Another one of these “heat domes” has set up camp in Oregon. It is way too hot. It is way too smoky. And the water carries are approaching way too long status.
A couple miles out from last night’s camp I encountered the Hyatt Res campground and made use of its very clean restroom (no cathole today!) and dumped out my skanky creek water in favor of clean cold spigot water.
There is also a resort here a few miles off trail and SnakeCharmer, whom I’d played cornhole with in Ashland, was sitting at the roadside. She said the resort folks would come pick you up if you gave a call. I considered the detour but opted to continue hiking. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so gung-ho to hike.
The heat was in the 90s by noon and I was sweating profusely despite reasonable levels of shade on the trail. Higher up on the ridge I could see a big bathtub ring around Hyatt Reservoir. I had heard that it was closed to all swimming and boating due to low water and high bacterial counts.
A depleted Hyatt Reservoir through the trees
The drought has dried out the trail as well — it is about an inch deep in fine powdery dust that rises with every footfall and coats my sweaty body and face with grime.
After about 8 miles of unpleasant hiking I got some relief at a campground near the next depleted reservoir, Hobart Prairie. There were no campers, but a half-dozen hikers were taking advantage of its water, restrooms and free showers. I rinsed off and enjoyed the luxury of not being hot dirty and sweaty for about an hour.
That was pretty much the highlight of the day. Afterwards it was 13 miles of heat, dust, smoke, dry springs and creeks to the pump at Brown Mountain Shelter, the next water source. A dozen or so heat-dazed hikers are settled in here for the evening, watering up, washing off the grime and hoping for a better day tomorrow. This isn’t sustainable.