7 pm Pacific time. I am reporting from Elk Lake Resort. Coodinates: 43 deg. 58'835" N, 121 deg. 48'348" W. This is a beautiful lake with lots of yachts moored around the perimeter. This resort is where I plan to go into Bend and take a zero day tomorrow. I'm ready for a break. I haven't taken a zero since Tahoe.
From Willametta Pass into here, the hike was easy with gentle ups and downs. The views are overwhelming - I can see the peaks of the Three Sisters, Obsidian Falls and other beautiful mountain peaks ahead. I've crossed acres and acres of lava-rock.
The mosquitos are a constant nuisance. There is no way I can cook, let alone eat, a meal outside. It is even painful to stop and take a picture. I have to literally dive into my tent to escape these pests.
On a good note: a pleasant discovery for me are the Rhododendron. As a Ridgerunner in the Smoky Mountians I very seldom get to see the Rhododendron in bloom because I am only there March through May and these mountain beauties bloom in the summer. They certainly brighten up the path before me.
Thought of the day: The steps of faith fall on the seeming void, but find the rock beneath." John Greenleaf Whittier
Keep hiking,
Greybeard
