SIXTY FOUR – TUESDAY JUNE 29, 2021

Wake up and check the map. Gah I sound like a broken record. Not a record, but a routine.  It was all down to a science. It would take almost forty miles to make it to Ashland which I was not too confident about. I focused on the immediate goal of the day and ran the last couple of California miles before reaching the border. The sign was small and just about as underwhelming as the PCT halfway marker.  There was a better view at this milestone but it was not about any of that. These were mental markers. A psychological sense of relief.  I hiked the entire length of California and now started to feel like I was in the Pacific Northwest.  

I decided to celebrate with one of the few things I could generate out of thin air.  Some more running miles. Why not.  The view in southern Oregon was not much different but my mindset felt shifted.  With the first state knocked out I refocused on today’s second goal. Ashland.

Night came and I was still going. I was traversing the tops of some ski runs and with an open view I could see a glow on the horizon. The fire I saw yesterday was still burning and may have grown larger. The area around Mount Shasta now looked like the volcanic dome it once was. Speaking of Shasta’s I came across a nice surprise. There was a cooler full of Shasta sodas a trail angel left. Since it was late at night I stayed away from the caffeine and stuck to beer. Just root beer.  I reached the road but not the one to Ashland. 

SIXTY FIVE – WEDNESDAY JUNE 30, 2021

With a short six mile downhill I scurried down to Interstate 5. On the way I passed a house that had a picnic table and spigot set up for hikers.  I splashed my face and stuck my head under the water. Gotta clean up purty for them town folk. Here is a picture of the smoke plume from the fires I was seeing last night.

On the other side of the underpass was Callahan’s Lodge.  They weren’t serving food until later but let me leave my batteries charging while I hitched in to town. An older local guy picked me up and insisted to drop me off at the co-op. It was a great recommendation. I did a small resupply and ate about three meals worth of food in that sitting. As eclectic as Ashland people were and on top of that being in a co-op, I still stuck out. The rinsed off hair wasn’t fooling anyone. I stopped at an outdoor gear shop for some fuel and then decided to have a beer before heading back to trail. It was beginning to look like one of those twenty mile days. 

I feared another Dunsmuir situation and opted for a quick fix Uber. After retrieving my battery I went back under the Interstate where (foot and car) traffic was stopped for some overhead work. Two guys jamming out in a pickup truck asked what I was doing and proceeded to tell me to reach in their cooler in the back.  I felt full on hobo enjoying a cold underpass beer but hey it was magic.  It was not a bad climb out so I made up some miles for a nice spot with a view of the city lights (and some phone service which was rare). Oh yeah, I still had this pad. The ever expanding bubble. 

SIXTY SIX – THURSDAY JULY 1, 2021

Ten miles in to the day I reached Hyatt Lake.  There was a resort here but after a long morning in Ashland yesterday I decided to push through.  I did top off at the spigot right by the trail which was a nice filter relief.  

At this point I had not seen another thru hiker for a few days, since the morning leaving Seiad.  Ignition and Crossword must have zero’d in Chester because I had not seen them in over two weeks.  When I passed trail registers I was checking to see what hikers might be ahead of me.  There were not many.  Maybe just a dozen.  Right at golden hour I approached a couple setting up camp.  They looked about as surprised to see someone as I did.  I introduced myself and met “Snakebait” and “Kale”.  It was weird to meet them after seeing their names on the registers for the past few days.  I had seen their names but they had no idea who I was.  I think they said they were doing about twenty five miles a day and I pushed on for a few more hours so I sadly might not see them again.

SIXTY SEVEN – FRIDAY JULY 2, 2021

I remember feeling the volcanic Cascade immersion in north California but Oregon took it to a whole nother level.  The trail was laid with red lava rock and I had a great view of Mount McLoughlin. 

A couple of hours in to the day I reached Highway 140 and after a short one mile hitch was dropped off at Fish Lake Resort.  Yesterday I completely skipped Hyatt Lake but today I opted for an early lunch and began to enjoy the southern Oregon resort life.  Fish Lake had a great little store, a grill, and a lake where you could take out a kayak.  It felt like summer with the holiday approaching.  There were not any other thru hikers but I began to see more day hikers and section hikers the further north I went.  “Milkshake” was a wild man van living in Arizona but traveled north to do some long sections on the PCT.  He had a tiny pack and told me he had been running a lot of the way.  We parted at the trailhead and shortly after heading north I met “Kangaroo”.  Before I could ask about the name, a small chihuahua popped out of her shirt.  That was “Dirt Devil”.  Kangaroo like all other hikers I met started at Mexico before me but boy she was fast.  We hiked together for maybe a mile before she was gone.

