The wind ended up blowing all night, so we felt fortunate that no trees fell on us. We all are glad to leave this part of the forest behind. Quite a flat trail leading us to Crater Lake. Ferdinand and Dangit join us for part of the hike. We also met another older gentleman who was hiking the PCT by driving his car to the various sections and then doing short hikes on the trail. We are taking advantage of the Rim Walk to get to Crater Village. It is a spectacular walk hugging the rim around the lake. The clouds also add to the beauty as they are being whipped up and over the edge. The lake’s color is surreal. Glad that this is a protected area and there are no structures at the rim. We make it to the gift shop and are a bit overwhelmed at all the people that are there, knowing that their drive-by experience is so different that ours. We have a good conversation with Dangit and Ferdinand about light weight backpacking. We look to find where we get backcountry permits for camping, but come up empty handed. We head to Dutton creek campground and are treated to a beautiful sunset. Once again we are surprised that there is not an outhouse at a popular site close to the road.

Mileage Hiked 18 miles- Dutton Creek Campground