ppine
Forester
Just returned from a trip to the Oregon Cascades and the volcanoes. It was unseasonably cold and wet some of the time. The volcanoes we came to see were covered with fresh snow and obscured by clouds a lot of the time.
We met few people including more through hikers going to Canada than day hikers. That is a first for me. They are very Spartan carrying a base weight of around 20 pounds or less. They eat Ramen noodles and bars, and surprisingly little else. Finding a town or a place like the Elk Lake Resort which is only a mile off the PCT is an opportunity for a salad, a cheeseburger, and a breakfast burrito. They average around 25 miles a day. Almost all are male under 38 years of age. Great people to talk with.
The first day and a half we saw no one. The quiet reminded me of Alaska. We had some sleet and rain but it was not that bad. Beautiful forests with lodgepole pine, western white pine, limber pine and firs, lots of firs. Grand fir, white fir, and Pacific silver fir. I love Oregon, but it is great to be back in the Sierra.
We met few people including more through hikers going to Canada than day hikers. That is a first for me. They are very Spartan carrying a base weight of around 20 pounds or less. They eat Ramen noodles and bars, and surprisingly little else. Finding a town or a place like the Elk Lake Resort which is only a mile off the PCT is an opportunity for a salad, a cheeseburger, and a breakfast burrito. They average around 25 miles a day. Almost all are male under 38 years of age. Great people to talk with.
The first day and a half we saw no one. The quiet reminded me of Alaska. We had some sleet and rain but it was not that bad. Beautiful forests with lodgepole pine, western white pine, limber pine and firs, lots of firs. Grand fir, white fir, and Pacific silver fir. I love Oregon, but it is great to be back in the Sierra.
