Day 87: Fields of Lava

Mile 1744.3 to mile 1773.2 (28.9 miles, 46.5km)

Plus 2 miles to Fish Lake Resort

An uneventful day.

I had to collect water from an aqua duct this morning and while there was plenty of water it was warm and had a real earthy taste to it. Not the best but it was all there was on offer. Drink flavour mixes helped.

I guess the highlights of the day we’re walking through the first lava field of Oregon of which there are many and making my way to Fish Lake Resort at the end of the day for an icecream and a coke.

The Lava field sucked. Not because of the rockiness, the constructed trail was of a really high standard. It was the distance. Point A to B on the map was only 3 miles but somehow the trail designers managed to more than double this distance, squeezing in 7 miles between said points. The trail was constructed on such a low angle it was like walking an aqueduct. Very frustrating at the end of the day.

Reaching close to 30 miles for the day I was so keen on a nice cold drink, anything instead of the warm, funny tasting water being consumed all day, that I walked 2 miles off trail to the Fish Lake Resort. I knew they had a small shop and restaurant and it shut at around 7:30pm. I made it by 6:30pm. Walking through the resort a couple of RVers, Ken and Paul, pulled me aside for lots of questions about the trail and made an offer for dinner one can not refuse. Home cooked dinner RV style – hotdogs, burgers, fresh salad, beer and good conversation. I hade to get coke first though. The kindness of strangers never ceases to amaze me.