#OregonPCT
LightNews LightNews
866phoebef.bsky.social
Tight squeeze through Tunnel Falls. The last stretch got me the wettest. Funny how that works.

#PCT #PacificCrestTrail #TunnelFalls #OregonPCT #ThruHiking
A smiling female backpacker stands on the narrow, wet trail behind Tunnel Falls in Oregon. A broad curtain of white water plunges down the entire left side of the image, while the trail hugs a dark, moss-covered basalt cliff on the right. She is wearing a fitted white hiking tank, black shorts, dark socks and gray trail shoes, with a large black backpack strapped to her shoulders. Her clothing and hair are damp from the waterfall spray, and she holds a pair of black trekking poles in one hand. The rocky ground beneath her is soaked and glossy, with scattered angular stones and mud. Ferns, moss and bright green vegetation grow from the cliff walls overhead and beside the trail. A metal safety cable follows the rock wall behind her as the path disappears into the dark recess behind the waterfall. She is looking directly at the camera with a broad smile, appearing wet, tired and delighted near the end of her hike.
September 13, 2026 at 6:23 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Timothy Lake. Mount Hood is back there somewhere. Water looked cold and miserable — so I didn't swim. First lake I actually planned to swim in and skipped. That says something. #PCT #OregonPCT #TimothyLake #MountHood #RainDay #Day12 #ThruHike #PNW
Close-up trail selfie of a woman standing beside Timothy Lake on an overcast, rainy day. She has wet, shoulder-length dark hair and wears a black rain shell over her backpack, with visible raindrops beading across the jacket and pack. Behind her, the gray, wind-rippled lake stretches toward dense evergreen forest, with snow-streaked Mount Hood partly obscured by low clouds and mist in the distance.
September 7, 2026 at 6:28 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Day 5. Last fully dry day. Didn't know it at the time - just a warm tent, a calm lake, and the quiet before everything changed. Six days later, I'm still drying out. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #Day5 #LastDryDay #Campsite #LakeCamp #Day11 #OregonPCT #Hiking
Twilight campsite on a dark shoreline beside a calm lake. A small tent glows warmly from the inside, its open door facing the water. The sky fades from deep blue to orange along the horizon, reflecting on the still surface. Silhouetted hills and a forested ridgeline stretch across the far shore, with a prominent mountain peak on the right. Day 5 campsite, the last fully dry day of the trip as of day 11.
September 7, 2026 at 3:18 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Day 8. Weather's still shit. Sitting in my tent, listening to rain, trying not to think about what that forecast meant. A little scary in here — but I made it over the ridge. That's what matters. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #Day8 #RainStorm #TentLife #SoloHike #WeatherWait #OregonPCT #ThruHike
September 5, 2026 at 2:41 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Four days without a shower & wet clothes. I could smell myself. Head Lake — one minute in, one minute to scrub, one minute out. High 50s, cold enough to steal your breath. But desperate times. In I went. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #HeadLake #AlpineLake #Day8 #OregonPCT #ThruHike #ColdPlunge
A wide cinematic view across a remote mountain lake beneath heavy gray overcast. A woman with her hair tied up stands chest-deep in the water near the center of the lake, facing away toward a distant snow-patched mountain. The shoreline is surrounded by numerous tall fire-killed trees mixed with scattered living conifers. Small ripples cross the dark water, with rocks visible in the shallows and along the foreground shoreline. The photograph has been heavily processed with a dark, high-contrast cinematic filter that deepens shadows, emphasizes cloud texture, and gives the scene a dramatic film-like appearance. In the lower-right corner, the effect has added the caption "CINEMATIC PHOTO · OPPENHEIMER · 35MM" in small white type. Subdued natural light and the cinematic treatment create a cool, quiet, filmic atmosphere.
September 5, 2026 at 2:25 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
3 minutes total. 4 days of funk washed away. Cold, clean, and smelling human again. The view back was worth every shiver. Playing with this cinematic filter — making my desperate scrub feel like a movie. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #HeadLake #AlpineLake #Day8 #OregonPCT #ThruHike #ColdPlunge
A wide cinematic view across a remote mountain lake beneath heavy gray overcast. A woman with her hair tied up walks barefoot through the shallows toward a rocky shoreline, wearing a wet white tank top and black shorts. Behind her, the dark rippled lake is surrounded by numerous tall fire-killed trees mixed with scattered living conifers, with a snow-patched mountain in the distance beneath heavy broken gray clouds. Small ripples trail behind her legs as she steps onto the rocky bank. The photograph has been heavily processed with a dark, high-contrast cinematic filter that deepens shadows, emphasizes cloud texture, and gives the scene a dramatic film-like appearance. In the lower-right corner, the effect has added the caption "CINEMATIC PHOTO · OPPENHEIMER · 35MM" in small white type. Subdued natural light and the cinematic treatment create a cool, quiet, filmic atmosphere.
