August 15th
It was a cool misty morning, damp from the rain soaked ground, so we slept in until 9am, a later start than expected, another day of playing “catch up” to our schedule.
We met Trainwreck at the junction to Maidu Lake trail, having breakfast. She, Strut and Tigger had camped a couple miles behind us and she had passed by our tent without seeing it. (We were a good bit off the trail.) They had taken a detour to Diamond Lake for breakfast and had trouble getting a ride back. We stopped for lunch and water at Six Horse Springs, in the cool shade of tall old growth trees. TW, Tigger and Strut soon showed up and settled in for a long siesta.
In the afternoon we decided to take one of the alternate trails highly recommended by the guidebook. At Summit Pass we followed the Oldenberg 45 trail, formerly part of the Oregon Skyline trail. Where the PCT remains on the mostly dry and viewless crest the alt route passes a series of lakes typical of central Oregon – small, shallow and still. Their depth can generally be measured in inches, and even though they are still they are very clear. No creeks flow in, the water is all snowmelt or underground springs. And there are no outlets, all water leaves through evaporation. Mosquitoe shells line the muddy bottom, they love these lakes like they love most of Oregon.
There are occasional views of nearby mountains but generally the trail is a tree-lined avenue with lots of lake views. There has also been a lot of horse traffic pulverizing the volcanic soil into dust making the walking difficult and dirty. The feet don’t like it, but a week of the Superfeet insoles has helped them overall with many of their daily aches.
We decided to camp at Whitefish Horse camp. The joys of a picnic table and piped water were a big draw. The campground hosts were very nice and let us stay for free. The Carrot and I were joined by TW, Strut and Tigger as we all arrived just before dark. The horse camp is a haven for wealthy horse owners. Most sites have a large RV for the people, pulling a small RV for their horses ………
