PCT Day 120 – Olallie Lake (2048.7) to Timothy Lake (2079.6)

August 3, 2026

Total PCT miles: 31.1

Non PCT miles: 0.0

Total: 31.1 miles / 50.1 km

Total elevation gain: 3360 ft

Total elevation loss: 5072 ft

Steps: 68417

Remaining Distance: 578.2 miles

The wind must have shifted overnight because I woke to the faint smell of smoke drifting through camp from the nearby wildfires. It was another cold morning, just 4°C, and getting out of my sleeping bag was a slow and painful process. The one reward for finally crawling out of the tent was looking east to see Mount Jefferson glowing in the first light of the day. The morning sun lit the mountain with that same soft alpenglow I remember from the Sierra, which somehow already feels like a lifetime ago.

Eventually I managed to pack everything up and was hiking by 6:30. It was cool enough that I started the day wearing both my fleece and rain jacket. I should have known better. Less than a mile later I was already stopping to strip them both off. No matter how cold the mornings are, hiking uphill with a full pack warms you up in a hurry.

Today’s goal was ambitious: 35-plus miles. The weather was perfect and the trail profile was about as friendly as I could ask for. Unfortunately, my body had other ideas.

The first couple of miles finished yesterday’s burn scar before the trail entered the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Almost immediately the trail transformed into one of the smoothest stretches I’ve hiked in a long time. It was beautifully maintained, nearly free of rocks and roots, and the miles seemed to disappear beneath my feet.

I crossed paths with “Bump,” whom I’d briefly met back in the Sierra after he sold High Stakes a set of tent stakes as she had left hers in town. I ended up leapfrogging him and his tramily for most of the day. By noon we’d already covered 19 miles, so we stopped together for lunch. Naturally the conversation turned to the recent closure of the northern terminus because of the Ptarmigan Fire. Everyone seems to be weighing different options for how they’ll finish their thru-hike if the closure remains in place. It’s strange to be less than 700 miles from Canada and not actually know what the finish line is going to look like.

After lunch everything changed.

Somewhere after the 20-mile mark I completely bonked. Looking back, I simply didn’t do a good enough job eating and drinking throughout the day. That’s on me. My energy disappeared, my ankles started complaining with every step, and suddenly those smooth miles I’d been cruising through all morning became a grind. I kept pushing toward my mileage goal, but each mile required a little more determination than the last.

Late in the afternoon I entered Mount Hood National Forest and eventually reached Timothy Lake. By then the wildfire smoke had noticeably thickened, turning the afternoon sun into a deep orange disc hanging low in the sky. The forecast says the smoke will be even worse tomorrow, which isn’t exactly encouraging.

When I reached the lake, there was no way I was walking past without taking a swim. I found a quiet little spot along the shoreline, dropped my pack, and dove into the cool water. It washed away the sweat, dirt, and grime that had accumulated over the last few days, and for a few minutes I forgot all about my aching ankles.

One thing that’s taken an unbelievable amount of self-control is the can of cola I’ve been carrying since Olallie Lake. It’s been sitting in my pack all day, and I’ve resisted drinking it because I’ve promised myself it’s for tomorrow. Honestly, avoiding it has almost been harder than hiking.

There weren’t many views to speak of today after leaving Olallie Lake, but after yesterday’s endless burn scar, I didn’t mind being back in Oregon’s famous green tunnel. The smooth tread and quiet forest made for easy walking, at least until my legs decided they’d had enough.

To top it all off, the zipper on the inner mesh of my tent finally gave up after two weeks of acting up. If I get really lucky, I can still sometimes coax it shut, but it’s definitely on borrowed time now. Thankfully there have been almost no mosquitoes the past couple of nights. Hopefully that streak continues until I can figure out a more permanent fix.