The skies cleared a bit last night and I saw not only stars but half a dozen Perseid meteors. That seemed a good omen.
I started the day with high hopes of better hiking conditions and indeed the first climb up to a pass revealed some gauzy views.
But as the day wore on the smoke built up, brought by a west wind. It got hot again too.
The day also featured a 20 mile water carry and I didn’t bring quite enough. My calculations were thrown off by an 8-mile burn area. The lack of shade resulted in more sweating and water consumption than planned.
I had enough water, about 1.2 L, to get through the night. But I was already thirsty and would not be able to quench that thirst. I could hike another 4-5 miles to the Mazama Village campground, but wouldn’t get there until after dark.
A scan of the map showed a large pond about a tenth of a mile east of the trail. Some recent comments on the Guthook app confirmed that it still had water.
I bushwhacked over to the pond. Its water is low and tannic, but is fine for cooking and cleaning up.
And I do need to be cleaned. The usual Cascade trail dust has mixed with ash and sweat to form an almost tar-like substance on my feet and legs. To call it mere dirt would be a gross understatement. It took a while, but I managed to get most of it scrubbed off.
Hoping for better weather tomorrow at Crater Lake. The rewards of this hike have been few and the hardships many.