[pct-l] Favorite Camps - McKenzie Pass Campsite Memory

[Jeffrey Olson]

The most perfect campsite I had on the Oregon section of the PCT was
about seven miles south of McKenzie Pass - Sawyer's Bar.  It was right
at the foot of Little Brother and around the bend from North Sister.
The bar about 50 yards wide and a couple hundred yards long, with beach
quality sand and medium sized pines.  On the north side is a wall of
lava that rises up to block the view.  The south side has Little Brother
rising straight up.  There is a three foot wide creek that meanders
across the bar before plunging down a narrow defile.  The trail heading
north parallels this defile for a quarter mile or so before entering the
lava and plunging down to the Matthieu Lakes.  .

There was little wind compared to the trail on either side.  It was warm
and ultimately delicious.  After a while the gorgeous views along the
west side of the Sisters had me ready for a little small world camping.
I washed clothes, lay out the ground cloth and aired everything out.
For some reason, there were very few mosquitos and I walked around with
only running shorts and flip flops.  I'd been on the trail 25 days or
so, and took a picture of myself in just running shorts, pretending to
lower myself down a lava boulder, flexing all my muscles, the "in shape
for once" picture.  I still bring it out at family reunions much to the
chortling laughter of my siblings who jiggle my tummy with glee!

That was after a night at Sisters View Lake where I ate dinner in a half
run around the lake to stay ahead of the skeeters.  I remember moving
about 4 mph and chewing at the same time, feeling more and more frantic
- could I ever get away from the buggers, or was I doomed to torture?
I'd tried to stay in the tent but I'd stupidly pitched it so the
setting sun hit it, and even at the end of June it was HOT.  Eating at
4mph is hard.  But it was either roast in the tent, and kill bugs while
I sweated, or walk and revel in the idiocy and hijinks of doing
something I'd never done before.

Sawyers Bar though was a respite, a calm place to regroup for the big
mile days (for me) to Mt. Hood.  I spent a couple hours just walking
around, moving five feet and standing and staring, another couple of
feet, standing and staring, sitting on a log, watching the little brook
meander, just mesmerized by the smallness of the landscape.  I so
remember the peacefulness of sand and brook and trees and lava.  I
ignored the big view to the south.  I wonder how many other hikers stop
at three once in a while in a warm, comfortable, small-world spot to
just regroup after the big world of the high Sierra or the backside of
the Sisters?  I needed an afternoon every four or five days where all I
did was putter...

Here's the topozone.com URL for Sawyers Bar.,...

http://topozone.com/map.asp?lat=44.1904&lon=-121.7928&s=48&size=l&symshow=n&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25

Jeff Olson
Martin, SD