CRATER LAKE HIKE - Aug 14-15, 2012

On Aug 14 we decided to test ourselves (resolve & bodies) and see if we could still haul around heavy backpacks up around 12,000 foot elevation where the air becomes an issue. We've been playing with the idea of doing the 500-mile "Camino de Santiago" ("The Way") in Spain next Fall and we haven't been doing a lot of heavy backpack lugging lately. Our Jeep Sahara has spoiled us. Spain is low-altitude, so we figured if we can handle the 15-mile roundtrip hike from Andrews Lake to Crater Lake UP ABOVE 11,000 foot Molas Pass between Durango and Silverton, then we can certainly handle Spain. These pics are from that test hike which took us 4 hours IN and 3 1/2 hours OUT, with the ol' man carrying a 30lb pack and his young bride carrying a 25lb pack. We had a blast! The first 80% of the hike IN was really fun and gorgeous; the remaining 20% involved some dehydration & muscle cramping complications as far as the ol' guy was concerned . . . not so much fun. Altitude messes with you something fierce. But we had a great time overall. We did have to boil some extra drinking water for the trip back at our tentsite, however, we felt like rookies for underestimating our water needs. Muy importante! Enjoy! My Nikon is pooping out; I need a new one.

Last year Nancy lost a total of 55lbs on Medifast. These two backpacks weigh a total of 55 pounds! She got a kick out of thinking that this is what she was carrying around ALL THE TIME over the past few years. I only lost 40lbs (because she stopped cooking) . . . uh, how many beers is that?

At the start at Andrews Lake parking lot.

Heh, Heh, Heh . . . my partner turned "turtle"!

WOW, this was worth hiking to!

Plenty to eat along the trail, but we abstained because they make you fall down a lot.

Interesting (and kinda scarey) "deadfall" along part of the hike.

Twilight Peak & Crater Lake as we broke camp this morning, Aug 15, 2012.

Neat view of "Engineer Peak" from the trail. Autumn, are you ready to climb Engineer with me again? Here are a couple of pics from last weekend while jeeping up Eureka Gulch above Silverton. Nancy was working on her acrophobia issue.