[pct-l] Crater Lake , Mt Theilson what snow there is is easily navigated up and over, no issues. Did this section 8/3 to 8/4.

[Mike Welch]

Thank you Steel-Eye.  Great information and I appreciate it.  montain mike


________________________________
 From: CHUCK CHELIN <steeleye at wildblue.net>
To: Mike Welch <encinomw at yahoo.com> 
Cc: pct-l at mailman.backcountry.net 
Sent: Monday, August 6, 2012 1:28 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Crater Lake , Mt Theilson what snow there is is easily navigated up and over, no issues. Did this section 8/3 to 8/4.
 

Good
afternoon, Mountain Mike,
I stopped at Jack Spring in mid-August of last year.  Yes, it’s off the trail and downhill, but I
wasn’t in a huge hurry since I was going to spend the night before visiting
Crater Lake.  The access trail descends to a fairly
open creek drainage with the trail following along near or beside the
bottom.
I had also stopped for water in this same area in September of ’99,
but not at the exact same spot as last year.  In ’99 I had no GPS, but in ’11 I did.  As with most of the drainages in dry country, an increasingly green
stripe of vegetation can be seen in the bottom, so as soon as the “green”
looked lush and promising I ignored the GPS and just looked for running water.  I soon stopped at a nice little pool that was
flowing all the good, cool water that any hiker could want, and it was where
the access trail crossed the creek bottom; very handy. 

Also in August of last year I took the Skyline Trail alternate
past Crescent Lake to Shelter Cove.  I had
already hiked the official PCT route several times but I hadn’t tried the
alternate.  Since there was lots of snow
remaining east of Diamond Peak I thought it would be a good year to try the
alternate.  There were a few mosquitoes
remaining, but in September there will be even fewer.  The trail is good, and mostly well-marked,
with only one tricky spot:  The trail departing
north from Crescent Lake heads at the very end of a road through the Whitefish
Horse Camp.  North from there it’s a good trail following
Whitefish Creek and past little Diamond View Lake.  From there it isn’t far across a
height-of-land to the head of the Trapper Creek drainage.
The trail north from the Whitefish Horse Camp is popular with
riders, so expect considerable dust on the trail churned up by horses, and the inevitable
road-apples.
Enjoy your hike,
Steel-Eye 
-Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT –
1965
http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/