MOUNT JEFFERSON WILDERNESS

MOUNT HOOD NATIONAL FOREST

WILLAMETTE NATIONAL FOREST

Activity: Backpacking

41 miles, 7,014 elevation gain, 21 hours moving time, rated Moderate to Hard

Date: 8/25-30/25

Olallie Lake PCT Trailhead

I was so excited to join friends and family for this epic backpacking adventure in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness. I had been on my Grand Roadtrip Journey for the past week adventuring my way up to Oregon from SoCal with awesome quests in Pinnacles National Park, Lassen National Park and Mount Shasta.

The last part of my roadtrip was from Bend, Oregon through Sisters, driving through thick heavy smoke from a devastating wildfire that was actively being fought. Unfortunately this is a reoccurring theme for the Pacific Northwest and really the entire West Coast. It would be a theme for this adventure as well.

My path went through Detroit, Oregon a small town that had the most pristine and beautiful forest, but a few years back burnt to the ground. My GPS took me on a rough old logging road, which luckily was no problem for my Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro. Some of the logging road went through the most incredibly beautiful thick forested area, but some of it was just devastation from wildfires, which regrettably would be a theme for our backpacking adventure as well. But I am getting ahead of myself.

I was worrying that perhaps this road would get worse. I caught up to a couple 4 wheel trucks, whom were having a jarring experience on the rocky portion of the trail. They waved me ahead as I had much better suspension and my rig was made for this stuff. I asked them about getting to Olallie Lake and they said that this was the back way. I was thankful for the information and that I was on track because there is no cell service in the Wilderness. After a long and sometimes arduous trek I arrived at Olallie Lake. It also was completely burned, at least the side of the lake that I arrived at first. Firefighters must have made a stand against the Lionshead Fire of 2020 at this lake because the other side that had the Olallie Lake Resort, (I would not call it a resort, lol…), was fine.

So the resort, if you can call it that, had some cabins, and plenty of camping spots. I checked in at the rustic resort, an old cabin from the 1930’s turned into a General Store for the PCT Through Hikers as well as the campers. I talked to some campers that had an excellent spot and they pointed out the second most excellent spot so I grabbed it for our group.

It was a wonderful and spacious campsite. Beautiful big fir trees on a little point on the quiet tranquil lake with a splendid view of Mount Jefferson, and away from others… perfect.

Late in the afternoon my sister Peggy and brother in law Dale arrived from North Central Washington. I had not seen my sweet sister in three years when we lost our beloved Mother. It had been too long and we had both experienced tremendous loss. Our dear Mother was an extraordinary in every possible way. It was a tender embrace and tears were shed. We decided we could not let this long of a period go by again, that we meant too much to each other. And heck we all love the outdoors and backpacking so there was no reason not to share the pursuit of steady footing via deeds in the great outdoors, something I refer to as ‘Pursing Balance Through Adventure’.

Early evening my friend Anthony, an expert backpacking aficionado having completing the PCT twice among other backpacking feats, arrived with another backpacking friend Katie. The 3 of us had another ambitious outing earlier in the year, The Lost Coast. It was great to see them and now our team was complete.

All of us lovers of nature were excited to hear more about the incredible journey we were about to embark upon. Anthony had been through this area before while tackling the 2,650 Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada.

We had a nice evening on the shores of Olallie Lake. The next morning we grabbed some coffee at the Olallie Lake Resort, (lol), chatted with some Through Hikers and then we were off on a Grand Adventure!

Thanks for joining Anthony, Katie, Peggy, Dale, and I while ‘Pursing Balance Through Adventure’ in the Mt Hood National Forest at Olallie Lake. What a great meeting spot to set off on a glorious journey into the wilds of Oregon. As we loaded up our backpacks for some needed soul quenching, we at the same time unloaded the many burdens of everyday life. So peaceful and remote on Olallie Lake… So excited to hit the trail… Stay with us for our wilderness journey is about to begin. We look forward to sharing a taste of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness adventure with you in order to wet your appetite for your own adventure. Stay with us for the mountain trekking ahead by doing a couple easy tasks: LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW and SHARE.  Then if you will, checkout my Online SHOP APPAREL for top quality adventure wear that carries the mantra, the banner, the message, the logo: ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’. That is what it is all about Profound Experiences in Nature to Balance home/work life with finding yourself, peace and harmony. Check the menu for the many places that PBTA travels to. Keep in mind that each location is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure