The Snow Began to Stick and the Calendar Fast Forwarded to Winter
As weather statistics were tabulated at the end of September, the picture that emerged in the Pacific Northwest was wet . . . very wet. Olympia and Portland experienced the wettest September on record and for Seattle, the second-wettest. Nearly 8 inches fell in Olympia swamping the 1.7 inch average. Of course, just miles away along the PCT, it wasn't a typical fall either.
Photo: KOBI - Channel 5 (Medford, Oregon) Crater Lake, Wednesday, September 25, 8" of new snow
Winter began early this year in the southern Oregon Cascades.
September is generally a delightful time to enjoy this section of the trail mosquito-free and without the summer crowds. Although night-time temperatures can drop below freezing, the days tend to be warm and sunny. It was with that in mind that my wife, Amy, and I had prepared for a five-day walk north through the Sky Lakes Wilderness to Crater Lake.
With the gracious support of Mary 'Fireweed' Kwart, we headed north from Hwy 140 on Monday, September 23 making the gradual ascent across ancient lava flows through the dense forest. When the views of nearby Mt. McLoughlin were not obscured by trees, the low clouds kept this sentinel of southern Oregon hidden.
As we set up camp, the clouds enveloped us and night came quickly. Still, there had been no rain.
Tuesday appeared to begin much as Monday had ended. There was a penetrating dampness but no precipitation. We took our time as we broke camp packing carefully to preserve the dryness of our clothes and sleeping bags.
As if on cue, we donned our packs and the rain began. Tentative initially, as it often does, the drops hit with the random splat. But it accelerated, almost angrily. We stopped long enough to put on our rain jackets but the rain was now falling in sheets filling the trail with enough water that we had to straddle the trail to avoid soaking our shoes.
Amy commented, "What do you call this?" looking at the thick, viscous drops collecting on our packs, hats, and gloves.
"Wow, perhaps sleet." The stage was fleeting and quickly became unequivocal . . . it was snow. And it wasn't melting any more.
The snow began to stick and the calendar began to fast forward to winter (Tuesday morning, September 24)
We were now about ten miles away from the nearest road and beginning to consider the possibility that continuing may not be the wisest choice. We found a small copse of trees where the ground was still clear of snow and decided to set up the tent and see if conditions would improve. Once we stopped walking the cold became more apparent so we got in our bags and waited.
By about 11:30 a.m., an hour and a half later, a good four inches of snow had accumulated. The prospects for more seemed high and our gear, well-suited for early fall, was inadequate for winter. We were cold and wet. Discretion seemed the better part of valor and we elected to retreat back toward Fish Lake.
The going was slow. The additional snow had obscured the trail in sections and often masked the underlying pools of water that had collected in the trail. Best progress was to be made by walking adjacent to the trail through the low ground cover.
My hands were too cold to make the camera function, snap my jacket, or pull my laces tight. Moving provided the essential source of warmth. With ten miles to go before dark we needed to keep walking.
Fortunately, as we retraced our steps, after several miles trail conditions improved and we able to make better time. Cold rain squalls continued to remind us of the wisdom of our decision.
Dark approached as we reached Fish Lake Resort but warm and dry options were available. Of course it was disappointing that our trip was over. It was a hard decision to make and one I chewed on through the night. But when we woke the next morning to two inches of new snow at Fish Lake, 1,500 feet below our elevation of the prior day, we felt great about enjoying the Shakespeare Festival and restaurants of Ashland.
We'll be back . . . earlier next year.
