From the Journal: August 9, 2013
I'm sitting on the dock at Diamond Lake, feeling the wind in my hair and the waves rocking underneath me. It is a peaceful afternoon, I know the mental and physical rest is much needed. Thielsen this morning was awesome! We left camp at seven and followed a scrambler's trail up the ridgeline. Higher on the ridge the trail turned to talus slopes, which were a bit slippery but manageable. The last 50 feet was exposed low 5th class climbing, which was fine going up but I had some lurking fears about down climbing some reachy moves. We could see south to Mount Shasta and to the mountains surrounding Crater Lake. You could just barely see the lake itself down in the caldera. The Sisters could barely be made out in the coulds. The skies have been full of the most amazing energy. We have had scattered thunder storms the last several afternoons. It was good to climb Thielsen in the morning, since it is known as the "lightening rod of the Cascades". The summit blocks have what looks like ribbons of fulgurite in the rock, which occurs when a lightening strike melts the silica in the rock. It was a beautiful clilmb and a worthwhile side trip for Oregon.
Diamond Lake
Mount Shasta
August 10, 2013Today has been an amazing day! We were road walking out of Diamond Lake when a Jeep pulled up and out jumped Ryan (Gigantor/Beef)! We have been waiting to cross paths for weeks. We walked about five miles with him back to the PCT. He is so genuinely happy, it is inspiring. He just glows. He was talking about the silence of hiking, how much he enjoys being lost in his thoughts - thinking about loved ones, moments of glory and dreams. It's a good mindspace for me to think about, as one who is struggling to embrace silence. But, we traded good trail stories, we headed south and he continued north, straw hat and fishing pole and all. It rained on and off today, luckily the weather cleared as we approached Crater Lake. The lake is vast and majestic and so beautiful it made me cry. We took a side trail up to the Watchman, a fire lookout above 8,000 feet. Now we are camped on the rim of the caldera, overlooking Wizard Island and the lake far below.
August 12, 2013
I got too distracted to journal yesterday so I will play catch up today. I woke up on the edge of Crater Lake for the sunrise, which was beautiful beyond words. It was like a new day beginning with the freshest of breaths. Eventually we moved on, walked a bit further along the rim before descending back to the forest. It has been one of the most majestic places I've seen on the trail so far, and it was sad to walk past. One of my favorite parts of the lake was called Phantom Ship, a small craggy island tucked right against the cliffs. I think it is the oldest part of the volcano. We stopped in Mazama Village for important town chores like ice cream sandwiches and a hot shower. It took awhile to amble out of town. There is a meteor shower going on, and we cowboy camped to try to catch it. I woke and saw one meteor, I think Ben saw three or four. It continues tonight so hopefully we can find a campsite with a view of the open sky.
Today the walking was pleasant and forested. We were working on improving my navigation and having a sing-a-long with the iPod speaker. Tonight we are camped near 7,000 feet just past Devil's Peak. After sunset smoke blankets the landscape like gauze. It has tinted the moon a brilliant orange color.
August 13, 2013
First of all, the meteor shower last night was out of this world! There were some that looked like shooting stars and then five or six really bright meteors that glowed orange and left comet tails across the sky like a jet stream. They crossed vast portions of the sky and lasted much longer than a shooting star, maybe up to three seconds. Everytime I saw one my heart would start racing. It was like a silent firework show.
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