Miles Hiked 114.7
PCT Mile 622.1
Elevation feet 5,410
Miles Hiked Today 15.0
July 17, 2026
Yes, “The Perfect Hiker Hell” is how I describe today. And for good reason, which you will soon see.
The day started early. I was leaving Olallie Lake and Resort and heading for Jefferson Park, which is 10 miles away. PCT hikers are not allowed to camp there, but the area is supposed to be beautiful. Consequently, I’m anxious to take a look.
So, what is the perfect hiker hell? I’ll tell you. First, the nearly 10 miles to Jefferson Park is almost all elevation gain. Furthermore, the area is a burn scar. What that means is, the forest is gone due to a large fire. All that’s left are tree trunks standing upright like toothpicks with no branches, no leaves and no future other than to eventually topple over.
The area is very rocky. Large boulders, rocks, loose stones and loose pebbles are everywhere on the trail. A hiker has to be careful about the loose stones and pebbles. It is easy to slide on them and fall backwards or forwards depending on how he steps on the stones or pebbles. The larger rocks and boulders twist and turn ankles. Last year, I fractured my foot on a large rock while hiking in Washington.
And it wouldn’t be the PCT without blowdowns (fallen trees). There were plenty of them to climb over or around. Unfortunately, all those standing dead trees are going to provide years of blowdowns on the trail.
As mentioned, Jefferson Park does not permit PCT hikers the privilege of camping in the park. So I had to hike quickly through the four mile long park to get to an area where I could camp. The area outside of Jefferson Park is another burn scar. That means that just about anywhere I pitch a tent, there will be widow makers (dead standing trees).
Last, we have the raging stream to cross. This one had a couple of small tree trunks going across the stream. This is what hikers are using as a bridge to cross the fast moving stream. The tree trunks were not very stable and the water was washing over them as it cascaded down the mountain.
I stepped out onto the trunks very carefully and one step at a time started across. Mid-stream I had to move to another tree trunk to the left. Scary! I did finally make it across with only my left boot getting wet. The tree trunk had wobbled and my foot slipped off. There is a picture of the stream. If you look closely, you can see what happens to anyone who falls off. They’ll go down the mountain with the rush of water. Serious injury or death would be the result.
John, another hiker with whom I have been camping, was ahead of me. He found a couple of tentsites that had minimal dead trees in the area, so we pitched our tents and called it a day. Yes, “The Perfect Hiker Hell” day. Tomorrow can’t be worse if it tries.