Fish Lake was about fifty miles away from Crater Lake where I was planning to meet my friend Joseph tomorrow.  He lived in Eugene, Oregon and drove out here just to hang out and camp with me for a night.  I was excited to see a familiar face and did not want him to waste a drive out here waiting on me.  In the late afternoon I stopped for some water and was absolutely miserable fighting away the mosquitoes.  The mood worsened when a branch snagged the side of my pack and ripped a huge hole in the side pocket where I kept all of my day snacks.  A quick fix with some dental floss would be enough for the time being.  Things were not going great.  Before sunset I passed by Kangaroo and Dirt Devil’s tent and into the night crossed Devils Peak.  I pushed almost thirty seven miles and stopped near a few lakes just short of Honeymoon Creek.  The mosquitoes were absolutely horrible but this was the last area with water before about a twenty mile dry stretch to Crater.

SIXTY EIGHT – SATURDAY JULY 3, 2021

I woke up extra early to beat the heat and cruise in to Crater.  Also the mosquitoes were driving me crazy and I wanted to get away from those lakes.  The grade was mostly flat but I soon reached a burn area.  By this point the sun was blazing and there was nowhere to hide.  My stomach began to cramp up and caused me to take frequent breaks to bend over for relief.  

I texted Joseph and told him I would be running a few hours late.  The pain kept worsening and I tried everything.  Drink more water.  Eat something.  Drink some electrolytes and eat a salt tablet.  Nothing was working so I pulled out one of my emergency alka seltzers.  I was glad I saved it from the Sierra (see day thirty).  That did not work either so I looked for a spot to stop.  There were no bushes or leaves on the trees to provide relief from the heat so I sat behind the largest tree trunk I could find.  After about thirty minutes I was laying down right on the trail.  Two girls and their dog stopped and hung out with me for an hour and encouraged me to drink water and eat something.  

“Ben” and “Diana” approached and relieved the others.  They were trail angels in every sense of the word.  I was now puking up all of the water I tried to drink.  Nothing was staying down and I was definitely overheating.  Ben and Diana got my sleeping pad out and inflated it so I wasn’t lying right in the dirt.  They asked what I wanted to do.  I am an independent person and stubborn to get help.  I told them I just wanted to get to the next campsite a quarter mile down the trail and set up my tent for some shade.  They carried my pack and I stood up trying to walk.  I did not make it 100 feet before collapsing.  At that point we all decided I could not walk out of there and I should not stay the night out there.  It was about five miles to the trailhead.  Ben and Diana used their Garmin inReach to contact their family to get search and rescue out here.  About an hour later a crew of a dozen S&R arrived.  “Lori” was the head of the crew and I knew I was in good hands.  They loaded me in the litter and began to roll me out of the woods.  The sun was setting and I was lying on my back looking up at the sky.  The pain grew stronger and it felt like a never ending ride.  The caravan stopped every thirty minutes to check my pulse and vitals. From her reactions I could tell my condition kept worsening. Lori had a helicopter on standby and was seconds away from executing the call. I was wondering if that was going to be the last sunset I ever saw.  This time I actually thought I was going to die out there (see day twenty six). 

S&R took a side trail to reduce the length of the extraction.  The only caveat was that this side trail had several rocks and downed trees.  They had a few people ahead of us clearing the trail and cutting detours around the larger trees.  We finally reached the road and they loaded me into the ambulance.  I waved goodbye and thanked the entire S&R crew, especially Lori.  It took four tries but the medics were finally able to find a vein to get an IV in me.  I was that dehydrated.  It was an hour ride to the hospital and halfway through the ride the fluids were in my system.  I felt a sense of relief unlike any I had felt before.  Everything was going to be ok.  I reached Sky Lakes Medical Center just after midnight and stayed until morning.

SIXTY NINE – SUNDAY JULY 4, 2021

I woke up confused where I was. A nurse walked in the room and I confirmed that it was not a nightmare but a harsh reality. After eating breakfast I was able to walk down the hall to the bathroom. It felt apocalyptic with just a half staff holiday skeleton crew working. I looked in the mirror and was shocked to see the man staring back at me. I immediately puked at the sight of him. Just kidding. The food was not sitting well and I was not fully recovered. Back in the room I puked once more. This was not good but I had to suck it up. The nurse walked back in and asked how I was doing. Like an ashamed dog, I did not mention the vomit and played it cool. Smile and wave. They did some blood work and confirmed my internals were fine.  It was severe dehydration and abdominal muscular cramps.  The nurse said my friend Mitchell would be here soon to pick me up.  I asked if she meant Joseph but she kind of shrugged it off.  I went down the other hall to take a shower and then checked out to the lobby. 

