Oregon PCT 2016: Day 7

Crater Lake Panorama

Day 7 was a zero day. Burl and I were both a little beat up from the previous days hiking in the snow. Our new friend who had hiked in during dinner the night before was named "Dorito" because he loves to eat Doritos on the trail... seriously, he will eat them crushed up with a spoon out of a zip-lock bag!  Anyway, we all had a great morning eating a big breakfast at the nearby restaurant. During breakfast, we charged phones and did laundry.

Looking along the lake's west side

There was a free shuttle to the rim of the lake so we all decided to go up there and take in the sights during our rest day. We took pictures and even got signals so that we could call people and let them know our plans.

Looking along the lake's east side

It was a beautiful day! I took some time to tour the historic lodge and learn about the history of the park. As we walked about, we discussed plans. Burl and I were ready to call it a day and hitch-hike back to civilization. What we had learned from other hikers was this: There was a LOT more snow ahead and a there were also lots more downed trees to trip over. Someone had gotten lost for 4 days in the area. We decided that we had had plenty of adventure and could stop.
However, the arrival of Dorito changed things. He happened to have a truck parked at the trail head of the PCT on Willamette pass. He really wanted to make it to his truck. He also lived in the Seattle area and could give me a ride home and Burl a ride to Eugene. That really changed things.

Crater Lake Lodge

When we arrived back in our campsite we had a new visitor. Hannah was a first-time hiker that had skipped to the lake hoping to find a section that was not as dangerous as the bit Burl and I had just finished. The four of us hit it off and decided that we would continue north together! It was a great day making new friends!