(Mile 1822.4 -1849.3 in Oregon)

Jukebox and I were practically running to get to Highway 62. The highway that was promised to lead us toward a civilization called Mazama Village. Toward a warm meal, a toilet, showers, and wifi. Oh yea, and coffee. How could I forget.

*Entering Crater Lake National Park Sign*

It was 7PM when we got there. We finished over 30 miles in one day, 32.6 miles to be exact. When we got to the road, there was a boot brush placed right at the trailhead by the NPS (National Park Service). "Your boots carry more than just you. Use this boot brush before your hike to remove invasive seeds." We brushed and then made our way down Highway 62.

The last mile of the day was off the PCT. Our legs were sore, we were starving and stank, but absolutely ecstatic to get to Annie Creek Restaurant. It took forever and the adrenaline of the day was wearing off, but we made it. The first priority was dinner. I had a cold glass of ice water, a margarita, a chicken sandwich with sweet potato waffle fries and an over medium egg on the side. No leftovers. We committed murder that evening, on our dinner of course.

It was so nice to sit in a chair, to be still, and enjoy a meal in the AC. The phones and battery banks were charging as well. Life was good. I failed to mention that we were officially inside the borders of Crater Lake National Park. Holy Sheeeet.

Jukebox and I conversed about our plan for the night and covered many uninteresting topics like resupplies, the bathroom situation, and where we were camping for the night, also WHERE THE HELL WAS EXTRA??? However despite that, we concluded the most important decision of all, we agreed to order to go and pack out pizza.

Eventually we went out to do our hiker chores after dinner. I was unable to secure a free shower, but I did snag the sickest Crater Lake sticker for my bear can. Who needs to shower anyways. On the way to the hiker campground, I was happy and full, but extremely exhausted. Juke, Extra and I had covered over 100 miles in the span of 3 days.

Thankfully Extra was there at camp, in full tornado mode. We hadn't seen him in 8 hours so it was a relief to see the gang back together. I knew I could peacefully rest.

There was a bunch of hikers in the deep cove of campsites. Quiet giggles and whispered conversation echoed off my tent for a while, though it didn't bother me at all. It provided a safe feeling, helping me fall asleep with ease.

The following morning, I was the first to rise and pack up. I was ready for breakfast so I walked my happy butt back over to Annie Creek Restaurant. I plugged in my electronics again and found a table that would fit my trail family as I knew Juke and Extra were not far behind. I had pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns, toast, and no leftovers. We all had coffee too.

Over our meal we discussed a massive wildfire that was looming ahead of us. The Emigrant Fire. Over 30k acres of land actively aflame. We read about how the fire was only a few miles away from the PCT line. The conflict was being spoken amongst all the other hikers around. Some were going to push through, others were skipping around.

The 3 of us didn't want to risk being in a remote section with no exit from a spreading fire. So that day, we decided to stick together as an official group and jump around it. Including a few days in Bend, OR, to rest.

*Breakfast Blues Due To The Emigrant Fire*

I did what I do best and sent my posts out on all the PCT Facebook groups looking for a ride from Highway 138. After many texts and calls to figure out who had room and could align with our timing, we secured a free ride from Michael Dupras. A generous trail angel.

We had to be at Highway 138 by noon the following day, and it was only 12 miles away from the park, so we agreed to explore the Rim Trail of Crater Lake for the rest of the day. All the chaos around the fire, and navigating the changes of plans stressed us out. Jukebox asked us if we wanted to go out with our coffee and have a cigarette. Which ended up being a definitive, and bonding moment in our trail family that became routine. Sharing coffee, a cig, and conversation.

We finally started to make our way down Highway 62 to get to the lake to see the infamous Crater Lake. I remember talking to someone in the village about how there's only one way to get down to the lake. A trail over a mile down from the top of the rim, and it was located on the complete other side of the lake. Unsure of how to get there, we settled on just hiking despite wanting to see the lake closer and swim. Mind you, Crater Lake is actually a caldera, not a crater. A volcano that basically exploded itself, creating a massive hole with huge, miles high mountainous walls completely surrounding it.

We spent maybe 2 minutes walking down Highway 62, until the first car we saw pulled over right in front of us, asking us if we wanted a ride to the lodge, as he was passing it to get to his destination. Of course we said yes, and Juke and Extra took the backseat and they wanted me to sit up front.

