25.79 miles
From Upper Lake near Olallie Lake (mile 2046.3, elevation 5390)
To follow camp (mile 2070.8, elevation 4273)
Upload 2920
Descend 4043
After waking up, I quickly walked a few miles to Olallie Lake Resort.
Sunrise on the hike to Lake Olallie. I’m not sure what fire the smoke came from that made this sunrise so red.
I had a very pleasant stop at Olallie Lake Resort. On the way back to Crater Lake, I was taken by Jacob, who said he really enjoyed Olallie Lake Resort. Having visited it, I can understand why. The resort is truly rustic, many miles from the nearest town (and paved road), and has no electricity. It’s quite small, but seemed very friendly. I spoke to a man who worked there and could easily see that I would return at some point to enjoy its simplicity.
When I planned my last resupply box, I was hoping to send the next one to Timberline Lodge. But confusion over whether my friends would be able to visit me in that area delayed me from requesting that box. So, I delayed that box until 50 miles later at Cascade Locks. I bought a couple days worth of food at the Olallie Lake store to fill that gap. I also bought some peanut butter and Nutella and plan to mix them together as a dessert option. Not only would it be chocolate, but it would also be calorie dense and have a decent amount of protein. Finally, I bought a box of donuts so I could treat myself right then.
The dock at Olallie Lake Resort, with Mount Jefferson in the distance.
Olallie Lake Resort buildings and parking area.
The interior of the store at Olallie Lake Resort. It has some battery operated LED lights that you can use if you need them. But otherwise, the only light in the store comes from the windows. With no electricity or internet, the store operates on a cash-only basis.
Outside the tent, with a couple of camping cabins just up the hill.
Much of today’s tour has passed through the Warm Springs Reservation. I also found the trail to be very friendly from Olallie Lake. The surface has been left smooth. It is mostly shaded. And the notes have been gradual. Despite this, my abs felt very tired as I approached the Warm Springs River. I couldn’t really explain why. But even at one point I took a break to lie down and rest my body. That didn’t seem to help much. But they felt good a while later after talking (with Deb and Al) and sitting with my backpack on.
I met Deb and Al at Warm Springs River. They are from Bellevue, WA and are hiking from Santiam Pass to Cascade Locks with a zero at Timberline Lodge. They seem to really enjoy backpacking. We probably talked for about 20 minutes and they gave me their phone number in case I needed anything further down the road. They seemed to like the story behind my trail name and really enjoyed the song Oatmeal Tea.
Bridge over the Warm Springs River.
The stretch of forest between a pair of dirt roads had some comments on FarOut describing it as haunted:
- “I woke up twice during the night, once screaming and once crying.”
- «That nightmare camp is probably haunted… I woke up several times feeling completely terrified… I haven’t felt this terrified sleeping alone in a while.»
It was getting so late that I didn’t think I’d finish before it got too dark. The forest itself gave the impression of an old and dying forest. There were no small trees, just tall trees with no low branches and a lot of witch hair moss hanging from them. The ground was mostly covered with fallen logs or plant material that invaded the path on both sides. It seemed like the only place you could really see the ground was the thin strip in the middle of the trail. It gave an impression of equality to everything. If you ventured more than 20 feet off the trail, you could probably easily turn around and have no idea where the trail was. It reminded me of trees you’ve probably seen depicted in horror movies. So I can easily see how someone’s imagination can be activated.
I found a tent spot immediately next to the trail. In fact, one of my tent stakes was only a few inches from the trail. I stretched out the reflective ropes on my tent in case another hiker appeared. I wanted to make sure they didn’t accidentally step on my tent.
After finishing dinner and all my pre-bedtime chores, I zipped up the tent and almost immediately heard a loud screech in the distance…followed by the rest of the owl’s call. It reminded me that I hadn’t heard many owls on this trip. I finished settling in and slept well.
My tent site in this «haunted» stretch of the woods. It doesn’t look too bad during the day.
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