Day 123-127: miles 1821.9-1954.9

Still in Government Camp, enjoying our morning at Cascade Ski Club, which only hosts ski club members and PCT hikers. The town is very small but quite cute, and has great views of Mt Hood (which has skiing until Aug 15!!). About to head back to trail, where we'll stop at Timberline Lodge for lunch, and then get to Cascade Locks in a couple days.

Day 123: mile 1821.9-1824 + 11.4 off-PCT (Crater Rim Alternate), hitch up to 1908

Woke up around 7:15 and slept in a bit before getting up to pack and sort my resupply box. I definitely have a ton of food for this section! Shade headed over for breakfast early and by the time Cheers and I joined her, she had eaten, but the power for the whole mountain was down! They couldn't heat up food or process any payment so I got a great yogurt and granola and fruit with cereal – for free! We have a family friend that we're planning on staying with in Bend, so I updated her on our plans while I had Wi-Fi (on a generator that lasts for two hours after the power goes down, we were told) Then I backflushed my water filter and headed back to the trail around 10:30. It was a pretty immediate climb once we got to the turn off for the Rim Trail alternate - the actual PCT is closed here due to the Middle Forks Fire (though I think we were all planning to do the rim trail anyways since the actual PCT doesn't get to see Crater Lake). The hill was brutal, but cresting the peak and seeing Crater Lake laid out before us was such a fantastic moment – it was so stunning and such a deep blue! We hung out in Rim Village for a bit, filling up on water and learning about the lake, before heading on. The trail had some gnarly elevation gain, but with absolutely gorgeous views. Wizard island was so cool to see, and the ridges of the crater were really amazing. We took a late lunch with a nice view in the shade, and carried on to more ups and downs. Then we left the views of the lake behind and went down to the highway. In the distance, we could see the lingering smoke from two fires that had been in Crater Lake a couple weeks ago. We're coming up on the Middle Fork Fire and Diamond Fire Complex closures, which include the Trail Fire, Wood Fire, Lemolo Fire, Ooya Fire, South Willamete Fire, and Red Fire (the complex has maybe six other fires, but those are the ones affecting the trial). There's a little bit of trail open between them, but no good way to actually get to it, so we'll have to skip the whole thing (though as of writing this, the entire section is now closed). We're skipping up to Shelter Cove, about 65 miles. We waited at the highway for about an hour and a half until we got a hitch, but luckily they were going all the way to Eugene, right past where we wanted to get dropped off. The ride was about an hour and through some really, really smoky areas, where the sun became a spot of deep red shining through the haze. I definitely understand why the trail is closed here - I would hate to hike through that kind of smoke, let alone with the danger of getting caught in the fire. We got into Shelter Cove after everything had closed, but just headed back to camp in a lovely spot. Had dinner then headed to bed.

Day 124: 1908-1926.1

Headed out from Shelter Cove around 7:40, doing the 2 miles of road walk up to the open trail. Then started with a nice gentle hill up to Lower Rosary Lake where we filled up water and fought off mosquitoes before heading on. I finished the climb up Eagle Lean, then enjoyed a nice downhill before getting to another up. Stopped at a shelter for a snack before heading on, listening to a podcast. We're doing a shorter day today - only 20 miles - which will be really wonderful. Finished the hill and had a nice downhill into camp at Charlton Lake. I got there around 3, and enjoyed a dip in the lake and lying on the shore talking to the other hikers. We're starting to run into a few more SOBOs, which is fun to see. They still look so bright and cheery! It's been a while since I've gotten to camp early so it was nice to relax. Around 4:30, the smoke blew in and settled over the lake, but it still wasn't too bad. Cheers and Shade had taken a nap at lunch, so they came in a couple hours later and we had dinner with some other hikers, then headed to bed.

Day 125: 1926.1-1948.2

Left around 7:15 this morning and had a very lovely flat trail for a bit. Right after camp, we entered a 5 mile long burn zone that seem to go on for ages in each direction. It's definitely the most desolate place we've been yet – there were no blowdowns, because there weren't any trees left, and the ground was just soot. Nothing was growing and you could see the ash getting kicked up with each step. Even though it was really depressing, there was a kind of beauty in it. The land was so changed, and so utterly different from surrounding areas. We finally re-entered the trees at Irish Lake, and then got into the Three Sisters Wilderness. Lots of larches, hemlock, and some pines. There was a decent downhill, then some up. Then lots of flat trail, which was lovely on my feet, which are definitely feeling a little bit better. Also, so many huckleberries! I picked a bunch and stored them in my water bottle, so I could eat them at snack breaks and have them with breakfast. I carried on, listening to a podcast and enjoying the trail. We camped near Dumbell Lake and got to go for a swim, which was really lovely. There's shockingly few mosquitoes here and the smoke isn't too bad. We're going into Elk Lake Lodge tomorrow, where we'll meet a family friend and get to go to Bend!

Day 126: 1948.2-1954.9 + 1.8 off-PCT

We got up early and left around 615 only seven or so miles until Elk Lake Lodge – it was a really flat and nice trail. Some mosquitoes, but nothing horrid. The sky was overcast, though some of it was smoke, but an hour in it started drizzling a bit, which was a really nice change! I passed Axeman heading back to the trail as we went down to Elk Lake Lodge. There, I soaked my feet a bit, but it was too overcast to really want to swim. Our host in Bend was going to be a bit delayed, so we decided to get some breakfast there, which was fantastic! Then we met up and they took us to their place in Bend which was absolutely gorgeous, with a marvelous view of the surrounding mountains, even though it was a little hazy. We got showers and did laundry - I preached my clothes and oooh boy were they disgusting. Then we got a ride back to the city to resupply, get lunch, and stop at REI. Then back to their place to relax - it's so comforting to be in an actual house again!! We had a delicious homemade dinner with ice cream and watermelon for dessert. Such a restful day!!

Day 127: zero in Bend!

Zero day today!! We're so lucky and grateful that our hosts' schedule allowed us to zero here, because it's so incredibly gorgeous and peaceful. I'm really enjoying the rest for my feet too - I think it'll really help the soreness. We slept in a bit and had a fantastic breakfast of bread and homemade almond butter, then a second breakfast with eggs and sauce. Relaxed for a while, then got dropped off near the Deschutes river in Drake's Park. We walked into downtown, where we got boba tea (a new experience for Cheers!). We also learned that a hiker Cheers and I had met in Idyllwild had been reported missing, and we had seen him while hiking out - after the report said he was last seen. So I called the sheriff's office to give some details just in case it was useful. Then we got lunch at a food truck and found a lovely spot by the river to relax and watch the folks in inner tubes and paddle boards float past. Right before we got picked up again, there was a freak storm with hail and tons of rain, so we took shelter under a tree. It really hasn't actually rained on us since the desert, which is crazy to think about! Back at the house, I got to help a bit with dinner which was lovely - I've really missed cooking while on the trail. Dinner was a fantastic stir fry and all the vegetables totally revived me. Then I relaxed a bit more, updated my blog, took another shower, and stayed up too late enjoying the cell service before going to bed. This has absolutely been the best zero we've had yet!!!