September 5, 2026 at 2:27 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Day 7. Mt. Jefferson through the mist. Forecast said a storm was coming. I knew it. But standing here, staring at this mountain, I had no idea how scary it would be in person. I found out. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #Day7 #MtJefferson #ParkRidge #StormComing #OregonPCT #ThruHike #MountainViews
A wide view of rugged Mount Jefferson rising above dense evergreen forest beneath a heavy gray overcast. The mountain's dark, jagged volcanic ridgeline is partially obscured by mist and low clouds, with several small patches of lingering snow visible in gullies near the peaks. Wisps of fog drift through the forested lower slopes, while a pale curtain of precipitation or haze hangs to the right of the mountain. Tall conifers frame the scene on both sides, with a damp green meadow and thick forest filling the foreground.
September 5, 2026 at 2:50 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Nightly threesome: me, my headlamp, and my MP3 player. Playlist on shuffle — Don't Fear The Reaper came on as I snapped this. Rain on the fly. Cozy as hell. Solo hiking has its perks. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #TentLife #NightInTent #RainyNight #Day7 #OregonPCT #ThruHike #SoloHike
Dimly lit interior of a tent at night. A small warm LED light is clipped to the upper mesh, illuminating a black digital music player resting in a mesh pocket. The screen shows "[Don't Fear] The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult. A dark puffy sleeping bag fills the lower foreground, with raindrops visible on the tent fabric. The warm glow creates an intimate, cozy atmosphere inside the tent while rain falls outside.
September 5, 2026 at 2:39 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Watching rain drip into my cook pot. Made it over Mt. Jefferson's Park Ridge. Now I wait. Wet forest, misty trees, and the sound of dripping. Zero day well earned. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #MtJefferson #ParkRidge #ZeroDay #RainCamp #Day7 #OregonPCT #ThruHike
View from inside a camping tent looking out through the open mesh door onto a wet forest floor covered in pine needles and leaves. Rain drips from the edge of the rainfly into a metal cooking pot sitting just outside the tent. A sleeping pad is visible in the foreground. Misty trees fill the background after a snowstorm over Mt. Jefferson. The scene captures a quiet, patient moment — waiting out the weather after the storm.
September 5, 2026 at 2:37 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Day 8. Sleet. Gloves failed. Poop bags - the ones I pack for actual shit - now on my hands. Never thought my waste-packers would save my fingers from frostbite. Desperate? Yes. Effective? Mostly. #PCT #PCTNOBO #Day8 #TrailHack #ImprovisedGear #SleetStorm #OregonPCT #HikerProblems #ThruHike
Close-up POV photo taken during a cold sleet storm, showing a rain-soaked arm gripping a trekking pole. After discovering that the hiking gloves were not waterproof, a black plastic poop bag has been pulled over the glove as an improvised waterproof overmitt and tucked beneath the gray rain-shell sleeve. Water beads heavily across the sleeve, plastic bag, and pole handle, while large droplets cling to the camera lens. The rocky trail below is saturated with water, slush, and runoff.
September 5, 2026 at 2:45 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
2 days before this storm hit, I raced out of Three Sisters to beat it over Park Ridge. Day 3 I started at 5am & just made it. This hiker didn't. Hypothermic, 6+ mile SAR carry-out. That could've been me. Trail doesn't f*ck around. #PCT #PCTNOBO #SAR #HikerSafety #ThreeSisters #ParkRidge #OregonPCT
Hypothermic hiker rescued after 6.5-mile SAR trek through Three Sisters Wilderness
Deschutes County Search and Rescue volunteers hiked 6.5 miles through deteriorating weather to rescue a hypothermic hiker near Golden Lake in the Three Sisters Wilderness.
www.centraloregondaily.com
September 4, 2026 at 7:00 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Zero day. Three days racing snow over Mt. Jefferson. Everything's drying — tent, pad, shoes, clothes. Lake quiet, clouds breaking. I am sore. Really sore. First time in days I'm not moving. Just letting it air out. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #ZeroDay #DryingOut #Day7 #OregonPCT #ThruHike
A green pyramid-style ultralight tent (Durston brand) pitched on a pine-needle-covered lakeshore. In the foreground, a gray inflatable sleeping pad holds black clothing, a trash bag, and a bear canister. To the left, a weathered tree stump has hiking shoes, a backpack, and other gear hanging from it. Behind the tent is a calm alpine lake surrounded by dense evergreen forest under a partly cloudy sky.
