August 12-Tuesday-Resupply and Rain
An early start meant six miles in and an 8:00 a.m. arrival at Mazama Village. I got laundry going, showered, picked up my supplies that were mailed, ate at the restaurant, and was gone by noon. I was thrilled with the efficiency.
It had rained some the previous two days, but it really hadn't hampered progress. The rain that started when I left Mazama Village was a different story. The deluge stopped me in my tracks. I hunkered down under the overhanging limbs of a white fir tree, using the Tyvex that is usually my ground cover for added protection from the rain and marble-sized hail.
I thought the simple five mile hike from Mazama Village to the Crater Lake Lodge was going to be a cakewalk. It was not.
When the rain went from insane to just plain nuts I continued on to Crater Lake Lodge. The storm had knocked out power and tourists were milling about. I wanted good food, but they weren't cooking. I wanted to fully charge my batteries, but that wasn't happening either.
I was able to go to an upstairs area above a cafe and dry out. Eventually the power came back and by 6:30 pm it was time to weather the elements. My phone wasn't fully charged, but the rain seemed to have let up so it was time.
When I set out, the next round of lightning and rain started. After a while I realized this was futile and sat up my bivy sack for an early night.
A couple of hours in a tiny bivy sack is boring beyond belief. The bivy sack worked and I was warm, and mostly dry.
I tried to get a room at the Crater Lake Lodge, hoping someone had cancelled. It was not my lucky day. They checked to see if there was anything at Mazama Village, but it was also full.
In the end it was a short day, which was bit disappointing. It would have been nice if this rain had gone south to help with the fires.
Crater Lake
