Logistics Day! Many steps to take and boxes to check.
- Pack and have breakfast at Klamath Falls Best Western
- Drive and pick up U-haul truck at 10am
- I drive truck and Elaine drives our Subaru to Crater Lake Park an hour away. By the time we get there, it is almost snowing – 37 deg.
- Try to find the Wilderness Info Center at Rim Village only to be sent back down the hill 3 miles to the ranger station. We take just the car back anticipating that we will park up near the trailhead somewhere.
- Talk to a very nice ranger and get our backcountry permit for parking and camping. Find out we have to park at a lower lot and so have to drive back up to get the truck.
- That done, we separate backpacking gear from travel gear at the car (in the cold rain).
- Shove our packs and gear behind the rental truck seat, double check the car for locking and lights out, and leave it behind to hike back to in three weeks.
- Drive to Mia’s and Pia’s Pizza in Klamath Falls for lunch.
- Turn in the rental truck. Pack our packs with everything left and start walking.
- Walk 2.5m to Klamath Brewing for a beer and salad while we kill time before our train.
- Decide to walk to the train station at 7pm but find it’s not open until 7:30. Planning on charging phones in the terminal building. Sit outside on a bench until the terminal opens and then go inside.
- Go to dig out a “brick” to charge our phone and can’t find it where I thought it should be in my pack. Nowhere. Have to have one for our trip.
- Determine that there is a Fred Meyer 1.7 mi away and plenty of time to get there and back.
- Shoulder our packs and walk to the Fred Meyer. Buy a USB wall charger and head back to the station. Arrive exactly 1 hour after we left. 9pm. It rained the whole way back from FM.
- Elaine digs through her pack for her headlamp for later and…..she finds the brick we packed. 😝 hahahaha!
- Train arrived right on time and we haul us and our packs aboard.
- 2 1/2 hours later we climb down from the train to find Jason, our driver, right there to take us to the campground.
- Jason is real pleasant and gives us the run down on the campground.
- In the dark, with our headlamps, we set up camp, and are in the sack at 1:30am
This really was a great day. So many things to do but everyone was helping us on our mission. We’re so thankful for everyone and we’re excited to finally get on the trail. What would the morning bring? You’ll need to read the next post to find out.
Dogleggers on the Trail 