August 11th, 2022 by Jon
When we got up, we lay there, somewhat cold in our sleeping bags, before taking a big breath and forcing ourselves back into our disgusting clothes for one more day of hiking before town days in Bend. We ate at our little picnic table and enjoyed another nectarine from our neighbor, which we had for breakfast. They were extremely good. We started hiking and walked the quarter mile back to the PCT up the side trail, and then began our day in earnest.
The trail led up the side of a loose, rocky ledge, and then we got onto a massive volcanic rock field. We wound our way through the rock, stumbling over a lot of the loose pumice rock. The sun hadn’t come over the mountain to the east yet, and so there was a coolness to the air. It was interesting to see where plants managed to find small nooks where life could survive amid such a harsh landscape. We walked for about a mile before crossing McKenzie Pass, a paved road among the rocks. We crossed, then walked through a forested area before entering the Mt. Washington Wilderness. We walked up a long ridge through more forest about 20 feet from the lava rock. After another mile, we got back on the rock and had a long, steady climb, winding through the lava rock until we got to the top of a small nob.
The views from the top were incredible. We could see the Sisters, Three Fingered Jack, Mt. Washington, and Mt. Jefferson. We took a break there before pushing on along a flat ledge for a while, where dirt and trees had accumulated on top of the rock, before pushing down the other side of Mt. Washington and trying not to slip on the loose rock. It was exposed and sunny, and we could see a valley down below us that we hiked towards. Once at the bottom the forest started again and we left the lava rock behind.
Unfortunately, the hillside we began climbing up was totally burnt. We walked among the white skeleton trees as we climbed along the side of the hill. The sun started feeling hotter and hotter as we walked. After about 4 miles, we got back to the non-burnt tree line. As soon as we got into the shade, we found a small clearing on the side of the trail and took another break. We had only a few more miles before we reached a side trail to Big Lake Youth Camp, where we planned to go in and eat lunch. After hiking a little further, I took the side trail and began walking towards camp. Singsong texted me saying she had missed the turn and had to hike back to it. Thankfully, she only ended up hiking an extra half mile, but it’s still super annoying when it happens, and we’ve both done it a couple of times.
We got to the edge of the camp property and were greeted by very welcoming signs that showed us where to find their hiker hut. We walked past many of the camper cabins and came to a small building with a sitting area, kitchen, bathrooms with showers, and a back room with laundry and package pickup. It was super well organized, and the staff at the camp were so kind to us. We were told we could eat lunch with the camp staff, how to find the eating area, and to show up at 1:00. It was 12:30, so we hung out in the hiker hut, chatting with hikers and sipping water, before heading down.
We came to a bunch of covered picnic tables behind the cafeteria, and they brought out massive trays of food, and we ate buffet-style, all-you-can-eat. They had chicken nuggets, tofu nuggets, plenty of veggies, mashed potatoes, gravy, and a huge salad bar. What a treat. We ate a huge amount of food with about 15 other hikers and then enjoyed popsicles and fudge bars when they brought them out near the end of the meal. Feeling extremely full, we walked back to the hiker hut and made a donation there, since everything was free. Super awesome stop.
Once we had digested for awhile we threw our packs back on and began hiking again. We left the camp and followed a dirt road for a mile, paralleling the PCT, which was about a quarter mile to the east. We reconnected with the PCT and then had another 3.5 miles to get to the highway, where we would meet Singsong’s sister, who would take us into Bend. We walked fast, flying across a flat forest and crossing a few dirt roads that led to various lakes in the area. We were talking when we crossed another dirt road and stopped in our tracks when we saw what was lying in front of us. The 2000-mile marker. Two. Thousand. Miles. It’s crazy how far we have come.
We took pictures there and then walked another 20 steps and ran into a few guys who congratulated us and handed us a beer. We thanked them before we kept walking and drank beers as we made our way the last 0.9 miles to the highway. We got there and waited for Tits, who showed up 5 minutes later. Singsong’s sister pulled up, and soon we were on our way into Bend. When we got there, we went to her sister’s place and showered before heading over to Boneyard Brewery for some dinner. We met Stealth there and enjoyed some great food, drinks, and community.
After food, we headed downtown for some gelato, and it was just absolutely delicious. Now stuffed to absolute bursting, we dropped Tits off, who was staying with family friends, and Stealth off, who was staying at a hostel. We got back to the house, and we crashed hard after a busy day.
Wonderful!