Backpacking Through Crater Lake Part 2 - Ouch!

Crater Lake in June. Snow still lingers along the rim.

It had been four days and I had covered 65 miles or so from one end of Crater Lake National Park out to Diamond Lake and back along the PCT. The weather was warm, the trail was easy, and I was feeling good. Once or twice a day I would come across a fellow hiker rushing to get to Canada. Me I was in no rush. I was out to enjoy the scenery and photograph it. While heading back towards the Annie springs trail, I took my time. I would hit Mazama Village in a day and a half. I headed toward an old burn area. Dead trees bleached white stood like spikes reaching towards the sky. A meadow of pink flowers covered the trail.

Meadow of flowers at the entrance to a burned section of forest.

There were a lot of down trees to climb over as I hiked through this section. No big deal since I was in hurry. Along the way I met a fellow PCT hiker. We hiked and chatted for a bit. I saw a scene that I wanted to photograph. I pointed it out to my temporary companion while climbing over a down tree. I planted my foot, as I swung my other leg over the tree. I felt a twinge in my knee. No pain but I knew something was wrong. I set up my camera for the shot and bid farewell to my new found friend. After taking my shots and packing my camera gear I was back on the trail. I started to feel an ache in my knee. I decided to find a place to camp for the night and just rest the rest of the day. The next morning all felt good. That is until I started walking. My knee screamed at me to stop. I walked slowly and gingerly and eased into a slow walk. The pain got worse. After a couple miles I stopped, rested, and looked at my map for a bailout point. Another four miles until I reached the Dutton Creek Trail. From there a mile and a half, 1,500 foot climb to Rim Village. I started walking. The climb up the Dutton Creek was a challenge and painful. I slogged through mud until I reached patchy snow. The trail disappeared but I manged to find it again. The ice was slippery and I kept wondering how long until I reached the end. Finally I reached Rim Village and gingerly shuffled to the lodge.

The Great Hall at the Crater Lake Lodge.

When I hobbled into the Lodge at Crater Lake I looked like a homeless man that had just crawled out from a freeway underpass. I walked into the lobby and noticed the tourists in their expensive clothes. Did I just walk into the Beverly Hills Hilton? Needless to say, they were booked.

Fortunately, the people that hike the PCT are a community of themselves. One of the girls that worked there, came up to me and asked if I had just come off the PCT. When I said yes, she told me to sit in the lobby. I was so tired and in pain that I sat in the chair backpack and all.

Next thing I knew she introduced herself, pulled some Ibuprofen from her purse, had me take some, then gave me half the bottle for later. She found me a room and one of the other girls helped me to the room, helped pull my pack off and brought me ice for my knee. I was in a private section of the lodge. No room numbers, just a door marked “private”. Through that door was a small hallway and two rooms. No room numbers. I was the only one in that wing.

It turned out to be the perfect place to rest my knee and recuperate. The staff came and checked on me. The next day when my knee was feeling better I visited with her. She drove me across the park to my car after she got off work.

The lodge was a wonderful place to stay and recover. I made friends with some of the staff and took a couple of days to just sit on the lodges private patio overlooking the lake and take pictures while sampling some of Oregon's microbrewery beers. My only complaint…The prices. One needs reservations to eat dinner in the lodge’s dinner hall. Food was good but cost as much as the national debt. But the new-found friends made it all worthwhile.