Miles: 1830.4 to 1852.5

Mileage: 22.1, plus .5 back to PCT

Day: 90

A change in the pace of thruhiking is always nice. But it can also be a disruption to the regular flow of things. No matter, really. A late start can be worth the comfort of an RV, I think.

On that note, we woke past 7 a.m. All of three of us were adjusting to sharing the small space inside the RV. Getting breakfast together was a game of human Tetris. We headed out close to 10 a.m. after spending 45 minutes or so finishing up Internet things with the wifi at the nearby restaurant. 

Terry dropped us off at the side trail to the PCT and we agreed to meet at the visitors center about 4 miles north. 

The temperature was moderate and without the added weight of our usual load, I felt like I was flying up the trail. 

We got to the visitors center but had to walk around a bit to find Terry. Once we found each other, we headed to the crater. 

Terry hiked with us for about a mile, then we shared a snack and she turned back. We agreed to meet in five hours or so 18 miles north. 

The trail next to Crater Lake wasn’t the best maintained stretch I’ve been on, but the view was pretty spectacular. 

After a few miles, the trail left the crater side and we went downhill for the rest of the day. 

The forest was full of dead standing trees covered in burls. I meant to ask a ranger why the trees were so afflicted, but I forgot. 

We found Terry in the trailhead parking lot. We had a light dinner and then started the drive around the east side of the lake. 

The sun was to the west, so most of the views were pretty glaring. But the closeup view of the Phantom Ship was cool. It is a short spire that sits very close to the edge of the crater and shoots up just above the water level. 

Back at the campsite Richard made a fire and we ate many, many S’mores.