PCT: OR Section E - Highway 58 to Highway 242 (McKenzie Pass)

Day 126 - 9/9/25 - Maiden Hut and Irish Lake

Distance: 23.9

Mile Start / End: 1908.2 - 1932.1

Weather: cloudy, cold, and rainy

End Location: Irish Lake

Lessons Learned:

Woke up at 6 a.m.

Packed up, wet

Discarded extra food in the hiker box

Drank coffee and ate bear claws from my resupply; they are messy, and I got individual ones from the store yesterday

Chatted with an Israeli couple

Was about to leave but then saw it was almost 8 a.m., the time the café opens

So chilled with Showgirl and got breakfast

French toast, eggs, and bacon

Friko and Hopper

Left at 9:15 a.m.

Rejoined the PCT just before 10 a.m. and took off my rain jacket and gloves

11 miles to Bobby Lake where I may have had late lunch

Wonderful view of Odell Lake and the fishing boats below

Crossed Willamette Pass Highway

Got service so checked a few things

Showgirl pass

Chicken of the Woods mushroom!

It truly is a forager’s heaven right now

Broke off a piece but left it since I already have chanterelles for tonight’s dinner

Uphill

Listened to the rest of the Rewire Brain podcast

Snow or more likely hail on the ground here

Lower Rosary Lake at  11:30 a.m.

Middle - favorite

Upper

Top of the ski hill around 12 p.m.

Light rain

Quick side trip to Maiden Peak Shelter to dodge the rain and have a snack

Showgirl was there and a new friend, Igloo, who was watching the 3rd Hobbit movie and chillin’

He had the wood fire furnace going and I sat down to snack a little, still full from the double breakfast this morning

I hung my tent and some other gear up to dry

When I saw a pan hanging up, I decided to sauté some of the chanterelles I had.

Then just decided to make a meal; I would have to eat lunch anyways, so why not do it in the comfort of a hut?

I placed the pan on the wood fire furnace and sautéed the golden chanterelles with some olive oil then added water and couscous and finally some smoked salmon and instant mash potatoes

Shared with Showgirl and watched “Secret Life of Walter Mitty” on Igloo’s phone

Offered some to Igloo but he was full

Bobby Lake 3:30 p.m.

15 miles to Brahma Lake for camp.

Uphill.

Light rain.

Stopped for snacks and rain gear.

High point around 6 p.m.

Lake in 12 miles.

Thought I found a king bolete but think it might have been satans Boleyn; it bruised black.

Friko passed; he was zooming.

Beautiful Lake Charleton near a recent burn area.

Small sunset with all the clouds.

Turned on headlamp around 8 p.m.

Night hiked through burn area near Charlton Butte.

The moonrise was orange, but I couldn’t see the moon.

Saw another headlamp.

It was Showgirl finishing up dinner.

Night hiked together for 6 miles and called it at Irish Lake; we were both pretty tired, and my feet were sore.

Day 127 - 9/10/25 - Misty Mushrooms

Distance: 28.3

Mile Start / End: 1932 - 1960.3

Weather: cloudy, foggy, light rain; H: 55°

End Location: Sister Mirror Lake

Lessons Learned:

Woke up just after 7 a.m.

Left before 8:30 a.m.

Cold, foggy, wet - started with rain jacket and gloves

20 miles to Elk Lake Resort

Brahma Lake 9:30 a.m.

Beautiful steam rose from the surface, with only a loon in the middle, washing off, breaking its stillness

Will take break and fill up water at Stormy Lake in 2.5 miles

Passed Stormy Lake

Stopped at pond around 11 a.m. for brunch

Granola tortilla

Got tuna ready for later

Hopper and Friko

Friko told me about bypass

Decided to skip Elk Lake and bypass 3000ft climb

Changed socks

Left 12:30 p.m.

11 miles to junction for bypass

Put on Smiths playlist but felt it was already dreary enough outside

Changed to my Palace playlist, nice acoustic vibes

Then some Cure, always love them on a gloomy day

“Just Like Heaven”

S Lake

Light rain

Uphill

Herd of elk

Buddha pod

Tango = rain season in India, students would go and stay and learn from one teacher throughout that season

All dualities have a falseness when we believe the two opposing sides are absolutes

Manufactured dualities

Blueberries

Red Hill Bypass intersection 4:30 p.m., tuna snacks, multivitamin left 4:45 p.m.

