Pacific Crest Trail - Day 158 - Olallie Lake

Start: Mile 2039.6
End: Mile 2058.1

Kristin posing next to our not level tent site in a sea of volcanic rock. We attempted to level it a bit but wound up underestimating the size of the tent footprint and I wound up sleeping directly on the incline leading down to the flat spot we prepared.

At this point we have one pad that holds air just long enough to be able to race it into a deep sleep if you’re tired enough, and one pad with a dozen repairs that’s holding air but sure to give way at any moment.

We ordered new pads to Cascade Locks at the Oregon / Washington border in advance of what looks to be a much steeper (and rainier) 500+ miles in Washington - we’ll need all the rest we can get.

Mt. Hood over Pyramid Butte. We’re closing in on the Oregon/Washington border.

Wild huckleberries for second breakfast.

Pikas seem to position guards to alert when anything remotely threatening (i.e. us) passes by. They make an incredible and unmistakeable “MEEEP” sound every few seconds until you’re no longer a threat.

We passed by this rock pile and strangely heard no Pikas screaming at us. I scanned the rocks and found out why: this guy was asleep at his post enjoying a nap in a morning sun ray.

Amen.

The Olallie Lake area was scorched by the Lionshead fire in 2020. We sort of knew what to expect after chatting with an older gentleman taking a rest on a log on the side of the trail and asking him about his Olallie Lake baseball cap. He almost immediately teared up reminiscing about the wildfire damage wrought on his favorite place which he had visited every summer since childhood.

A small crew was out felling burned trees from the waterfront road and trail surrounding Olallie Lake. They stopped their chainsaws as we walked through, but a tree felled immediately after we were clear made the loudest thump I’ve ever heard. Thwack!

Olallie Lake Resort was spared from the wildfire - a green island in a sea of ghost trees.

This always made me scratch my head. Why are motorboats allowed on Lake Tahoe? We allow fuel contaminants in our purest and freshest water sources so dorks like Mark Zuckerberg can make videos?

Ashy legs from hiking through burn scars all day.

We took a dirt road out of Olallie Lake Resort to avoid an exposed burned section of trail.

We talked to a two-person crew of people clearing and salvaging lumber from burned trees near the road. They mentioned that they rarely get contracts for preventative thinning of forests, and instead get called for labor intensive and time sensitive post-fire cleanup.

The operator of the CAT operated it like an extension of his body. It was fun to watch.

Back to green forests and trail through the Warm Springs Reservation.