseous. I’m honestly surprised I was able to walk as far as I did and it makes me nervous to imagine how I’ll feel tomorrow.

We got up at our normal time, but moved slowly this morning. Our tent was covered in condensation both inside and out even though we left the doors open. We were packed and on our way by 6:30 am. This morning the terrain was mostly downhill before a long but gentle climb. We had dry camped the night before and were very conscious of our water consumption because neither of us had much water to spare. I left camp with a half liter for the 3 miles until we could fill it up at Bobby Lake. However, shortly after leaving camp, we stumbled upon a water tank that wasn’t listed on FarOut. Gratefully we filled up and got on our way.

Shortly before 8 in the morning runners who were going in the same direction began to pass me. They all had bibs, so I assumed they were part of some race. I only saw a handful during the climb, but a little later, Truffles and I turned a corner and walked to an aid station set up in the middle of the trail. The volunteers were kind enough to share snacks with us and I got a delicious slice of watermelon. They were curious about our hike and told us about the race, the Waldo 100k Trail Race. Apparently where we were watching the runners was around mile 28, so they had already run a marathon and were almost halfway there. I thought the race was just beginning because everyone seemed so well organized and no one looked disheveled or exhausted. Good for them!

Truffles and I left the aid station intending to walk another 5 miles to Lake Charlton to get water. Around this time I started to feel sick, my back and stomach hurt and I felt nauseous and sluggish. I limped along determined to get to the lake so I could sit down and rest a little. It seemed like it took us hours, but we finally made it to the lake and found a nice shady spot to sit and rest. I filtered water, drank the coffee I hadn’t had for breakfast, and took some Tylenol.

Refreshed, we left the lake and began walking toward a burned area. We crossed a gravel road and found some ziplock bags full of snacks, no doubt left along the way by other aid station volunteers. We grabbed a croissant and some dried pineapple and set off. I felt much better thanks to the medication and caffeine and was able to navigate the burned area. The comments on FarOut talked about how this area was so burned that there weren’t even any widows, and they were right. It was as barren and desolate as we had ever seen, but we had a great view of the Sisters towering before us.

We weren’t out in the open for long and we were back in the shade of the forest. We walked to Brahma Lake for lunch, where we sat in the shade for a long rest. We set up our tent and sleeping gear to dry and packed up around 2:30 pm We only had 9 more miles to our desired campsite and I thought it was going to be an easy afternoon.

With about 6 miles to go, I started to feel sick again. I felt every kilometer and was counting the minutes until I arrived. I felt bad but was still able to keep a decent pace and we arrived at the campsite at Mac Lake just before 6pm. However, there were a lot of people there and Truffles had found a potentially better spot 2 miles up the road. I didn’t feel like walking anymore, but I also didn’t want to stay in a place full of people.

We continued for another mile and were passing Horseshoe Lake at 6:30 pm when I declared that I couldn’t walk any further and needed to call him here. There was another couple set up there, but we squeezed in between them and started settling in. The couple were locals who had just gone on a short hike and were friendly enough. The truffles made dinner while I put our sleeping things in the tent and we stayed there for a while. I think stopping early will give me more time to rest and I hope to feel better tomorrow. We ate and went to bed early, we’ll see how it goes tomorrow.

Day 118: August 3, 2025

Location: Northern Oregon
Home: Tent – ​​1945.0
Ends: Tent – 1975.4
Miles: 30.4
Promotion: 4484 | Descent: 3332
Sleeping: Tent

Luckily I felt a little better today, but I still felt uncomfortable most of the day. We woke up before the sun, packed up and hit the road at 6:30am. Truffles had found an alternative that cut 3 miles and the biggest climb of the day. The crossing was about 5 miles into the day and thankfully the morning passed quickly.

Once we waited on Red Hill Trail, the trail became less maintained but was still manageable. My back was still hurting thanks to the weight of my backpack, but I took several breaks to help relieve the tension. At the beginning, the trail was mostly downhill and once we crossed Horse Creek and stopped for water, we began climbing the side of Red Hill.

