August 17th, 2018
We walked through a lot of burned areas today, but the views were outstanding. All day we walked around Mt. Jefferson, a towering peak covered in glaciers. We had lunch at Shale Lake with a mirrored view of the south side of the mountain, and by evening we had traversed to the North side where the glaciers were enormous. We walked through a limited-entry area in the afternoon, where we were stopped by a Forest Service ranger who checked our permits. It was the first time our PCT permits were inspected all trail. Later, we crossed a dangerous raging river draining snowmelt from the glaciers. It was certainly the largest ford since the Sierras. As we chose our path across, Renee spotted a dead horse in the water that must have gotten swept away trying to cross. It was sad to see, but a good reminder to be careful. From our campsite we have another amazing view of Mt. Jefferson behind us, and we also have our first glimpse of Mt. Hood to the North. We are camping high on a ridge, so we’re hoping sunrise will be spectacular.
