The Jefferson Wilderness is one of the highlights of the PCT. Mt Jefferson rises high above lush meadows and green forests. The wildflowers are in bloom after the late snow melt. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the most scenic part of this area because of the waterfall II fire. So the adventure within an adventure continues. Initially the fire affected ten miles of the PCT. However, we met a southbound hiker who told us the fire had spread and that Lake Ollalie had been evacuated and was closed. This was a big concern as everyone was planning a resupply at the resort there. That combined with a long detour meant we didn't have enough food. Well we'd find out. The first part of the detour was to take the Breitenbush trail west to a dirt road, then a long road walk north to another trail east. The Breitenbush trail was rocky and downhill. I felt very clumsy and it was slow going. When we got to a trailhead parking area there were signs posted confirming the bigger fire and a longer detour. It was getting dark and the trail was hard to follow. So when we discovered a dirt road paralleling the trail we walked it instead. Turned out to be a good decision as it was the right road. Around 930pm when we were almost to hwy 46, we saw a camper with a light on and a couple sitting outside. Rem went over and said hello and the man Brian told us where a good place to camp was. It turned out to be a great spot but we were all so tired we didn't care. No sooner had we gotten our tents set up when Brian drove up in his truck. He offered to give us a ride to Detroit Lake in the morning to get food. How awesome is that? Trail magic.
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