Days 4-5 Top Lake

My campsite at Top Lake, all to myself

This is my campsite, the pay off for the next two days of hiking.  After feeling my legs get beat up along the first 3 days of doing 50 miles, it was time to take a breather and have some time reading and relaxing by a lake.  What better place better than an alpine lake all by myself with views all around, swimming when I want and huckleberries all around?  Can't beat that.  But how'd I get there?

On trails like the below.  Well, actually that is just the same trail, as the PCT goes over 2000 miles and this is it.  Just straight cruising.  Every now and then you look behind and you see Mt Hood in the distance, way back, getting farther and farther away.  A feat to still be on my feet. 

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Mt Hood way in the back.  I started there!

Fairly straight, easy to just keep moving without even thinking about the miles.

After hiking multiple hours, I came to Ollalie Lake, the main hub for the area I would stay in.  There is a resort made up of cabins, drop toilets and a store.  Yes, a place selling backpacker food that you can stock up at and get your feast on.  After dehydrated food for days now, this was amazing to be able to get a variety of products, with the highlight being cinnamon raisin peanut butter.  Really darn amazing, with a sugary kick that was just what I was going for.  Following other PCT hikers, I got some tortillas to wrap it in and was in pure bliss after 50+ miles on the trail.

Olallie Lake has an amazing view of Mt Jefferson

The perfect distance from two countries to buy food at :)

After a refill on food and one heck of a view of Mt Jefferson, I headed up the PCT to find a lake to call my own and rest up at.  Top Lake turned out to be the winner.  Views of Ollalie Butte, no other people and a great spot with logs to sit on.  That's right, I was sitting on the ground and logs for the whole trip, not affording myself a chair as a luxury.  Brought a book to read, but no chair.  The backpacking life for me!

View from my tent, facing east, with sunrise

Letting gravity help out with my water filter.  Pour into the pot and the pot into the bottle and clean amazing water to drink, easy as.

Huckleberries everywhere around the campsite!  Kinda like blueberries mixed with acai berries.  Or more like a huckleberry.  Be a hound, eat some!