Oregon

Mt. Ashland

Mt. Shasta is the last of the local mountains to go dark during this amazing sunset.

A butterfly catcher near Hyatt Lake

Ian Nelson, PCT Association's Regional Coordinator for Oregon and northern California.

The spectacularly blue Crater Lake, formed when Mt. Mazama, an ancient volcano, pulled a Mt. St. Helen's and blew its top about 6,850 years ago (recent enough that the story of the event has been passed down by local Indian tribes); subsequent volcanic activity sealed the caldera floor and allowed rain and snowmelt to collect, and also created Wizard Island.

The PCT appropriately follows the caldera's rim, making for fantastic views for about 5 miles.

Thielsen Peak, as seen from Crater Lake's rim; it is the erosion-resistant core of an ancient volcano.

The northeast side of Thielsen Peak. The picture does not entirely capture it, but that is a HUGE scree field.

Soft evening light penetrates the thick fir canopy. You start to notice the existence of snow again, which I had mostly avoided through northern California. I had assumed, wrongfully, that the snow would be melted off by the time I reached Oregon and Washington in mid-June and late-June, respectively, because of the low elevations in these states (average elevation in Oregon is 4,500 feet and in Washington it's just over 5,000). However, I did not realize the volume of snow that falls in the Cascades -- it takes forever to melt out, especially since the tree canopy blocks most of the sunlight and insulates the forest floor.

Oh boy, lots of snow on the flanks of Diamond Peak. I still did not realize what I had gotten myself into -- I thought these areas were just the exceptions, not the rule as they turned out to be.

Dealing with snow in Oregon

A dry patch of trail glowing in the morning light.

A catastrophic canopy fire scorched this area near Elk Lake.

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