He told us how much he loves the lake and visits every year, and that he's even done sections of the PCT. Originally our trail angel was just going to drop us off at the lake lodge, but as he unlocked the doors to let us out, he quickly asked us "Do you want to go down to the lake for a few minutes with me?" I recall looking in the back seat, seeing Jukebox and Extra's excitement, but their hesitation to say yes as we hadn't had a group discussion about it and the offer caught us off guard. I realized then, that we didn't have far to go tomorrow and nowhere to be today. So I went ahead and said what we all were thinking. Hell yes. And to the lake we went.

When we got to the parking lot, we downsized our bags, bringing only the essentials. My bikini, and pizza. And we all headed down the steep trail to the lake's edge. It was amusing to see all the people struggling to climb up as we were flying down with ease. Eventually we made it to the bottom and crawled over large wiggly rocks and people to get to the quaintest corner we could find along the edge.

I was so excited because I looked over and saw The Old Man of the Lake. I told my trail buddies about the legend of the log in Crater Lake. A massive log that floats vertically, and sticks out over 5 ft above the water. It has been said to have lived in the lake for over 100 years. I've been looking forward to seeing it for months.

When we settled into our spot, I changed into my luxury item, my bikini, and dove straight into the water. No shower could've compared. It was cold and fresh. Clear and deep. Juke, Extra, and our trail angel joined me. It felt so good to be weightless after covering so many miles in such a short time. I made sure to scrub every inch of my body to remove the dirt and sweat of the last 4 days on trail.

We enjoyed our packed out pizza for lunch, absolutely basking in the sun and glory of everything working out in our favor. But eventually it was time to go and we packed up and made our way back to the trail and in the car. Our trail angel received many thanks and praise for giving us this experience that he probably had no idea healed us.

When we got dropped back off at the lodge, we weren't quite ready to start walking, so we found a group of rocking chairs and ordered a round of alcoholic drinks. Then appetizers, and another round. We had the best chats and had severe tipsy giggles. The sun was setting and we had to get going since there was no camping allowed along the Rim Trail.

We struggled to get up and going, but we made it to the Rim Trail, stumbling our way around. The sunset was beginning and it was so beautiful. I stopped many times to soak it in. As we were getting closer to the side trail that would eventually lead us back to the PCT, Extra stopped me. He asked me if I wanted to go up to the fire watch tower and cowboy camp. Naturally I said yes, but we waited along a stone wall for Juke to catch up, to ask her if she was down too. A few minutes went by and she pulled up and we all agreed that was the move. So we made our way over to the entrance and up the path. I had to poop so I pulled off and lost the trail fam.

When I got back on, there was a woman who locked eyes with me. She was going the opposite direction. When we lined up to pass each other, she stopped me. She asked, "I've seen a few other people walk by with those large packs, where are you going?" I replied, "Canada." Her eyes lit up and she tried to speak but seemed stunned. Eventually she asked more questions, the same ones people always do when they are curious about the trail. I looked at her sweater for no reason and noticed it said "Paris." I told her about how my parents were in Paris for their anniversary. Eventually I had to get going but she stopped me one more time and asked if she could pray for me. I am not religious but I happily said yes. She said the sweetest things and hugged me goodbye. I didn't feel so bad about smelling since I had just rinsed myself off in the lake. So I embraced the hug.

*The Paris Sweatered Woman Who Prayed Over Me*

When I made it to the tower, Juke and Extra were on a bench enjoying the view. There were other hikers with the same idea of sleeping up there. So I found my spot under a staircase as it was windy up there. Juke and Extra followed shortly and went to bed after light conversation.

I woke up with a raging headache and the smell of smoke. When I got up and looked out from the tower, I could barely see a few miles out. The wind pushed smoke from the Emigrant Fire south. It had filled the whole lake to the point that you could hardly see the other side. The sun was coming up and people were starting to arrive to see a sunrise.

At first I was embarrassed because all my belongings were exploded on the ground under the stairs, making it look like we were homeless. In a way, we kind of were. But eventually I moved past it.

Another stellar experience from the sun we had. Its reflection on the lake in addition to the smoke created a fire blade, for lack of a better description. We started to make our way down and back to the trail, stopping at the last public restroom and then a water cache at the trail junction.

The trail was cruisy and quite flat all the way to the road. It was a dense forest the whole way, and seemed to pass by quickly. One of my favorite trail sights are the worn off PCT emblems that have been replaced with Sharpie tales. "Swoopin miles and poopin piles." "Happiness is only real when shared."

Eventually I made it first to Highway 138. There was a trail register to sign and I got to check out who was ahead. But it was only 10AM. So I settled down against a tree and ate the rest of my pizza while I waited for the gang to arrive and Michael to pick us up.

Crater Lake National Park, OR: Highway 62 to Highway 138

Trail Tale #2