Saturday, July 8
Start: Dumbbell Lake
End: McKenzie Pass
Miles: 37.0
Elevation gain/loss: 5066’/5374′
I was up at 5:05 and out by 5:35am. Most of today’s hiking was through the Three Sisters Wilderness. It was hot, sunny, and very exposed. I took a 15-minute break to dry out my tent and sleeping bag in the heat of the day, and otherwise just kept pushing forward. The lava fields were rough on my feet and kept trying to trip me and twist my ankles, but I appreciated good water sources for the majority of my day. There were some downed trees, but most of them had been cut – an advantage of the PCT being part of the Three Sisters loop.
Partway through my day, I paused to chat with 3 backpackers starting a Three Sisters loop – Justin, John, and Calen, and it turns out, they all work in product design for Cascade Designs/Therm-a-rest! Later on, I met PCT thruhikers Mini P(ony) and Streamy towards the end of my day and chatted for a few minutes, as they waited for other folks in their tramily to catch up.
I pushed on for a long time, wanting to get as close as I could to the Big Lake Youth Camp. I had a pipe dream of having breakfast there, though that seemed unlikely. But after a long day, I stopped at 8pm to camp by McKenzie Pass.
Transcending Mountains 