Day 88: The Highest Day in Oregon

We woke up early this morning, hoping to do a big day and get the long water carries out of the way. We started slightly behind schedule, getting on the trail about ten minutes past six. The morning miles were easy and we were running from mosquitos, so we managed 12 miles in the first 4 hours.
The next 10 miles were mostly climbing, in the long steady style of most PCT climbs. We had a bit of everything: huge trees, nice views, snowy patches, meadows and rockslides. We finally reached the water source after 21 miles around 2pm. We stopped for a long late lunch break.
Our final stretch brought us over the highest point on the PCT in Oregon. We learned there was a lake less than a mile off the trail about 10 miles past our lunch spot. We decided to camp there so we could carry less water this afternoon. After 30.6 miles, we took the side trail to the lake and found it totally empty, save the mosquitos of course. Happy Birthday to Paul! It’s not a bad place to camp on your birthday.