The climb was gentle but I still felt tired and slow. About a mile before the junction back to the PCT, the trail leveled out and took us past several lakes and open meadows. Mosquitoes were surprisingly minimal here thanks to a steady breeze and there were hundreds of butterflies dancing in the wind.

First I returned to the PCT and waited for Truffles at the junction. I found a shady spot to rest, eat and snack and felt invigorated enough to make it to lunch. We set up our sites at a stream 4 miles ahead and began hiking.

Our opinions in the afternoon were dominated by the Sisters. Just before lunch we crossed several meadows that bordered the base of the Sister of the North. We continued walking north and circled around Middle Sister. We got water and stopped for lunch at Mesa Creek and found a shady spot to eat. We hung out for a bit, but started walking again around 2:15 pm We had less than 9 miles left and it looked like it was going to be an easy afternoon.

After lunch, we hiked up through the burned area, but were distracted by all the wildflowers and spectacular views around us. The climb was short and gentle and before long we were crossing meadows. There were so many fields of lupins that I felt like we were back in NorCal! The streams we crossed flowed cold and covered with flowers on the banks.

Our goal today was to camp just before the Obsidian Limited Entry Area. This short 2 mile stretch has a strict no camping policy, so we knew we couldn’t stay there. Since we were making such good time thanks to the shortcut, we decided to go to the other side of the non-camping area. Unfortunately there was no water source nearby, so we knew we would have to carry water and camp dry.

The afternoon felt like a drug just because I was getting tired and ready to be at camp. There were looming storm clouds surrounding the Sisters, so I wasn’t sure if we would get wet or not. We finally reached the Obsidian Area and were instantly impressed by all the shiny black rocks covering the side of the mountain. Obsidian was everywhere and showed in the sun.

Shortly after entering this area, the trail climbed steeply toward Obsidian Falls. The falls were about 40 feet high and bounced off obsidian cliffs. We took a few quick photos and set off, determined to make it to camp. We passed several lakes and shortly after left the Obsidian Area. There were no campsites marked on FarOut, but several comments said there were several campsites within half a mile of the exit. We pushed hard and found a fairly flat spot to pitch the tent.

We set up the tent quickly and hurried to prepare dinner, we were both hungry. I’m tired and I hope I can sleep well tonight!

Day 119: August 4, 2025

Location: Northern Oregon
Home: Tent – ​​1975.4
End: Big Lake Youth Camp – 1997.0
Miles: 21.6
Promotion: 2795 | Decline: 4297
Sleeping: Tent

Slower morning, left around 7

The first thing we did was climb the lava field, it felt like we were going through a caldera, we could see several large volcanoes and snow covered cones around us, the rocks were annoying but manageable.

We descended to Minnie Scott Spring where we could see it bubbling in the sand and bouncing small rocks, continued down to South Matthieu Lake and got water there. Very windy and cold but good in the sun.

Further downhill through the burned area to McKenzie Pass I found another lava field that would turn out to be several kilometers long, I could see a cold stone observatory but decided not to go through it.

I crossed the highway and got the trail magic on a dirt road from Freight Train’s mother.

Big hill in a lava field, very exposed but luckily there was wind so it kept us cool but the rocks were very bothersome and I felt unwell.

Snack break at the top, lots of butterflies.

Long descent through the lava and through the burned area, I stopped for a quick lunch around 1:30 pm and moved on again around 2:00 pm

Another small hill, but luckily out of the lava and right in the burned area, you could see all the volcanoes in the distance.

Long and exposed descent, just wanted to finish for today

I arrived at the youth camp junction and took the almost 1 mile long side trail to get to BLYC and arrived around 5 pm.

We checked in and were directed to the hiker area where there were probably 10 hikers already, queuing to do laundry, but we were able to shower and use the WiFi. I reconnected with Ghost and made plans to travel with him to Sisters tomorrow, booking a $400 hotel room for 3 nights in Bend.

Had free dinner with the staff on a patio overlooking the lake, all you could eat, veggie burgers, ate with ghosts and a fire hydrant.

We headed back to the hiker cabin to pick up our stuff and then found a campsite in the «cove» outside of the youth camp property. Set up your tent by the water and rest.