September 4, 2026 at 6:53 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Mount Washington under storm clouds. Weather closing in, but this view stopped me cold. These mountains keep reminding me why I'm out here. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #MountWashington #CascadeRange #StormLight #Day6 #OregonPCT #ThruHike
A dramatic landscape view of Mount Washington rising prominently above a densely forested Oregon Cascade landscape. The steep, sharply pointed volcanic summit occupies the center of the image, its gray and brown rocky slopes cut by numerous erosion channels, ridges, and lighter streaks of exposed rock, with a few small remnants of snow visible high on the mountain. Dark evergreen forest covers the lower slopes and surrounding ridges. Several large fir trees frame the foreground, including a tall tree on the left and another dark conifer near the lower right. Above the mountain, thick gray storm clouds dominate much of the sky, broken by patches of brighter white cloud and pale blue sky, giving the scene a distinctly unsettled, changing-weather appearance.
September 2, 2026 at 2:06 AM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Mile 2000. Found this stick marker just sitting there like the trail knew I needed it. Two thousand miles. I don't have words for that yet. Just this marker and the forest and the quiet. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #Mile2000 #TrailMarker #Day6 #OregonPCT #ThruHike
A wide-angle view looking down at a large handmade "2000" marker assembled from pale, weathered sticks and branches on the bare dirt beside a forest road or trail. The four numerals stretch horizontally across a flat clearing, outlined carefully with curved and straight pieces of deadwood, with a long branch forming a baseline beneath them. Scattered twigs, rocks, pine needles, and woody debris surround the display. A dusty tan track curves uphill through the upper left of the image and disappears into a conifer forest. Tall, dark tree trunks rise behind the marker, while low evening or morning sunlight filters through the trees from the left, creating long shadows and warm patches of golden light across the dirt.
September 2, 2026 at 2:05 AM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Crossing the lava field north of McKenzie Pass. Blue sky, jagged rock, Three Sisters in the distance. Beautiful now — forecast says not for long. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #LavaField #ThreeSisters #McKenziePass #OregonPCT #Day5 #ThruHike #MountainViews
Wide view from the Pacific Crest Trail across a sprawling black volcanic lava field beneath a clear blue sky. A narrow pale footpath winds through rough, jagged lava toward dense evergreen forest. Snow-streaked Cascade peaks rise beyond the trees in the distance.
September 1, 2026 at 3:42 AM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Shoes off, feet up. That lava wrecked my feet today — needed a break. Done for now. Or so I thought. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #Day5 #LavaRock #TrailRest #HikerLife #OregonPCT #ThruHike
Jane lies on her back on a gray sleeping pad in a shaded forest clearing, her head resting on an inflatable pillow. She wears sunglasses, a white sleeveless hiking top and black shorts. Her dirty bare legs are elevated with her feet resting on her backpack against a tree. Trekking poles lie on the forest floor beside her.
September 1, 2026 at 3:44 AM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Hours of this underfoot. Sharp black rock, loose cinders — every step a reminder the PCT doesn't care about your feet. Shoes earned their keep. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #LavaRock #TrailConditions #HOKA #TrekkingPoles #OregonPCT #Day5
Downward point-of-view photograph of Jane's dusty gray HOKA hiking shoes standing on rough black volcanic rock and loose cinders. Both shoes are heavily coated with trail dust. The lower sections and baskets of two trekking poles enter the frame from the left.
September 1, 2026 at 3:43 AM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Obsidian Falls. Cold, clear, perfect reset after miles of lava. One of those moments that makes the hard sections worth it. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #ObsidianFalls #Waterfall #OregonPCT #TrailMagic #Day4 #NatureTherapy #ThruHike
A slender waterfall cascades down a mossy dark rock face framed by dense green evergreen trees. Sunlight catches the white water as it falls through the forested slope.
August 31, 2026 at 2:43 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Today: sunny, 80°. Wed: 43/37, 90% precip. Hot & sunny to snow in 48 hrs? WTF. Can't rest. Either have to double up my effort or ???
