Day 127 Approach to the crater lake

Day 127 Approach to the crater lake
27.94 miles
From the trail campground past Island Lake (mile 1790.9, elevation 6095)
To the trail camp just before Mazama Village (mile 1817, elevation 6422)
Upload 4172
Descend 3841

My feet felt pretty tired to start the day. Knowing I had a lot of ground to cover to meet Regina (former leader of our scout troop who moved to Oregon) the next morning, I ate a Clif bar before leaving camp and planned to eat oatmeal during my first break. Regina’s schedule means she has to leave at 9:00 in the morning, so I need to get to our meeting place very early tomorrow.

I stopped after 3 miles for my first break and my legs felt good after that. I also had some cell service and discovered that blueberries, blueberries, and gummy currants are edible. That knowledge may make me slower, but it will make my stomach happier.

morning view

White Pasqueflower

1800 miles

Another view of the mountain

At one point, the trail crossed some streams. In every stream, there were countless little frogs waiting everywhere.

I stopped around 2:30 pm for lunch. While standing, I also made dinner (cold soak, put other foods in a bag in the mesh pocket) and consumed a few extra calories (cheese, pepperoni, protein drink) to provide energy for my extra miles today.

Since lunch I feel like I’ve been flying, maintaining 3 mph.

I liked the descriptions of Mexico and Canada on this sign.

I saw many reports of an apocalyptic burn zone before arriving at Crater Lake. Compared to all the burned areas in Northern California that I walked through, this area seemed really pretty. A big regrowth began: grass, shrubs, 15-foot spruces, 20-foot cottonwoods. I also acknowledge that the weather has been nice, so the additional exposure from the burn was not uncomfortable.

burning zone

Since dinner was soggy in the cold, I ate it while filtering water just before sunset.

Pond where I had dinner and filtered water for the night.

It wasn’t the most inviting water, but it was good enough for this squirrel.

My camping destination was the last listed campsite before the trailhead where I would meet Regina, just outside the Crater Lake pay station. I arrived at the camp at 10 at night. The night walk was good. I didn’t feel much slowed down on these trails, but it wasn’t much fun. The camp is on a hill in a burned area. It had a pretty clear view of the sky, so the stars and Milky Way were fantastic.

Sunset in the burned area

my campsite

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