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| Hiking | 5.77 Miles |
312 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.77 Miles | 3 Hrs 50 Mns | | 1.77 mph |
| 312 ft AEG | 34 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I traveled to Big Lake in the Oregon Cascade Mountains after having spent a week hiking in the Eastern Sierras. This is an annual late September trip I've made several times over the years since 2018 for a reunion of a group of Oregon friends who went on a Owyhee River trip together in 2017. This year there would be 10 of us. I arrived at my campsite in the Big Lake campground the day before the others were due to show up in adjoining campsites. The next morning I went for a hike around the circumference of Big Lake planning to return to camp around 1:30pm when they were supposed to start arriving.
Caution: The last time I hiked in this area passing through the Mt Washington Wilderness I was accosted by a Forest Ranger, a very serious young woman who was packing heat and had a BIG dog. She insisted on seeing my Mt W. Wilderness Permit. She claimed I could get fined for not having it even though I was just on a day hike. Fortunately I had a permit which were free in the permit box at the Patjens Lake Trailhead by the parking lot near the Big Lake West Campground entrance (the location is a waypoint on the gps track for this hike). I forgot to get a permit on this hike and only saw a couple of hunters during the entire hike.
This hike starts and ends at my campsite going around the lake in a counterclockwise direction. My photoset includes a couple photos taken near camp in the late afternoon the day before. The hike follows the paved road through the main campground and south on the paved road to the Big Lake West campsites along the west side of the lake. At the end of that road the hike follows a use trail going SSE along the shore to connect with the Patjens Lakes Loop trail. Where the Patjens Lakes trail starts to curve to the south I bushwhacked more-or-less east to connect with the trail leading from the Pacific Crest Trail to the Big Lake Youth Camp. That camp provides stop-over facilities for PCTers to pick up "hiker boxes" for resupply as well as a place to camp and may have meals available at their lodge. This bushwhack followed the remains of a use trail that was used as a shortcut to the PCT from the Big Lake Campground. The Forest Service has decided to hide that use trail to discontinue its use.
I have never been to the Youth Camp before and was surprised at it's large size with many buildings, it's like a small village. There is a sign welcoming PCT hikers where the trail from the PCT enters the camp. A small map shows in green the area that the hikers are allowed - mostly everywhere except the boys and girls villages. I didn't investigate the accommodations, there didn't seem to be anyone there. I followed the road out of the camp going north to connect with the PCT and a Forest road which goes to the west allowing me to complete my hike around the lake.
Returning to camp I found most of my friends had shown up and setup camp with snacks and drinks on a couple of tables and a campfire going with a huge pile of wood to last us for two days. A great way to end a hike. |
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