PCT 2007 – Day 122 – Hyatt Lake Resort – Trailhead parking lot

Day 122 7-25-07 Tarp Tent 5110′
Hyatt Lake Resort – Junction to large trailhead parking lot
30.7 miles; 1780.9 (61.46) total miles; 3635.2 trip miles
High 80’s, sunny

Deer count is 104
Marmot count in 52
Elk count is 23
Bear count is 6
Rattlesnake count is 6
Pika count is 2

I slept surprisingly well despite the warm temps. I woke up when I heard a truck go by. I’m sure the alarm went off earlier, but I ignored it. I was up and moving by just past 6.
I redid the small section I had walked last night and moved into virgin trail. The trail was super easy with little to no climbs. It was more of a rolling trail than the steep, short climbs of northern California.

Like yesterday I passed many logging roads. It makes it hard to know where you are if you don’t pay attention to how many you’ve crossed. Around 9 AM I made it to a cement canal next to a road. The water in the canal was really flowing at a high CFM. Right on the other side, just down the hill, was Grizzly Creek. I met two hikers, one sectioning from California somewhere to the border and the other, Ryan, who started at the border on March 9th!

I would soon pass 6 logging roads in the next 3 miles or so. When I got to Griffin Pass Road, there was a nice little “fenced-in” spring with a pipe. I filled up my supply and made a phone call to my buddy Scott. I then passed 4 more roads in the next 4 miles.
A few miles after the last road, Dead Indian Road, I came to one of only 3 shelters on the PCT, the Brown Mountain Shelter. It was pretty nice, though it was not very big. It had two large windows, bunks for 5 and a wood stove in the middle. There was a nice hand pump outside to get water from. I left after a 20 minute break and dousing of my head under the pump.

I passed another road, then climb to a minor ridge. I then had almost 6 miles of downhill to Highway 140. Those 6 miles turned out to be anything but all downhill and it was through a massive lava field. It started as one large pile of lava rock off to my right and slowly it was everywhere. I would hike from one green island of trees to the next through huge seas of lava rocks. The trail builders made a nice boardwalk which was covered with red lava rock so they contrasted each other. I finally got to the end of the lava fields and Highway 140. Before I even crossed the road, I could see water raging out of a pipe under the road. It was really pouring out. Once I cross the road, I realized this raging creek was Canal Creek and my book said it was usually dry by Sept. It didn’t look like it was going to be dry anytime soon. I got water and moved up the trail to a junction with a trail coming from a parking lot near the PCT. I cooked dinner and found a nice soft spot just up from where I cooked. I cleaned up at the “creek” and setup camp. I picked the spot because it was away from the creek enough not to be too noisy but close enough I could easily get water in the AM.

Scatman 2011- The highlight of this day was the end with the lava fields. It was just simply beautiful to walk through and see all the contrasting colors. The hike was fairly easy overall but always testing at times. I had wonderful views of Mount Mcloughlin for a good part of the day. The lava fields I spent the last part of my day in were from Mcloughlin.

The Brown Mountain Shelter was very nice and would have been a nice place to stay if it had worked out. I should make a point to go back and ski that area in the winter so I can visit it again.