A familiar face walked into the waiting room.  It actually was my friend from home, Mitchell!  He flew out to Oregon and met up with Joseph to surprise me.  We walked outside and hopped in Joseph’s truck as I began to tell the story of what just happened.  Before we got too far in conversation I told them we needed to take care of two things.  Fluids and food.  

We stopped at a gas station and then realized it was July 4th so the only restaurant we found open was Appleby’s.  What could be more American?  Over a plate of pasta and some Pedialyte I described the unfolding and impending demise but also many happy stories from the last two months on trail.  The elephant in the room had to be addressed.  What was the plan now?  Obviously none of us could have imagined I was going to end up in the hospital but that happened and here we were.  The original plan was for Mitchell to surprise me at Crater Lake and hike north with me for a few days.  They asked if I wanted to keep hiking.  Over the last eighteen hours I was thinking about survival and had not thought much further than that.  It was a hard decision not only internally but there were several external factors also.  Was this a sign from God?  What would people think if I continued hiking after a near death experience?  I could already hear the criticism calling me irresponsible and immature.  I decided to treat it how I had since Mexico.  Take it day by day.  The next three days I would be hiking with Mitchell and would have some much needed physical and emotional support.  We devised a plan including some twenty six to twenty eight mile days with the end at Shelter Cove Resort where Mitchell would catch a bus or have Joseph pick him up.

It was about an hour drive back to Crater Lake.  We stopped along the way and I got that same summer road trip feeling I had in Cajon (see day twelve).  Part of the recovery plan included a concept I was completely unfamiliar with.  A zero day.  I made it seventy days and over 1,800 miles without taking a zero.  Today seemed to be the appropriate scenario for my first zero.  We made it back to Crater Lake and first stopped at the campground post office to pick up a resupply box and also some care packages from my little brother Sully, my friends Matt and Madison, Bryce and Rachel, and of course another giraffe, Vogue, and Tropicalia from Parker.  Oh also I finally received my replacement sleeping pad!  I originally planned on picking it up over 800 miles ago so this was a much awaited and well deserved piece of gear.  The old pad almost became my death bed so good riddance.

In front of the post office were a dozen hikers, some of which I recognized including Snakebait and Kale.  They all waved me over and I had a nod of approval from Mitchell and Joseph to signify I could go play with my friends.  One of them tossed me a beer and I began to tell my story after they learned my name was Skyler.  Snakebait and Kale were surprised to learn that I was the same person from the story they heard.  They only knew my face as Ghost Crusher.  Word on the trail travels fast.  We also met “Tennessee” who was a professor at the university Mitchell and I both graduated from.  The trail is also a small world.  Joseph dropped us off at the Mazama Campground and we parted ways.  He was a real lifesaver for driving all over Oregon for me and I could not thank him enough.  We moseyed on over to the thru hiker area and found a spot to spread out.  I did some sink laundry and introduced Mitchell to cowboy camping.

SEVENTY – MONDAY JULY 5, 2021

We packed up and began the next section.  I was feeling much better but still not 100%.  We diverted off the PCT and climbed up the Rim Trail alternate.  It was about an eleven mile detour that takes you along the rim of Crater Lake.  We stopped for some photos and took several breaks along the way.  The views were amazing and I was confused the whole time why this was considered an alternate.  It was my first alternate on the PCT and I would call any thru hiker crazy for not taking this route.

I was not cruising at my normal speed given the dehydration speed bump but still after a couple of months out here I was in great shape.  Mitchell said he trained for this hike and cut down his base weight but we laughed after realizing he had not hiked over twenty miles in a day since we ran a 50K together almost three years ago.  On the last climb out of Crater we passed by Tennessee who was setting up for the night. We then descended to the edge of the Pumice Desert and found a nice spot to stop for the night just after dark.

SEVENTY ONE – TUESDAY JULY 6, 2021

The morning was spent hiking around Mount Thielsen.  We stopped to refill water at Thielsen Creek along the base.  It was a nice change of pace having someone to hike with.  I leap frogged and shared miles here and there but had not hiked an entire day with someone since SoCal with Young Cappy (see day twelve).  Mitchell and I cruised along and spent the day alternating who was setting pace.  

