So here’s the plan …

We leave in 3 days, on the 29th. I have been crunching as hard as I can, but there is so much to get done before I leave (not just backpacking stuff) that I am out of time. So I won’t likely post gear explanations or anything involved like that before I get back. Sorry. I had planned to provide more insight into what I’ll do with my gear. I’ll just have to do it later.

My resupply will be set up today, so that’ll be out of the way.

Jody won’t be able to stay the whole 8 days. His plan is to hike the first 3 days, be home for 2, then hike the last 3 with me again. Or something like that. He’ll probably jump out at Elk Lake and then hook back up with me at the north end of Waldo Lake. He has yet to decide the final schedule however. For the following description of the trip I’ll assume that’s the final plan, because it’s the most plausible.

So we’ll start at HWY 242 and do about 10 miles the first day. That puts us just outside the north border of the Obsidian restricted use area at milepost 1980. That’s west of Sawyer bar along Whitebranch, which may be running with water fresh from under Collier Glacier (hopefully). If not there’s water within a mile or so of there.

On the second day we will see Obsidian and Sunshine and end at the famous Sisters Mirror Lake, 14 miles and change down the trail. We can just hike thru the Obsidian area on the PCT and we won’t need a special permit. Day two is the longest at 14 miles and change. By then we will have walked past all three of the Sisters this area is named after: the three volcanoes that are the Three Sisters of the Three Sisters wilderness we will be in. We will also have hiked past Rock Mesa. It’ll be a spectacular day.

On day three I’ll drop Jody off at Elk Lake halfway through the day and finish a 12 miler at Dumbbell Lake. I will have headed firmly into the land of lakes and mosquitoes by then. Hopefully they won’t be too bad. I believe I’m prepared for the worst likely conditions.

The fourth day I will go about 8.5 miles, crossing and leaving the Mink Lake basin, then I’ll head off-trail for about a mile. I’ll skirt Irish Mountain and hit up my favorite Lake: East McFarland. This will be my base, because on day five I’m taking a zero. That means no hiking. Of course I won’t be able to just sit around, so I’ll poke around in the area some. I want to see if I can go up on the ridge on the west side of the lake and traverse all the way to the east ridge safely. It’s pretty sketchy climbing the east ridge, but the best view is up there. Anyway, I’ll have a whole day to goof around.

On day six, I’ll backtrack to the PCT again and continue south. Not counting the off-trail portion at the beginning, it’ll be about 12.5 miles to Charlton Lake, where I plan to camp. Then add another two miles getting from there to northern Mink Lake and back again meeting up with Jody. My total will likely exceed 15 miles that day. Jody will do about a mile.

Or… I can stay at East McFarland just the first night, then head back out and kill off a few miles going to maybe Jezebel Lake (at milepost 1940.7-ish) or Brahma Lake (milepost 1939.7) Since Charlton Lake is at milepost 1932 or so, that would shorten day six to 10 or 11 miles (including the side jaunt to Waldo). If my knees are giving me trouble or I’m not feeling like superman I’ll likely do this. If I’m still invincible, who knows.

But I can make the decision and then call Tina from East McFarland, because that east ridge not only has the best view, it has excellent cell service too. It’s good for someone to know your plan so they know where to look if you don’t show up. I should have time to get up there at the end of day 4 if I don’t lallygag.

In any case, on the seventh day, we will skirt the Twins and end only 8 miles away at Bobby Lake. It’ll be a cake day, which might be good after the sixth day.

On day eight, (August 5th) we will hike 10 miles to HWY 58, threading between Maiden Peak and the Willamette Pass ski area and walking past the three Rosary Lakes. If we feel adventurous and get an early start, we could summit Maiden Peak, or follow the ridge around to Pulpit Rock. Either way, we need to be at HWY 58 in time for our pickup, and from there it’s pizza and home.

That, folks, will be all of Oregon Section E of the PCT at 75.5 miles, plus side trip mileage. I’ll have a GPS odometer for the true number.

I’ll try to check in before I go, but otherwise, see you all when I get back. I should have lots of pictures and video from the trip.

– Tim