5 mi to resupply. Figure it out. Rest time's over. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #Garmin #WeatherForecast #OhFuck #Day5 #TrailDecision #OregonPCT #ThruHike
Close-up of a scuffed orange-and-black Garmin inReach Mini 2 resting on Jane's dusty bare thigh beside a dark tree trunk. Its monochrome forecast shows Monday the 31st sunny at 80/54, Tuesday the 1st cloudy at 53/41, and Wednesday the 2nd highlighted with wintry precipitation, 43/37 and a 90 percent precipitation chance.
September 1, 2026 at 3:47 AM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Trail after Obsidian Falls — ankle-twisting black rock. Every step like broken glass. Shoes and poles earned their keep today. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #ObsidianTrail #LavaRock #TrailConditions #HOKA #TrekkingPoles #OregonPCT #Day4
Overhead view of a rocky trail surface covered in sharp black volcanic rocks and dark gravel. A dusty HOKA hiking shoe appears at the bottom left and the tip of a black trekking pole at the right, showing the rough, uneven footing.
August 31, 2026 at 2:41 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Day 4 camp. Feet off the lava, tent up, forest quiet settling in. One of those nights that reminds you why you're out here. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #Day4 #TrailCamp #UltralightTent #OregonPCT #ThruHike #ForestCamp #BackpackingLife
A woman with brown hair in a bun sits on the forest floor in a white long-sleeve shirt, black shorts, and gray wool socks. She leans on one arm beside a pale green ultralight tent pitched among tall pines. A gray backpack and hiking shoes rest nearby on the needle-covered ground in soft evening light.
August 31, 2026 at 2:39 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Pocket pond between boulders. No name, no marker, just water, rock, forest quietly doing their thing. These spots don't make postcards but I'll remember them. Snacks taste better here. #MinkLakeBasin #PCT #ThreeSistersWilderness #OregonPCT #HiddenGems #AlpinePond #NatureWalk #BackpackingOregon #Day2
Sunlit subalpine clearing with small shallow pond/outlet stream winding through bright green grass and moss. Large gray granite boulders sit on either side; pond bottom visible through clear, slightly tannin-tinted water with aquatic plants. Dense tall conifers form thick green wall under bright blue sky. Young evergreen saplings in foreground grass; soft dappled light across scene.
August 29, 2026 at 6:22 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Maiden Peak Shelter — gift. Logs, stove, 3 strangers now friends. Names, stories, floor like 5-star. Trail family real. Day one. #MaidenPeakShelter #TrailFamily #PCTShelter #HikerTrash #BackpackingLife #TrailCommunity #OregonPCT
Rustic log cabin interior with wood stove center, chimney, plank flooring. Three hikers: one standing organizing gear, a man reading on bench, a woman in green cap eating from bowl. Sunlight through multi-pane windows. Wooden stool, tools, posters visible.
August 29, 2026 at 6:20 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Desane Lake, Day 2. Tent up, golden hour. Feet bark, slippers save. Log watching still water. Aches everywhere — view makes it worth it. Earned trail sleep hits different. #DesaneLake #PCT #OregonPCT #CampsiteViews #GoldenHour #BackpackingLife #Ultralight #LakeCamping #Day2 #CampSlippers
Golden-hour campsite on forested lakeshore. Light-green ultralight pyramid tent (Durston logo visible) pitched on bare dirt among tall conifers, door open revealing yellow sleeping pad and dark sleeping bag. Gray backpack lies on ground in foreground. Calm lake reflects forest behind tent; warm sunset light filters through trees on left, casting long shadows across dirt and illuminating tent fabric. Fallen log near water's edge.
August 29, 2026 at 6:23 PM
866phoebef.bsky.social
Sign says Willamette. Brain: "what'd I sign up for?" 2mi in from car drop, no signal, no beds. Just me, pack & 300mi of OR trying to humble me. Let's find out what I'm made of.
#PCT #Day1 #WillamettePass #SoloHike #Backpacking #TrailLife #OregonPCT

Note: 1st signal in 2.5 days.
Selfie of a woman with dark hair in a messy bun, aviator sunglasses, white crop tank, black hiking pants, large black backpack, water bottle in side pocket. She stands on gravel next to a wooden sign reading "WILLAMETTE PASS" with arrows for PCT No. 2000, Rosary Lakes TH 1/4, Jct Whitefish Creek 1¼. Chain-link fence and power equipment behind her. Dense forest, blue sky.
August 29, 2026 at 6:15 PM