We covered some ground and decided to stop at Windigo Pass.  This was a dirt road crossing where there was plenty of water cached.  The mosquitoes were bad but we found a good spot to set up.  I waved across the way at Snakebait and Kale who were also setting up here.

SEVENTY TWO – WEDNESDAY JULY 7, 2021

While packing up and enjoying some morning coffee we chatted with the neighbors.  Snakebait told us about the Whitefish Alternate that takes you through a horse camp where there is usually free soda from the hosts.  He also mentioned it knocks off a few miles and that was enough to sell Mitchell.  

We made our way down the forest service road to take this side trail.  There were not many views but it was an easy morning without much climbing and less mosquitos than the main trail.  We approached the campground host’s spot and saw a few other hikers hanging out.  Ignition and Crossword!  I had not seen them in three weeks!  It was good to catch up and they also said they heard about my fiasco.  Word travels upstream on the trail also.

After leaving the horse camp we hiked about an hour and stopped for a break at Diamond View Lake.  From here it was a couple more hours along Trapper Creek to reach Shelter Cove Resort. 

I began to get worried about making it before the store closed.  My plan was to resupply tonight so I could hit the trail early in the morning.  I was not able to find the information but was pretty sure the store had regular nine to five hours.  After discussing with Mitchell he told me to speed ahead if I wanted to make it.  He was on the last few miles of his section hike and he did not have much left in the tank.  I on the other hand was feeling healed and rested up from the last few days of rehab.  It felt like I took the training wheels off as I ripped down the trail.  Upon reaching Shelter Cove I learned they were open for at least an hour later and Mitchell would probably make it before close too.  Shelter Cove had a large deck where hikers were hanging out.  I saw Mitchell walking across the way and started applauding him with others joining in.  It was very reminiscent of Kennedy Meadows (see day twenty four).  I had a cold beer waiting for him and we ordered a pizza to celebrate his successful section.  There was a mix of mostly southbound sectioners and we all camped in the hiker area.

SEVENTY THREE – THURSDAY JULY 8, 2021

I decided to hang around for a slow morning with some coffee and wait until the store opened.  I bought some more of those Off The Farm bars, almost doubling what I bought the night before.  There were not many other options left in the store so most of my nutrition for the next few days consisted of the wide variety of flavors they offered.  Mitchell said he was going to spend the morning around the lake while he waited on Joseph to pick him up.  He sent me on my way and off I went.  The day was mostly flat and it was easy to keep moving.  The mosquitos were so bad that I did not want to stop and was able to cover almost thirty miles.  This was the worst mosquito day I had on the entire trail.  My journal entry for this day simply read “mosquito hell”.

SEVENTY FOUR – FRIDAY JULY 9, 2021

I woke up and sat inside my tent screen trying to get hyped up to face the mosquitos when familiar voices approached.  It was Ben and Diana!  I hardly recognized them with the bug nets over their faces.  I was going to get out of my tent and give them a hug but they said to stay in the tent for my own sake.

In the middle of the afternoon I made it out of the mosquito forest and had my first view of the Three Sisters Wilderness when closing in on Elk Lake.  It was only about a mile spur to this next resort but I was between resupplies and did not see a reason to stop. 

I pushed on and caught up to Snakebait and Kale.  We hiked into the sunset together when they stopped but I kept going.  By about midnight I was at the base of Middle Sister and entered the Obsidian Falls area where it is illegal to camp.  I kept moving to the north end and found a nice spot to stop.

SEVENTY FIVE – SATURDAY JULY 10, 2021

I slept well for a few hours but was back up and at it before 6 AM.  With a long push of thirty eight miles yesterday I was set up nicely today for about twenty seven miles.  I immediately climbed up a small volcanic gully and then descended into a large grassy meadow.  At the other end I saw a trail runner coming toward me.  A couple of weeks back I began following Timothy Olson’s journey to break the FKT (fastest known time) for the entire Pacific Crest Trail.  He was aiming to complete the entire trail in about fifty one days!  I estimated what his daily pace was, my daily pace, the rough distance between us, and calculated he would pass me some time in the second week of July.  This runner was heading south so it was not Tim but he was decked out in Adidas gear, who was sponsoring this attempt.  I asked if he was out here for Tim and he said “yeah he is a few miles south of here and heading this way”.  My morning fog quickly faded and I was all excited to meet this legendary ultra runner.  I stopped at the meadow’s creek to wash up and put my contacts in.  

