August 15, 2008 Pacific Crest Trail

Destination: Thielsen Creek, Mt. Thielsen Wilderness
Miles: 20

Adrian: Today I climbed Mt. Thielsen with Don't Panic, Clearwater, Walker Wolf and Mark. It's a magnificent peak with great exposure and is without a doubt one of the best peak bags on the PCT and features a steep ridge on ok rock and a steep headwall to the summit. The weather was perfect and we could see Crater Lake to the south and Sisters to the north. A fire burned to the northwest about 20 miles away and a westerly wind blew the smoke toward the trail.

The berry season is upon us and it will get much better in the coming weeks. We had the sweetest blackberries in the lower elevations and now huckleberries higher up. The huckleberry is a relative of the blueberry and grows on a similar bush except that it is a bit higher.

We had a campfire and were very close to an ice cold spring fed creek. A great ending to another awesome day.

Kirsten: Another great day on the trail. I did have a few struggles in the middle of the day because of the heat. I had imagined Oregon as a lush Rivendale. The trail today and the few days coming into Crater Lake have been hot and dry. We spent much of the morning and afternoon walking through the Oregon desert, a waterless and lodgepole pine stunted forest north of Crater Lake.

Once we reached Mount Thielsen the day improved. The heat subsided and we all relaxed at the Thielsen trailhead. It was wonderful seeing Adrian so excited to tackle the climb. I think his enthusiasm rubbed off on some of the others and soon a whole group was headed up the hill.

I opted to stay behind and after 20-minute rest headed down to the creek. I can't explain how relaxing it was to wash up by the creek and then set up camp before dark. Lil' Wrangler, Kach and Chris set up camp in the same area. Adrian and Don't Panic showed about two hours later and we all enjoyed a small campfire before heading off to bed.