Overgrown huckleberry bushes drenched by rain transferred their dew to my shoes and there was nothing I could do

My socks and shoes got soaked and starting making a squishy sound as I walked

New mushroom!

Climb up

Can’t see much besides the woods around me, much fog.

Passed Red Hill at 6:30 p.m.

Put on deep tracks.

“Get a Haircut” by George Thorogood made me laugh aloud.

Probably what my parents are thinking. 😅

FOUND A KINg BOLETE! YAHOOOO (elevation ~6000ft)

A perfect specimen.

A few other giant ones, I’ll try this one first.

Guess I will save the chanterelles for tomorrow.

Got to some spooky lakes and accidentally got off trail a little.

And now amanita! I’m hesitant to pick any right now because I know the cap won’t dry and will likely just go to waste.

Okay fine, I will gather one, but it has to be pristine.

Resumed PCT just before 7:30 p.m.

Made it to Sisters Mirror Lake at 7:40 p.m.

Walked around the whole lake and found the best spot.

Saw Friko on the shore, called over to him.

Set up camp

Took a dip in the lake, cold

Chatted with Friko while we ate dinner, nice guy.

Sautéed porcini mushroom, then ramen bomb.

Hopefully identified it right.😅

Delish though either way.

Bed around 10 p.m.

Day 128 - 9/11/25 - Socked in with Wet Socks

Distance: 26.7

Mile Start / End: 1960.3 - 1987 =

Weather: cold fog all day

End Location: tree island

Lessons Learned:

Woke up 4am, smell of smoke

It was raining so no threat, back to bed

Woke up 6am

Got service, researched boletes a bit more

The one I picked and ate was more likely a Summer Bolete or Bronze Bolete (both edible)

And the orangish one was a King Bolete… noted😅

That’s the thing with boletes though, usually they are too gross to eat or edible - there are only 2 or 3 common boletes that poisonous

Friko made hot mountain mochas for us, what a guy

Packed up, ate Breaky - mocha and apple danish

Left around 8am

11 miles to Linton Junction, where the crossroads for going up middle sister is

Giant king boletes taunted me, wanted to pick but didn’t want to add the pack weight, I’m sure there will be some later

Morning fog immense

At a meadow where I believe I should be able to see the sisters range, all I saw was fog

Nice Sobo hikers suites in kangaroo told me about the Huckleberry mimosas at Trout Lake and commented on my margarita gators

Started music with Khruangbin

Hiked through fog, a bit uphill

Found a beautiful orange amanita

Took break at Reese Lake around 11am

Filled up 1.5L and split between bottles, one with coffee one with electrolytes - this should be enough for the rest of the day

Granola peanut butter tortilla

Prepped bag with lunch items

Left 12:15pm

6 miles to Obsidian Falls

Obsidian Falls, 2pm

The cold spring water flowed over the obsidian into the oblivion of the thick fog

Passed the Boston sister Lauren and Lindsay, the only sisters I’ve seen today 😅

Lava pass

Top 3:30pm

Matthieu Lake 5:15, windy so just carried water up the hill a bit

Hung water on a sign

Took off shoes and socks to provide brief reprieve from wetness

Cold, took shot of siracha

Push ups and corkball

Being socked in with wet socks is not fun😅

Left just before 6pm

6.5 miles to junction for camp

Burn

Lava fields

Slow moving, rock uncomfortable again feet

Left Three Sisters Wilderness, what a weird foggy dream

Crossed road

Entered Mt Washington wilderness

More lava field

Uphill a forest island

Getting dark but had planned on night hiking

Left forest island back into the lava field, I was committed now…

3 miles until I even had a possibility to set up camp😅

Immersed in fog, mist, and wind

Felt like I was in a cloud… maybe I was

Tried not to use headlamp for as long as possible, battery was down to 1 out of 3

Didn’t use poles because they would get stuck in the lava holes

Eventually turned on headlamp

Made it to junction, just a little further to the trees and camp

Really windy now

Made it to trees

Scoped out a 4-5 spot but all were either not protected enough, too close to widow makers, or taken

Finally found a spot around 9pm

Made dinner in tent

Ramen with chanterelles and tuna

The chanterelles are a nice touch, still have a few left of for tomorrow but hoping to find more😌

Watched an episode of Geordie shore while I ate

Bed around 10pm