An hour went by and Tim had not passed.  I exited the trees and was back onto the lava fields.  This area was much more volcanic than McLoughlin that I passed south of Crater.  These were darker and larger rocks.  The uneven surface was rough on the feet and the heat was radiating.  On the approach to McKenzie Pass I talked to one of the guys from the camera crew and knew Tim must be getting close.  I could see the crew’s RV parked up the road but did not want to bother and I needed to push on anyway.  I figured Tim would stop for a break but he would catch me eventually.  In the late afternoon I heard something quickly approaching.  Tim Olson!  We chatted for about half a minute and he even stopped for a picture.  He asked my name and complimented my overall pace but I laughed knowing it was nothing compared to his.

After Tim passed I spurred off to Big Lake Youth Camp. It was closed last year and still not back at full operation but I heard now they started to offer water to PCT hikers. After filling up I had a few more miles to Santiam Pass on Highway 20.  From here there was about twenty miles of trail north before a closed twenty mile section from last year’s Lionshead fire.  There was not a walkable detour and the alternative was to do an out and back section before returning to Santiam.  Most of the hikers I talked to were hitching from here to Bend and then taking a bus around to Government Camp.  I found some service as I neared the road and began to make my town calls.  Oh also I hit 2,000 miles!

There was a lot of traffic but I waited almost half an hour. After one psyche stop, a van pulled off for me. “Bryce” and “Dane” were a father and son road tripping through the west.  I could tell how friendly they were given the other hitchhiker (non PCT hiker) they already had in the car.  They insisted on taking us through McDonald’s drive thru.  This was the first McD’s I had seen since Cajon Pass, about 1,650 miles ago (see day twelve)!  Bend was a large city and it was the perfect time to purchase some fresh meatz.  After no luck calling some local gear stores I had them drop me at the REI.  I was dead set on another pair of Lone Peaks but since they were out of stock I went with some Timps.

I took an Uber over to Bunk and Brew Lucas House hostel where I was staying for the night.  After checking in, showering, and enjoying a complimentary beer I was picked up by my long time friend Alle who lived in town.  We went out to dinner and caught up on life stories from the last few years.

SEVENTY SIX – SUNDAY JULY 11, 2021

I woke up and snuck out of my hostel room (bunkmates were still asleep) for about a mile walk across town to the bus station.  It was a three hour ride north to Government Camp.  Along the side of Mount Hood I stopped in the Wyeast post office and picked up a small resupply box and a care package from my friends John and Caitlin.  They really made me feel at “Homestyle”.  I walked up the hill to Timberline Lodge just in time for lunch.  This is one of the most famous meals on the trail.  It is an all you can eat buffet for a steep $25 but so worth it.  I piled food on one large plate and ordered a tall beer.  I barely had enough room for a little bit of dessert and took a break in the lobby before heading back outside.  The interior of the Lodge was elegant and I certainly felt out of place.  Appropriate clothing would be a collared shirt and khakis but at least I was showered and wearing clean clothes. 

Just after leaving the Lodge I met “Camp Meat” who was posted up on the side of the trail and handing out some trail magic candy.  I was stuffed from the buffet but one piece of candy wouldn’t hurt.  Continuing along the base of Hood I ran into Yassine Diboun and his buddy Mike who were out doing a long trail run.  We had a great conversation and also talked about Tim’s FKT.  I went on a few hours until the day hikers thinned out and it was just backpackers on trail.

SEVENTY SEVEN – MONDAY JULY 12, 2021

The morning was full of blowdowns.  In the late afternoon I reached the Eagle Creek alternate trail.  I was relieved to get off the main trail for a break from the constant tree climbing.  Eagle Creek had just opened ten days ago after months of trail work following a large infamous fire in 2017 and a landslide earlier this year.  My excitement quickly faded along with the trail.  I was following flagging from tree to tree and wading through a high grassy area.  Eventually I descended into the gorge and rejoined the cleared trail, passing by several amazing waterfalls.

In the last mile of trail I saw my friend Frank walking towards me!  He lived in Portland and drove out to meet up.  We hiked on to the trailhead and hopped in his car for a quick ride across the street to a view of the Columbia River Gorge.  We took in the sunset and enjoyed some local Hood River beers that Frank surprised me with.  He dropped me off in Cascade Locks for the night.