It was another mosquito infested morning and I used up the last of my DEET as I left camp. Luckily, I was planning to meet an old friend (Neil) from Colorado who had moved with his family to Bend, OR last year…so I’d have all afternoon to run errands.

One of the many peaceful ponds I hiked by today.

…even an occasional meadow.

My latest gear malfunction… my two week old shoes started to tear away from the sole 😦 Hoping I can deal with this is town too.

Finally, a view ! It took a large burn area to be able to see the giant peaks we are approaching. This one might be Broken Top ?

About a mile off trail is the Elk Lake Resort. Here are my friends Steve and a Diane (met them around mile 550) from Calgary, eating copious amounts of food. Neil picked me up here a short time later and we drove into Bend 30 miles away.

There’s a great shop in town that sells used outdoor gear…and even better, they repair gear and have a cobbler on site. Luke here fixed my shoe up in two minutes.

Voila ! This should be good enough to get me to Mt Hood where Altra Shoes was kind enough to send me a warranty replacement pair.

This is why I pre-wash my socks before including them in the laundry with the rest of my clothes. Disgusting!
My lovely hosts, Neil and Sarah (their kids were away at an overnight activity with their camp)

The day started with a small climb out of Shelter Cove to get back on the PCT. There was a good view of Odell Lake from the Crest.

Most of the day was easy walking through the woods with the occasional pond or lake…and tons of mosquitoes!

I took a mid-morning break at this cool ski Lodge that is made available to hikers. It was nice to get away from the bugs temporarily.

This was a big burn section…the fire was from almost 20 years ago.

Showing off my disgusting legs. A combination of dirt, sweat and bug spray. (Luckily, I’m past the need for sunscreen).

Some darker clouds rolled in with thunder in the distance. Fortunately, it stayed dry.

The tenting area was limited at this random pond, but after 34 miles I was ready to call it a day. The Swiss couple that were already there were happy to share the site (he’s wearing a Bug net and n his head).