2.5 miles
We wake up to a chilly and overcast day. It had gotten down to 31 degrees in the night, and it isn't forecasted to get above 60 today. What a change when just a few days ago we were hiking through triple digits!
We start the hike up and around the rim, and Maniac joins us soon after we start. We see a bit of the lake, but then the fog rolls in so densely that it completely obscures our view of anything but the trail in front of us. The climb is steep and rocky, taking more effort than I had been expecting. So far, this has been the toughest climb in Oregon. We take a break so that I can take off my jacket, having built up a sweat by now, and while we wait another hiker by the name of Kneif (pronounced Neef, because he's Swiss and misspelled Knife) joins us. As we're eating a snack is starts to rain. I put my rain jacket back on, and regret that I don't have my pack cover with me. Barrel gives me a trash bag he has, and we shimmy it over my pack.
The four of us continue on, and suddenly the wind picks up and it becomes a full on downpour. Within a couple of minutes our pants and shoes are soaked with freezing rain, and the wind is stinging our faces. We debate what to do when suddenly we see Knief run to a small shelter. We all run after him, only to discover it's just a pit toilet. The four of us crowd in, ignoring the smell, just glad we're out of the weather. We wait a few minutes until it's clear this won't be ending anytime soon, so we all take off our packs and I sit down on the lid of the toilet. The three guys are around me, when suddenly the door opens and a woman screams at the sight of us. We all hysterically start laughing, wondering what she must be thinking.
The rain is only getting worse, and while I can tell Barrel is anxious to leave, I have no plans to get back out there right now. An hour later and Barrel says we should just go. Maniac and Knief say they're going to stay here for a bit longer to see if it will calm down. I agree, and Barrel looks at me with an "are you sure?" eyebrow raise. I see that he's hesitating, so I tell him to go and that I'll catch up to him. He looks at the guys, asks me again if I'm sure, and then walks into the gale. I hope I can catch up to him.
Another hour passes and the rain calms down a bit, and maniac decides he wants to brave the storm as well. Knief has already decided he's going to hitch back down to Mazama Village and get a ride back up in the morning. Going back down means a shower, getting warm, a and doing laundry, so I'm siding with him. I try to talk maniac into joining us, since I know him more than I know Knief, but he's ready to get back on the trail. And then suddenly there were two.
I find us a ride from a pleasant woman who only feels slightly a sister by me as I run out of the bathroom to ask if they're headed down, and if they'll take us. When we get back to the village 20 minutes later, we run into REI, and decide we got the better end of the deal by coming down. We take piping hot (free!) showers, and do our laundry. I wear my rain jacket and the plastic bag Barrel gave me so that I can wash all of my clothes, and get complimented on my ultralight rain gear fashion. I should sell this to poor saps for a hundred dollars.
We have a lovely day eating, drinking and talking, and Knief and I make plans to hike out together tomorrow, catching the trolly up to the rim at 9am. The storm starts to blow over, and the forecast for tomorrow is sunny and clear.
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