Manymilesmiles: Maidu Lake to Mt.Thielsen

Wow what an amazing day! I got off the Skyline Trail at Windigo Pass and hit the official PCT which was much more scenic. The trail wanders through beautiful pine forests, steep shale fields and hits the ORWA (Oregon /Washington) high point at 7,560 ft.

After leaving Maidu Lake I realized I forgot to "camel up" and had less than 2 liters of water for the day which didn't seem to last long in the heat. Theilsen Creek would be my next water source in 13 miles so I go into a rhythm and continued on.

When I got to the creek I was blown away. Some hikers had told me about the cold glacial water that was there, but I didn't anticipate how picturesque the scene would be!

I decided to soak my feet, eat some lunch and take it all in. I even washed a couple pairs of socks (downstream of course!). I watched other hikers fill their bottles, filter the water, take a quick snap shot and carry on and decided to take advantage of not being in a rush to get to any destination. I hiked up a little hill and found a beautiful campsite with a perfect view.

It was almost a full moon and I watched it cross the sky until it was right over the peak of Mt. Theilsen on a perfectly warm and clear night.

The next morning I decided to do a side hike up Mt. Theilsen which stands at 9,184 ft. There was a trail to a lookout just below the peak and no ropes required. I stashed my backpack and just took some water with me. It felt good to walk with no weight and do a bit more uphill climbing to give the sore parts of my feet a break and work different muscles in my legs.

Their was a little scramble at the top but the rock had a lot of friction. It almost looked like lava, and I later learned that its spire-like shape attracts lightning strikes and creates fulgurite, a unusual mineral that is sometimes referred to as petrified lightning. The rock felt very powerful as I scrambled up to the lookout, although at that time I didn't know why. What an amazing spot.