Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
PCT 2002 - August 25th
Day 124: Sunday 25th August Trooper Springs – Timothy Lake
Ken and Cindy left at 6.15am, as they wanted to get to Ollalie Lake as early as possible
and have a half-day off. I stopped for my first break at Chinquapin Viewpoint, whose main
feature was the lack of any view. Since it was named the trees had grown up and you could
only see about 20 yards. From the footprints around the site “Cantaloupe” must have
camped here last night, having walked on until after dark. By now most thru-hikers were
quite good at working out who was ahead from the footprints. A pair of Black-backed
Woodpeckers were trying to give themselves a headache hammering away on a nearby
tree. These woodpeckers were distinctive with a black back, speckled front, and small
yellow patch on the head. The site was also popular with Red-Shafted Flickers.
The trail from Jude Lake to Clackamas Lake, ahead, was on the edge of the Warm
Springs Indian Reservation. Indian Reservations are not subject to the local State laws
and most of their income came from running casinos, which are not permitted in
California, Oregon or Washington. The main difference from the hikers point of view was
the amount of clear felling going on, much more than in the Government or State owned
woodlands. At least one forestry worker had a sense of humour because there was a “?
thirsty?” sign with arrows indicating water four miles in either direction along the PCT.
I walked in the afternoon with John, from Seattle, before stopping to camp in a small
clearing on the shore of Timothy Lake. This was a large lake with road access and much
used by the expensive motorboat fraternity since it was a Sunday. I set up my tent
quickly, with a view across the lake, and cooked dinner from inside it as the temperature
had dropped and the weather had suddenly started to look threatening.
I had passed the 45th Parallel today; halfway from the Equator to the North Pole.
Day 124: 23.4 miles 8.29 hours Camp: Timothy Lake.
Ken and Cindy left at 6.15am, as they wanted to get to Ollalie Lake as early as possible
and have a half-day off. I stopped for my first break at Chinquapin Viewpoint, whose main
feature was the lack of any view. Since it was named the trees had grown up and you could
only see about 20 yards. From the footprints around the site “Cantaloupe” must have
camped here last night, having walked on until after dark. By now most thru-hikers were
quite good at working out who was ahead from the footprints. A pair of Black-backed
Woodpeckers were trying to give themselves a headache hammering away on a nearby
tree. These woodpeckers were distinctive with a black back, speckled front, and small
yellow patch on the head. The site was also popular with Red-Shafted Flickers.
The trail from Jude Lake to Clackamas Lake, ahead, was on the edge of the Warm
Springs Indian Reservation. Indian Reservations are not subject to the local State laws
and most of their income came from running casinos, which are not permitted in
California, Oregon or Washington. The main difference from the hikers point of view was
the amount of clear felling going on, much more than in the Government or State owned
woodlands. At least one forestry worker had a sense of humour because there was a “?
thirsty?” sign with arrows indicating water four miles in either direction along the PCT.
I walked in the afternoon with John, from Seattle, before stopping to camp in a small
clearing on the shore of Timothy Lake. This was a large lake with road access and much
used by the expensive motorboat fraternity since it was a Sunday. I set up my tent
quickly, with a view across the lake, and cooked dinner from inside it as the temperature
had dropped and the weather had suddenly started to look threatening.
I had passed the 45th Parallel today; halfway from the Equator to the North Pole.
Day 124: 23.4 miles 8.29 hours Camp: Timothy Lake.
?Thirsty? sign
John
Snake
Timothy Lake
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