Day 137 (3 September) - Mile 1803.33 - 1818.43

Campsite at mile 1803.33 to Crater Lake National Park, Mazama Village Campground

It was a really cold night last night. Definitely one of the colder nights on the trail. I stayed tucked totally inside my sleeping bag for the entire night. I woke and looked at my watch, it was 6:15 AM and I didn't hear any rustling from the other tents. I called out and Share Bear answered. It was time to get up, but no one wanted to get out into the cold. My motivation was the need to dig a cat hole. A soon as I started making noise the others followed suit. The cold seemed to slow us down this morning. We weren't ready to hike till 7:42 AM.

Ready to hike

Burr...the hike started out chilly. Share Bear's thermometer read 40 degrees. I hiked with my gloves on for the first 2 hours or so. Luckily the day started with an uphill to warm us up some. There was also plenty of deadfall that we had to make our way around. That I could do without.

At the top of the climb we emerged into a burn area that was really cool looking, especially with the deep blue sky and the new green growth.

Eerily beautiful

Share Bear hiking ahead

Today we hike into Crater National Park where we will meet Tim and spend the night. We entered the park boundaries just before noon. I was pretty excited since this is one national park I haven't been to and really want to see.

Entering Crater National Park

The trail was just beautiful going through this meadow.

The beautiful PCT

The PCT sign of the day points out Mazama Village where we will be meeting Tim, eating yummy food, and spending the night.

PCT sign of the day

We were about 1 mile from Mazama Village when we caught up to Steu hiking with his dog. He hiked with the the rest of the way. He was a fascinating man who said he was a life coach and a philanthropist. We traded email address, so I hope to hear from him again.

Steu and us

Tim met us at the trailhead but since he had everything with him we couldn't fit into the 4Runner, so he took our bags and we walked into Mazama Village. He met us, we ate at the restaurant, and socialized with other hikers. We saw Blackout, Stitch, and the Canadian brothers just to name a few. 

The campground has an area for PCT hikers so Tim left the 4Runner and trailer in the parking lot and packed his backpack for the walk to the campground. As soon as he put the bag on his back he said he remembers why he isn't hiking the PCT. 

Tomorrow should be awesome. We hike the Crater Lake Rim Trail which is supposed to be spectacular...plus, we get to slack pack it. So, until tomorrow...

Tim and my home for the night