Hiking in Oregon - Lakes Heaven & Mosquito Hell (D-82: 1717.7 - 1742.7, D-83: 1742.7 - 1776.3, D-84: 1776.3 - 1805.8, D-85: 1805.8 - 1839.3 - see note in Data, D-86: 1839.3 - 1869.4, D-87: 1869.4 -1899.1, D-88: 1899.1 - 1930.6, D-89: 1930.6 - 1952.6)

Apologies for the long delay in updating the blog. Cell service has been spotty but more importantly, the days have been long and I just couldn't find the time or energy at the end of the day to write.

Oregon is supposed to be relatively flat, at least, when compared to other PCT sections and that is indeed somewhat true. But, it is still a lot of ups and downs and the 30-mile days do take 13+ hours of hiking. Anyway, that's my excuse 🙂.

The first couple of days after Ashland were ho-hum and it was just hiking as usual.

Got some trail magic from Ron & I tried peanut butter & jelly sandwiches - on Texas Toast thick bread - for the first time in my life (I really don't like peanut butter). Not bad, but not going to be my favorite food anytime soon 😀.

Encountered some rocky trail - with really hard black & red volcanic rocks that could be felt through the trail shoes (really wish I had hiking boots instead of trail running shoes).

Hit the first huge section of snow just before mile 1800 on Devil's Peak. Had to relearn walking and sliding (also glissading) on snow. It had been a long time since the Sierras!

But the main theme of Oregon hiking - at least for me - has been the literally multi-dozens of lakes and ponds along the trail. It mostly started with the spectacular Crater Lake, which most of you would have heard/seen. One of the deepest and clearest lakes in the world!

After that, there were lakes after lakes along the trail. Reminded me of Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Minnesota, but with the backdrop of snow-covered mountains here.

Even had an afternoon dip (and cleaned my clothes) in the pretty Summit Lake.

Of course, with all this standing water, it was inevitable that mosquitoes would be numerous. But, numerous is an understatement here. There are thousands and thousands of mosquitoes and they swarm all over you, if you stop for even 10 seconds! They are aggressive and there is always a cloud of mosquitoes following you as you hike. Of course, they are biting you every chance they have. I have to apply mosquito repellent 4-5 times a day just to keep it somewhat effective. The skeeters even bite through your clothing, especially on your shoulders which are relatively stationary even while walking. So one has to apply repellent under your clothing too. I am also wearing a bug net while hiking now. Most other hikers do the same too. Setting up and taking down the tent has to be done as quickly as possible, unless you want to be a major dinner buffet for the skeeters 🙂. And once you are inside the tent, they are just hanging outside the mesh door waiting for you to emerge! (mosquito outside tent video link)

For the first time, I was looking fwd to the burn areas, as those seem to be the only places where there are no mosquitoes. Guess too exposed & breezy! A video and a couple of pics of the burn area that I went through yesterday - a bit different than the previous burn areas as this burnt a few years ago. (burn area video link)

Btw, if you think I am exaggerating, here is what trail angels in Oregon give too 😀:

Finally, the other major part of the hike these past 3-4 days has been the snow. Oregon rec'd lots of snow this season and we are seeing 3-10 feet of snow pack on the top of mountains (which incidentally are only 6000-7500 feet high) (snow on high point video link). Traveling though this snow is slow and somewhat exhausting mentally due to all the route finding effort needed. Also, lots of slipping & sliding, as expected!

So, my impression of Oregon hiking is not very favorable. It is beautiful but the mosquitoes and snow (btw, mosquitoes are there in snow covered areas too) make it difficult to enjoy the beauty. People say this is one of the worst mosquito-years, but I don't intend to test that theory anytime in the near future 😬🙂.

Half of PCT in Oregon is done as of today. Let's see what the other half brings!

Data:

D-82: 

D-84: 

D-85:

Morning session: 

Afternoon session: 

(Note: the official PCT route does not go near Crater Lake, and there is an alternate trail/road that goes around the Lake and almost all hikers, incl me, take the alternate prettier option. The alternate is also shorter by 4-5 miles. Hence the actual distance walked is shorter than what the "official" distance shows. Also, since we had a resupply stop at Crater Lake National Park, there is a morning session and afternoon session data here)

D-85: 

D-86: 

D-87: 

D-88: 

D-89: