Etna to Crater Lake – Adventures in the State of Jefferson

A few years ago I read an article about supporters for the creation of the State of Jefferson, a new state that would cover inland counties in Northern California and Southern Oregon and operate as a Libertarian safe haven smashed between two deep blue states. I brushed off the article, assuming that there were probably only a handful of people in the country who were seriously in favor of creating a 51st state. In this section of the PCT, I learned that I was very, very wrong.

July 27th – Day 105

I woke up and packed up my tent from the city park where we stayed the night before. We had a slow morning, heading to breakfast at Bob’s Ranch House. It was a quaint, family run place, and Pez made our maybe 11 year old waiter laugh when he asked him if he was Bob. Afterwards we got donuts at a bakery next door before heading back to the main street to hitch a ride into town.

It was a Monday morning, and we weren’t having any luck hitch hiking. We weren’t feeling very hopeful until a large pickup truck pulled up and offered us a ride. It was a young man on the phone with his grandfather. As we put our packs in the bed of the truck we heard him say “Got to go, Grandpa, I’m picking up some PCT Hikers” and the man on the phone responded with “Good, get them out of here!”. I guess we weren’t as welcome in Etna as we thought.

We had seen this truck around town frequently, laughing because it’s license plate said “XX State”, which is the seal of the State of Jefferson. Stickers with the seal covered the back of the truck. The driver looked like he stepped out of a modern country song, with a clean button down shirt, pressed jeans, boots, and a tin of chewing tobacco in the center console. We were super grateful for the ride, laughing that the truck we’d seen around town all weekend was the one to finally come through for us.

On the way back to the trailhead the driver talked about what it was like to grow up in Etna. I asked if he’d ever been to Seiad Valley, our next stop in civilization, and he replied “No, I’ve never been. The Locals there scare me.” I didn’t ask any more, but I was taken aback. The Locals scared him?

It was a cool, cloudy afternoon when we finally got back on trail. I thought that it might rain, and I finally started to feel like I was entering the Pacific Northwest. As I rounded a corner on the trail I came face to face with a young bear cub. As soon as he saw me he shot up the nearest tree. He started making warning chuffing noises as I inched around. I looked around wildly for the Mama bear, but I couldn’t see anything, despite hearing many concerning rustling sounds coming from nearby bushes. For the next mile I jumped everytime I heard a noise, relaxing only when I got far enough away that I was confident that she hadn’t followed me.

We made camp late in the evening. I cowboy camped, and according to Pez and Keebler it rained on us briefly in the night, but I didn’t notice.

July 28th – Day 106

The next morning I got up early and headed out. It would be a 31 mile day, and I wanted to beat the heat. I found myself stopping frequently to take snack breaks, so I quickly fell behind.

I was heading towards a campground for the night, and I imagined nice sites by a river with picnic tables. I really wanted to make it to camp in time to eat dinner with the rest of the group, and because I usually got to camp later and had to eat alone I decided to hurry, almost running through a long descent through a burn zone and dense poison oak to get to the campground in time. My strategy worked, though! I was there before everyone else, except maybe Wiggles. I looked for Wiggles but didn’t see him, so I grabbed a picnic table for the group to eat dinner and started cooking while I waited for them.

Keebler walked up and said she was going to explore as I made dinner. She never came back, which seemed odd. Pez arrived later as I started eating and said he’d look for Keebler. He didn’t return until I was almost done eating. Finally he came back to get his bag and told me that Keebler and Wiggles were at a different part of the campground and ate there instead. That stung. I had rushed down the mountain to eat with them, and they hadn’t bothered to tell me where they were? I finished dinner alone and washed my pot, feeling hurt before packing up my stuff and heading in the direction Pez had indicated they were. It was dark when I got there, and I had a hard time finding a flat place to camp as everyone else talked and laughed around me. I felt unwelcome, and out of place, and I resolved to get up early the next morning to get to Seiad Valley first so that the group wouldn’t eat without me again.

July 29th – Day 107

I was up and out early, hitting the trail at 5:45 am, just as the others were stirring. I was determined to cover the 6.7 miles to town before anyone else from the group. It was a nice morning, and the trail here follows dirt and paved roads into town. I passed many isolated cabins and houses, with interesting signs displayed on fences and in yards. Most said exactly what you might expect, but my favorite was a “God Listens to Slayer” sign on the fence of a woman who sat on her porch, drinking coffee. I passed many, many people out on their front porches, even before 7 am.

I got to the cafe a little before 8 am, before anyone else. I was proud of myself, but realized I hadn’t actually needed to be up as early as I was. The cafe, which normally opens at 7, would be closed until 9 that day to serve breakfast to local firefighters. I headed to the general store instead to resupply while I waited for the group.

Pez, Wiggles, and Keebler showed up soon and we all waited for the cafe to open together. Pez commented that I was up early, which is unusual for me. I told him that I wanted to get there early so that the group didn’t eat without me. “We wouldn’t have eaten without you!” He said, before adding a less confident “I think,” a few seconds later. I didn’t challenge him on it, but I thought about all of the times they hadn’t waited: in Belden, Chester, and really any day that we headed into town, and I knew that this time wouldn’t have been different. I didn’t blame them, no one wants to wait to eat real food when we get into town, but I was still disappointed. Finally, the cafe opened up and we had our fill of pancakes, omlettes, and fresh blackberry milkshakes that were to die for.

The day heated up quickly. The high was 103, and humid, and we decided to wait out the heat of the day before attempting the long, difficult climb out of Seiad Valley. We headed to a “tavern” further down the road that was said to be hiker friendly. There was no AC and no beer, but there were misters and the owners were happy to let hikers wait out the heat. Just as it looked like we’d need to wait until nearly 9 pm for temperatures to dip below 90 degrees, an isolated but intense thunderstorm blew through, ripping branches off trees but bringing cooler weather. We finally headed out around 5:30 as the storm moved out.

We walked up a back road past a few houses on our way back to the trail. As we passed a trailer, a large dog ran out and charged us. Before we had much time to react it bit Keebler, the only one of us without trekking poles for defense. Keebler’s sock was torn through, but she wasn’t seriously injured. The dog’s owner came out and said “What are you doing? Kick that dog!” As soon as he realized that the dog had actually bitten Keebler he walked away, ignoring us as we stood around in shock. Clearly he wanted nothing to do with us. Keebler said she was okay, and after washing out her wounds we didn’t have much of a choice but to keep going.

The sun set as we headed towards our camp for the night and I did my first real bit of night hiking. While it was nice to see the stars, I did find myself more afraid at every rustle in the bushes. By the time I got to camp it was about 11, and I was exhausted. I went to sleep immediately.

July 30th – Day 108

The morning was a little smokey as we hiked closer and closer towards the Oregon border. We could see what looked like a few tiny fires, or the precursors to them, smoldering on the hillsides from the intense lightning storm the afternoon before. It was a little concerning, but we had to push on. We were looking forward to finally crossing into Oregon that afternoon.

In the afternoon clouds formed rapidly. Before I knew it, it started to rain only a few miles from the border. We decided to head to some “cabin remains” to take shelter. On our way there, the light rain turned into a downpour, and despite wearing my rain jacket I was soon soaked. When I finally got the the cabin water had gotten into my packed and wet my sleeping bag. Fortunately, the cabin was much more than just “remains”. The descendants of the settlers that originally built the cabin had worked to restore it over the years to preserve history and act as a shelter for hikers in storms like this. We were incredibly appreciative, and decided to spend the night in the cabin to let our stuff dry as the storm raged outside.

The cabin also held two cots. We decided to play Rummy to see who would get to sleep on them that night. I tried to give up my spot, but Pez, Wiggles, and Keebler were insistent that rules were rules, and we would play for the cots fair and square. I ended up winning, and Pez and I got to sleep off of the ground that evening. We went to bed frustrated that we were still in California, but excited that we’d finally finish the last half mile to the border the next day.

July 31st – Day 109

We headed out before 7 and quickly covered the ground to the border. We were finally in Oregon! As we took pictures and celebrated, it started to rain again. It felt fitting. Nearly two thirds of the PCT is in California, so while we still had two states to hike through I was well over halfway done. It was so exciting to finally complete this major milestone on my trip.

After finishing our celebration we pushed on, heading into the town of Ashland. We passed many more day hikers that we would usually see, and ran into our first trail magic in Oregon in the form of a cooler of soda.

We managed to hitch a ride from a couple who were out rock hunting. The four of us squeezed into the back of their SUV as the woman showed us pictures of all of the cool rocks she’d polished in her rock tumbler. They dropped us off in Ashland at their favorite burger joint, where we were reunited with Baby Bigfoot! Her foot was still injured, but she’d driven all the way to Ashland to hang out with us, and we were so excited to see her. We spent the rest of the day doing laundry and eating good food around downtown.

August 1st – Day 110

We ate an incredible breakfast at a super cute cafe in the morning. Afterwards, I spent my zero day in Ashland napping as relaxing as BB Bigfoot drove some of the group to REI for some new shoes and gear. In the evening Keebler, Pez and I headed to an Indian food restaurant for a great meal with Shred It, Posideon, Leathermaid, and Wizard.

August 2nd – Day 111

I headed to the post office in the morning to pick up some packages that had arrived. There was a bit of a mix up and the clerk had a hard time finding them, but eventually they were located. My former co-workers had gotten together to send me a care package! The care package included lots of snacks and self-care items to treat myself, as well as new socks and amazingly, new shoes. I was in desperate need of new shoes and was so, so grateful. Getting a care package was a HUGE pick-me-up, and it felt good to know that so many people were rooting for me to finish.

We hit the trail again around noon. The trail was pretty easy, but interesting. At one point the trail cut straight across someone’s driveway! Thick clouds of smoke hovered above, making the afternoon feel a little spooky, but the air on trail was actually not too bad to breathe.

I pushed for higher miles as I was hoping to meet my parents at Crater Lake in 3 days, and I had a lot of ground to cover. I rushed to camp in the evening and managed to get there just as the sun was setting. To my surprise, Pez, Keebler, and Wiggles hiked late to get there, too.

August 3rd – Day 112

I got up early hoping for another high mileage day, about 32 miles. It was hot again, and the trail here is actually rather dry, so I had to be careful about water carries. Fortunately I don’t drink as much water as the average person, so the carries weren’t too absurd.

It was another long, smokey day before I finally made camp at a shelter with a water pump, the only good source of water for many miles. The camp was crowded, and I was forced to pitch my tent in the stock area, which smelled about as bad as you would expect. We had caught up to “The Horde”, a group of about 22 that frequently camps together. Being near The Horde would mean that finding campsites the next few days would become difficult, so while I liked the group personally I hoped to out hike them over the next few days.

August 4th – Day 113

I had 10 miles to hike before hitting a major road that would take me to a resort. Pez, Keebler, and Wiggles had debated stopping in to check it out, but said they’d only go in if it took less than 10 minutes to hitch a ride. I got to the road after they did and didn’t see them, so I wasn’t sure if they had gone in or failed to hitch a ride and moved on. I decided to move on.

To my surprise I found the water source I was relying on, a stream, bone dry. My crowd sourcing water source app had told me that just two days previously this stream was flowing, but there weren’t even puddles anymore. I was low on water and options. I took out my paper map and found a small lake a bit off trail four miles ahead. I could make it four miles. I headed up a climb until I got to the junction to the lake, which was fortunately marked. I took a long break by the water as I drank up and ate lunch.

I continued on. Around 5:30 in the afternoon I got to Christi Spring, the last good source of water for a while and found it packed. As I filtered water and ate dinner, Pez, Keebler, and Wiggles arrived. They had gone to the resort. After chatting with those at the spring it sounded like everyone was feeling exhausted. It was hot and smokey, and many people were opting to camp at the spring. I had to keep moving to meet my family, so I packed up and hiked another 7 miles. I made camp alone at a quiet spot on a ridge. It was nice to camp alone after the crowded night before.

August 5th – Day 114

I got up early to race to meet my parents. I wouldn’t be meeting them until 8:30 pm, but I had 30 miles to cover. It was a very smokey day again, and I was a little bummed that I was missing the views. Wildfires are becoming a disappointing, but inevitable reality of the PCT.

The day passed rather uneventfully as I made my way to Crater Lake. I passed the 1800 mile marker without even realizing it was approaching. The miles really are flying by. I got to Mazama at 8, where I met the hiker legend, Dwight. Dwight is an employee at the Annie Creek store who goes above and beyond to help PCT hikers. He was incredibly kind to me, and I told him he was a legend on trail. He told me that PCT hikers are his heroes, and that we give him more than he gives us. Dwight is a gem. My parents arrived at 8:15, I was so happy to see them! We got a quick dinner at the restaurant before heading to Klamath Falls to spend the night.

Aug 6th – Day 115

After a delicious breakfast my parents and I drove back to Crater Lake to pick up Keebler, Wiggles, and Pez. My Mom and Dad had even gotten a large SUV as their rental car to make sure they could fit everyone! They also got a hotel room for the three so that they could spend the night in Klamath Falls, too.

After we got back to Klamath Falls two of my aunts, Lori and Julie, showed up! They’d flown in from the Midwest and driven to Klamath Falls to see me! It was great to see them, as I’d missed the family reunion earlier that summer. We got lunch at a brewery before heading to a froyo place for dessert.

We were excited to learn that the Klamath County Fair was going on, and my parents agreed to drop us off. Nothing made me feel like a kid again more than my parents dropping me off at a small town county fair with my friends. We had a great time eating fair food, looking at the exhibits, and people watching. The fair was PACKED, and had many interesting booths, including one booth attempting to sell confederate flags along with many other offensive, politically charged items in plain view of children.

Aug 7th – Day 116

After another great breakfast at a restaurant specializing in waffles we headed back to Crater Lake to explore for the day. My parents took our packs in their car and we were able to “Slack Pack” around part of the rim.

We got to Rim Village and were greatest with stunning views of Crater Lake. We grabbed lunch at the Rim restaurant after waiting in a VERY long line, and then headed up along the Rim trail, with beautiful views most of the way.

The air had gone from clear to intensely smokey by the time we picked up our packs. I said goodbye to my family and continued on. We headed towards Grouse Hill, the first legal PCT campsite after the rim.

The Horde was at Grouse Hill. Many were preparing to tackle the “24 challenge” the next day to see how many miles they could hike in a 24 hour period. I wasn’t sure I wanted to try, but I set an alarm for 4 am anyway. In any case, I was determined to get a lot of miles done the next day as I headed through central Oregon.

Until next time,

Megan “Fire Ant” Spencer