Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
PCT 2002 - August 19th
Day 118: Monday 19th August Cougar Flat – Sisters Mirror Lake
I made a late start and intended to make a first stop at Cliff Lake, which the
guidebook advertised as having good rocks for diving into the lake. The author must
have been a lot braver than me as the shoreline was stony and not at all deep. Cliff Lake
had a stone-built shelter, but had notices all over it from the Forest Rangers telling you
to keep out as it was in a dangerous condition. It looked perfectly OK to me and I
suspect the notices were mainly to stop them being sued in case of an accident! In this
litigious society I suspect they would have knocked it down if they really thought it was
dangerous.
I decided to wait until Dumbbell Lake for a swim, as I would reach it around
lunchtime. I met a father and son heading south, led by a pack-carrying dog. Unusually
for American dogs this one was aggressive. Most of their dogs, like their owners, are
overfed and tend to be big and soft. I stopped at Dumbbell Lake, where a peninsular
almost divides the lake into two. The guide again advertised diving from the rocks, but
again this looked as if it could lead to a sore head, as it looked rather shallow to me. I
stripped off and had a swim, but soon had to get dressed, as high cloud was building up
and the temperature started dropping rapidly. By the lake I saw my first Marmot since
the High Sierra, probably here because the site was popular with campers, who would
feed them.
Leaving Dumbbell Lake I met Sanders and “Loon”, who were dropping down to the
Elk Lake Resort to resupply. I also met a group of Oregon Scouts, who were doing their
50-mile hike for one of their scout awards. I again detoured down the old OST, with the
intention of camping at Sisters Mirror Lake, which should give good photos of the South
Sister reflected in the surface of the lake in the morning. When I got to Sisters Mirror
Lake it was cold and breezy with storm clouds hiding the mountains. There were a lot of
fishermen around the lake, but I didn’t visit them as I got into my sleeping bag in my
tent to keep warm. It was nice to be camping on grass, not something you do very often
in this dry wilderness.
Day 118: 18.1 miles 7.05 hours Camp: Sisters Mirror Lake
I made a late start and intended to make a first stop at Cliff Lake, which the
guidebook advertised as having good rocks for diving into the lake. The author must
have been a lot braver than me as the shoreline was stony and not at all deep. Cliff Lake
had a stone-built shelter, but had notices all over it from the Forest Rangers telling you
to keep out as it was in a dangerous condition. It looked perfectly OK to me and I
suspect the notices were mainly to stop them being sued in case of an accident! In this
litigious society I suspect they would have knocked it down if they really thought it was
dangerous.
I decided to wait until Dumbbell Lake for a swim, as I would reach it around
lunchtime. I met a father and son heading south, led by a pack-carrying dog. Unusually
for American dogs this one was aggressive. Most of their dogs, like their owners, are
overfed and tend to be big and soft. I stopped at Dumbbell Lake, where a peninsular
almost divides the lake into two. The guide again advertised diving from the rocks, but
again this looked as if it could lead to a sore head, as it looked rather shallow to me. I
stripped off and had a swim, but soon had to get dressed, as high cloud was building up
and the temperature started dropping rapidly. By the lake I saw my first Marmot since
the High Sierra, probably here because the site was popular with campers, who would
feed them.
Leaving Dumbbell Lake I met Sanders and “Loon”, who were dropping down to the
Elk Lake Resort to resupply. I also met a group of Oregon Scouts, who were doing their
50-mile hike for one of their scout awards. I again detoured down the old OST, with the
intention of camping at Sisters Mirror Lake, which should give good photos of the South
Sister reflected in the surface of the lake in the morning. When I got to Sisters Mirror
Lake it was cold and breezy with storm clouds hiding the mountains. There were a lot of
fishermen around the lake, but I didn’t visit them as I got into my sleeping bag in my
tent to keep warm. It was nice to be camping on grass, not something you do very often
in this dry wilderness.
Day 118: 18.1 miles 7.05 hours Camp: Sisters Mirror Lake
PCT sign
Cliff Lake
Lake below
Koosah Mountain
Koosah Mountain
 |  |
| |