We’re checking off Oregon, and walking into Washington! For those of you wondering, we walked all open miles, 367.8 in just 20 days, including 2 Zero days and a Nero day!
We continued to traverse across Lava Fields, perhaps the most spectacular of these being the Basalt flows around McKenzie Pass, we ascended on the lava flow up to Belknap Crater. You can clearly see where this lava flowed, forming rivers around sections of preserved forests that feels as if it only cooled a few years ago - though they are estimated to be between 1,500 and 3,000 years old.
In and out of the forest and lava fields, we were afforded spectacular and sweeping views of numerous volcanos including; the Three Sisters (a string of three closely spaced volcanos each standing above 10,000 feet), Three Finger Jack (7,844 ft), Mt. Washington (7,795 ft) and Mt. Jefferson(10,592 ft). Though, Mt. Hood stole the show - an active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc standing at 11,249 feet! The peak is also home to 12 permanent snowfields and glaciers!
Interesting, neither the North Sister nor Middle Sister has erupted in the last 14,000 years, are are believed to be dormant with low probability of eruption. However, the South Sister erupted within the last 2000 years, and in 2000, satellite imagery detected a tectonic uplift in the region meaning the volcano may erupt again in the future threading the life within the region!
We hiked into the Obsidian Limited Entry Area (permitted by our PCT permits), and were surprised at how abundant the volcanic glass was. The glass-like black obsidian is formed when silica-laden molten lava flows to the earth's surface without making contact with water. The obsidian was scattered everywhere, with large boulders and even entire cliff made of the shiny, smooth, black volcanic glass.
Around Mt. Jefferson wilderness area, we also passed over Milk Creek, where the water appears cloudy and white from the sediment run off in the area.
We hiked through a cold snap in this section with day temps averaging in the low 50’s and overcast skies. We had two significant thunderstorms. The first stuck us while hiking over a lava field, and was accompanied by dime sized hail which bounced and rolled over the black lava rocks. The second storm stuck us the day before we made it to the historic Timberline Lodge (which is stated to have the best buffet of the entire PCT), and actually brought down a living tree limb just 4 feet from our tent at 1am in the morning!
Other highlights include passing the 2,000 and 2,100 miles markers, getting pancake trail magic from trail angel “Carbs”, and seeing Tunnel Falls. A 172 ft waterfall in Cascade Locks located on the Eagle Creek in the Columbia River Gorge. You actually walk behind the falls through a 60 ft tunnel blasted into the cliff face!
We are meeting Kyle’s family in Cascade Locks for a two day reprieve from trail, then will be heading back to complete the Burney Falls to Mount Shasta section in Northern California now that the smoke from the Park Fire has cleared. In early September, we should be crossing the Bridge of the Gods, and walkeing into our last state of Washington!
