21 Miles
Up around 6:30 to be there for the restaurant at the resort to open at 7. Got breakfast burritos with Magnet and Flavortown. Sisyphus and Hermit also sat by us, and Hermit learned about OSU fans and O-H- ing. The trail out of Shelter Cove winds along near a paved road and a set of train tracks. There are 3 options for getting back to trail: (1) cross the tracks and take the side trail up to the PCT, (2) take the paved road and rejoin the PCT where it crosses the road a couple miles ahead, or (3) take the tracks all the way through the train tunnel and catch the PCT on the other side. Some people actually take the tunnel, and its 0.7 miles long with “safety alcoves” every few hundred feet. They’re active tracks and there are reports of hikers having to run to get out before the train caught them. We took the road because it was smooth grade, not dusty, and no trains to dodge. The hiking was typical Oregon, so gradual ups and downs. Cruiser miles. Hot and dusty and smokey. We ate lunch at Bobby Lake where we caught up to Sisyphus and Hermit (who O-H-ed us, to my chagrin). The next step was Charlton Lake to fill up for camp. We stopped for the night at a site that the PCTA wants people to use since it’s not right next to the trail. They’re LNT sites apparently, but it’s only a matter of time until they get used enough to be just as ugly as the ones next to the trail and less convenient to get to. Oh well, we’ll give them a go.
PCT Hike 