Day 104-113: Ashland to Santiam Pass

Mile 1718.7-2001.0

I ended up staying in Ashland for an extra half day on top of my planned zero to watch the Euro final. So, I only made 10 miles on my first day out, meaning I had a lot of work to do in order to stay on schedule. The first 2 days were long. It was my first time doing consecutive 30 mile days, which was doable but hard given the essentially flat terrain. That said, they were more of a mental challenge, as views were limited over this very forested stretch of trail. I did have a couple glimpses of a smoke-obscured Mount McLaughlin, but it was lots of green tunnel besides that.

A rare view going through the green tunnel of Southern Oregon.

Day 3 was supposed to be 28 miles, but turned into 29 when I took a wrong turn early in the morning. Whoops. Anyway, there were some decent, albeit smoky views to start the day before it was back into the green tunnel.

I should also mention that the water carries in Southern Oregon rival the desert. It was a 19 mile waterless stretch for the better part of the day until I reached my destination at Mazama Village in Crater Lake National Park. The next morning was exciting as I knew the green tunnel would break in a big way as I headed up to the Crater Lake rim. The 6 mile walk around the lake did not disappoint, as it delivered some of the best scenery since the Sierra.

Look at that blue!

I took it nice and slow to take it all in. The vibrant blue color of the lake was spectacular, especially considering its size. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end as I dropped down into, you guessed it, more forest.

I did shorter mileage on the rim so had to make it up with a 32 mile push the next day. The morning was quite spectacular up on the shoulder of Mount Thielsen, with lovely views of its rugged peak and the Oregon Cascades.

Slowly but surely, Oregon was inching closer to its reputation for beauty. Most of the day was still through the forest, though I camped that night with a great view of Diamond Peak and its surrounding hills and lakes. This was also the point where Oregon’s infamous mosquito swarms made their first major appearance. Getting out of the tent meant it was dinner time, and I was on the menu. I was at least able to take in the views from inside the tent.

Morning Views of Diamond Peak

Taking down the tent the next morning was an ordeal with all the mosquitoes, but I got going for a short (still 23 mile) day into Shelter Cove Resort. Along the way I got some awesome trail magic in the middle of nowhere consisting of breakfast burritos plus the usual snacks. As a bonus, I got this pic in a massive chair overlooking Summit Lake.

The rest of the day was a nice departure from the green tunnel as the trail made its way up onto Diamond Peak.

At Shelter Cove, I got some non-backpacker food as well as a much needed shower and laundry to prepare for what would be my biggest mileage push of the entire trail. I had to hike 95 miles in 3 days to Santiam Pass to meet my mom, who had flown out from home to meet me. I got things started with a massive 35 miler. There were some nice lakes along the way, but basically the entire 35 miles were spent in the forest.

Odell Lake at 6 AM. Had to get going real early for this one.

The mosquitoes were pretty bad all day, but stepped it up to a whole new level at the end of the day. Seriously, I couldn’t walk fast enough to escape them no matter how hard I tried. Add to this that I had already hiked over 30 miles, and it was a very, very frustrating end to the day. In the end, I did manage the 35 miles. My reward? Get up the next day and hike 31. The good news was that the green tunnel broke toward the end of the day as I made it to the heart of the Three Sisters Wilderness.

South Sister

I had a gorgeous view up to Middle Sister that night, and only had 29 miles left until 2 much needed days off with my mom in the town of Bend.

The next day continued to impress with amazing views. This made hiking much easier, and my mom met me 12 miles into the day with some trail magic!

Looking north toward Mount Jefferson

I dropped most of my gear with my mom and basically ran the next 17 miles, feeling super light without a huge load on my back. The views basically didn’t let up for the entire day as I went over rugged lava fields with towering volcanoes in the background.

Looking back to Middle and North Sister

I finished up my massive push to Bend with a major milestone. 2000 miles gone! My mom made a little sign for the occasion.

After all was said and done, I averaged about 30 miles per day over a 9 day stretch. It was physically exhausting and even tougher mentally, compounded by the fact that I saw very few people, especially in the last 9 days. This long awaited rest has been fantastic, as well as spending time with my mom! 650 miles to go. We’re in the fourth quarter now.