I am 0/2 so far on cowboy camping on this trip. Once again I went to bed with blue skies and then stars. Once again I woke up around 3 to clouds and the smell of rain. I avoided getting up for as long as I could but a few drops in my face spurred me to action.
It was another day of pleasant forest walking. It appears that the bear menace on the Warm Springs Reservation has been replaced by a Yeti menace. Forewarned is forearmed, right?
A bench appeared along the trail, so I sat on it.
There was a short side trip to Little Crater Lake, a spring-fed pond with extremely cold (34 F, according to the interpretive sign, I did not jump in to verify) water.
Toward the end of the day, a climb along a ridge yielded some views of Mt Hood, much closer now that its last appearance.
My right knee has been bothering me on and off the last couple days. It has been responding well to calf stretches and diclofenac (a topical NSAID), so I think it is manageable.
But I did walk farther than I wanted, as there were no plausible campsites the last few miles. I finally stopped at a trailhead near Barlow Pass, which was equipped not only with flat clear areas for camping, but with a picnic table, dumpster (not bear-proof, so I assume no bear problems here) and a pit toilet. That counts as living large by PCT hiker standards.
Also, it is just 6 miles from Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood, so I should be able to make it in time for the breakfast buffet there.