Pacific Crest Trail #2000 — Friday, Sep. 21, 2001

I was able to complete another delightful section of our beloved PCT. Access was the 2.8 mile ascending trail from Miller Lake. You reach the lake on a 12 mile gravel road that takes off west from Hwy 97 just north of the town of Chemult. At the junction with the PCT, you meet the trail to Maidu Lake (distance 9/10 mile). Soon after heading south from the PCT junction, Mike joined me. He and his friend had hiked all of Washington and to Maidu Lake in Oregon. They were running short of supplies, so he was headed down to Diamond Lake to pick up a care package from his family. We hiked together for 2 1/2 hours. The average elevation in this section is 7300 feet, but most of the way was through lovely forest. There were frequent views out to the mountain ridge above that included Tipsoo Peak and Mt Thielson. The highest section of the trail in Oregon is just past Tipsoo and goes up to 7500 ft. At that point there are some pumice patches. There were deer and elk prints on the trail all day. I did scare up a couple of elk and one deer. Thielson Creek is the only water. The climb out of Thielson Creek to the ridge above is interesting. The trail goes along the back side of Mt Thielson, and then curves around to its front side. I travelled 12 miles south on the PCT to where a trail leaves for the Thielson summit (east) and the Mt Thielson Trail #1456 heads west toward Diamond Lake. It is four miles down to Highway 138. That trail is broad and smooth. I made it down in 70 minutes. The trail head on the highway is prominently signed so its easy to find. If you continue south on the PCT from the junction with trail $1456, you hit Highway 138 in 6 miles at a point about .8 miles east of the north entrance to Crater Lake. Thanks to my sweet husband, Don, who volunteered to pick me up on Highway 138 so I could walk point to point. (He accompanied me to the ridge above Miller Lake and went on to Maidu Lake before doing the drive around). I finished the 19 mile trek by 5:15. We drove over to Diamond Lake to see what was there. It is lovely. Don pedaled the paved bike path completely encircling its 15 mile circumference. There are stunning views of Mt Thielson from ""Thielson View"" campground. Don saw several otters playing in the lake. We also saw a pine martin carrying off a garter snake that had been killed on the road. We had a great dinner at the Diamond Lake Resort. Be sure to explore this nearby attraction next time you go to Crater Lake.