Day 114

TGIF, as in "Thank God It's Flat." That was my mantra today. It didn't start out that way as I made the last little climb up to Rim Village. It sits at the top of the crater but still about 1,000' above the water level. (Interesting factoid about Crater Lake: It receives 44 feet of snow annually!) I was just planning to hit the rim trail immediately but decided to get a cup of coffee at the cafe and just enjoy the view. But I couldn't find the cafe so I ended up walking a bit farther to Crater Lake Lodge. A friendly gentleman there who is a big fan of all things PCT bought me breakfast and we chatted for a while. So instead of getting on the trail at 7 am, it was actually closer to 11 am. But I got breakfast, so it worked out. (Thanks Ron!)

Anyway, the hike around the rim was nothing less than spectacular. I've seen Crater Lake before, but the colors were just so...well...colorful. I don't think I've taken as many pictures as I did since I was in the High Sierra. When lunch time came, I sat on the west rim with a view of Wizard Island and the rest of the lake. I probably could have just sat there for the rest of the week! Eventually, however, I had to keep moving, especially since I had gotten such a late start.

After I left the rim, the trail took a moderate descent before flattening out and staying flat for the duration of the day. It was great hiking terrain for someone like me who needs to make miles but has a tired body. Yesterday, I took a minor tumble that I failed to mention and quasi-twisted my left ankle in the process. Today my ankle was definitely tender and I could feel something amiss whenever I had my pack on. When my pack was off, it was fine, so I wasn't too concerned about it at first. But it just seemed to get a bit more tender as the day went on. Thankfully, it doesn't appear swollen tonight, but I still need to keep an eye on it. I also need to keep an eye on my right knee which seems to be tightening up with greater frequency. I'm not sure why these things are happening now on the easiest terrain. I haven't upped my mileage too much and my pack has been lighter than its been at other times. So I guess I'll just need to be careful not to overdo it. But as you can tell, flat was very good for me today!

After I crossed Highway 138 at about 6 pm tonight, I called an audible (football metaphor) and changed my plan for the evening. As you may recall from my update yesterday, Diamond Lake is one of my favorite childhood camping and fishing locations. I can't remember the last time I was there so instead of heading straight toward Mt. Thielsen, I decided to take a walk down memory lane and go to Diamond Lake, where I am now camped at Broken Arrow Campground on the south shore. (It has plumbing!) The alternate route isn't adding much distance to my hike, and it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. Whenever we'd go camping with my grandparents on my dad's side, this is usually where we'd go. I always loved it even though it seemed my sisters were always catching more and bigger fish, but whatever. I can still remember the monumental sunburn I got on my chest when I fell asleep while fishing one day. That was the most painful sunburn ever! Riding Grandpa's bike that folded in half was also a good memory.

Anyway, I'm glad I took the detour because this place is beautiful and I've got good memories of it. Tomorrow I'm planning to visit the Diamond Lake Resort on the north end of the lake and see about getting some breakfast that isn't just a Pop-Tart!

PS - Thanks to a different Ron for the contribution yesterday.