This epic 12 day adventure started in snow at the Oregon-California border and ended in 87° heat at Hyatt Lake! Due to the snow, we spent the first night at Donomore cabin. The next day we hiked to Sheep Spring Camp. It had gorgeous views to the south as well as water. To get there we climbed over logs and snow drifts. We could see Pilot Rock from our campsite. Knowing we had to hike 20 miles beyond the rock was a daunting thought. Water was scarce in some areas, forcing us to dry camp at Siskiyou gap and Mt. Ashland.
Twenty-seven miles later, the first group of hikers met Karyn Pressel and Bill Carpenter at Callahan's Lodge. It was wonderful to have a shower and real food. The next day the group stayed near Pilot Rock. We found water in a small swamp occupied by frogs and polliwogs near our camp. At Soda Mtn. 'Wild Camp” we found lots of water. And stars. Wildflowers abounded all along the trail. From Soda Mtn we made our way to Green Springs and from there hiked down to Keene's Creek for water and a cooling dip en route to Hyatt Lake.
This was a challenging trip! Not being certain of where to find water added a bit of stress to it! But the flowers, stars, and a bear sighting all made it worthwhile.
