Two Weeks Through the Snow and Sage…

A Section Hike of the Oregon Desert Trail

Well I decided a while ago that May would be my vacation month, this is how it generally works while working seasonal jobs. Obviously I wanted to integrate some backpacking into my vacation. My first obstacle was to find a place that was close enough to Montana, but wasn’t covered in snow. I eventually stumbled upon the Oregon Desert Trail, a 750 mile meandering route facilitated by Oregon Natural Desert Association. In addition the sunny weather would help me thaw out from the long and cold Montana winter. I set my sights on 420 miles of trail starting from the Western Terminus at the Oregon Badlands and hopefully ending in Fields, Oregon.

I set out from the Oregon Badlands on the 3rd of May and headed East. After 85 miles I ended up in Christmas Valley for my first resupply. I chose to take the alternate which led me straight into town. There’s not much in town so there were less distractions, and when the restaurants didn’t offer any decent plant based options I opted to eat lunch from the grocery store. The desert is a dirty place and my sinuses were taking the brunt of it. The dust and pollen had collected in my head and was causing me a tremendous amount of congestion. After just 85 miles I easily convinced myself to pay for a shower at the local campground.

The next section took me to Paisley, just a short 52 miles section. This stretch had some difficult spots. Most notable was the cross country section that climbed the Diablo Rim and Diablo Peak. Then I walked right into Paisley and took a short restful town day. Paisley had everything a hiker could need. There was one small grocery store, one restaurant, and one coffee shack. I spent most of my time lounging in the luxuries of the town park.

Following Paisley was an even shorter section into Lakeview, totaling 48 miles. This stretch into the Fremont National Forest featured the welcoming single track of the Fremont National Recreation Trail. Following along the mountainous ridgelines I often had to remind myself I was in the Oregon desert, luckily this was the high desert. There were patches of snow, but nothing to cause any worry. Much to my surprise I did run into a day hiker in these mountains. I rubbed my eyes and did a double take to make sure I wasn’t mistaking a tree for the silhouette of a person.

Lakeview is the largest town on trail, still though, it’s dense layout is hiker friendly. I treated myself to a hotel room just blocks from the grocery store. I also enjoyed some ODT trail community as Team UltraPedistrian was giving a talk at the library about their UP North Loop which included the ODT.

Following Lakeview I hiked 60 miles into the tiny town of Plush. This section had a lot to offer and was diverse. I spent the first day climbing into the snowy mountains and hiked for several hours walking on snow without any clue where the actual trail was. At least there was a lot of water available. I camped that first night at a mosquito infested lake, with the company of numerous geese. The highlight of this section was the Abert Rim, which happens to be one of the largest escarpments in the country. Walking cross country along the huge cliff was a neat experience. The route found its way back to dirt roads and I walked into the small town of Plush where my resupply box was waiting for me.

Plush to Frenchglen…

Heading out of Plush the route went along the shores of Hart Lake. The highlight was seeing the petroglyphs scratched into the large boulders along the way. The swarms of mosquitoes made sure I moved quickly while trying to enjoy the drawings. I was delighted when a couple locals offered me some beers that evening as they were watching the sunset from a lonely dirt road. The high point of the next day was the hot springs. Luckily I saved a beer for this very occasion and I enjoyed every sip while soaking my sore trail legs. The next two days were very different. It began to rain the following afternoon. With the rain continuing into the evening I set up my tent at 5:00pm to hide out and eat dinner, eventually I elected to stay the night in the same location. The following day I hiked into Frenchglen, a tiny Oregon town. Looking across the expansive valley I could see the freshly fallen snow in the distance. I decided to end my section hike here. I was not prepared to encounter snow and had zero interest in hiking in frigid temperatures the following days.

Things I enjoyed about the ODT…

The resupplies weren’t too far apart, this especially was helpful when I had to carry heavier amounts of water. The longest stretch I completed was 107 miles between Plush and Frenchglen.

Hitching was minimal. The only town that I had to hitch to and from was Lakeview for a resupply there. That hitch was fairly easy and I didn’t have to wait too long. Then I was also able to hitch from Frenchglen back to Bend easily as well.

I enjoyed the rawness of this route. There were no trail markers and there was only a small section of maintained trail. I enjoyed walking along the rough two track roads and I enjoyed walking cross country through the sagebrush.

I enjoyed the quiet. There were only a few hikers out on the ODT this spring. I met only one, and we did share some miles together. There is no substantial display of trail culture that overshadows the simple joy of backpacking solo. On a trail like this you will find out if you genuinely enjoy backpacking or if you enjoy the community aspect more. Thankfully I discovered that I enjoyed my solo travel experience. I discovered an overwhelming sense of pride and joy knowing I could pack my backpack and move through the desert of Oregon.