Day 8: Stream to Water Cache

PCT Mile 1856 – 1878

Miles Hiked = 22

Last night Rex and I camped under the shadow of the jagged and impressive Mt. Thielsen. We camped here because of the nearby stream.

As usual, this morning we were up and hiking by 6am. We stopped at the nearby Thielsen Creek and collected enough water for the 22 mile hike to our next water source – the water cache at Windigo Pass. I needed 2.5 liters.

Soon we were back in the forest.

It wasn’t long before I had a view looking back at Mt. Thielsen as the rising sun lite up its jagged peak.

As I continued northward, I walked in the cool shade of the forest waiting for the sun to rise high enough to provide a little warmth so that I could take off a layer of clothing.

We passed a rare mountain meadow.

After about five miles Rex and I reached the official PCT high point in Oregon and Washington. Surprisingly it’s only 7573 feet in elevation. We were actually over 8000 feet two days ago when we visited the Watchman Tower Fire Lookout at Crater Lake. The high point on the entire PCT is over 13,000 feet at Forrester Pass in the Sierra Nevada.

Today was primarily a day for making miles. Most of the day was spent walking through the forest. At one point we had a nice view of Miller Lake in the distance.

It seemed smokier today and distant views were quite hazy. Hopefully the winds were just blowing in a different direction and the fires aren’t actually worse. Time will tell.

Flower of the Day:

Spiny Plumeless Thistle – this flower is found in grasslands, disturbed areas and roadsides. It’s distinguished by its spiny stems and purple flowers. It’s native to Asia and Europe and is an invasive plant in North America.

Since I started hiking eight days ago I’ve crossed over, around or under hundreds of fallen trees that block the trail. Here is one of them – they’re not all this large or challenging.