testing testing

I took this picture of it from the north near Mt. Yoran:

[img]https://photos.smugmug.com/Backpacking/Diamond-Peak-Loop-82016/i-VwCbp9G/0/L/DSC08483acr-L.jpg[/img]

Diamond Peak has a network of trails on all sides that make a loop possible. Depending on where a person starts, this loop could be done in just two or three days. I decided to approach the loop from the north on the PCT however, which added some miles and a couple days to my trip.

I car-camped at the Trapper Creek campground on Odell Lake the night before I hit the trail. The lake is about a three hour drive from Portland. I paid for my site for a week, and left my camp set up while I was out on the trail.

From my camp at Odell it was just a short walk to the rather strange Yoran Lake Trailhead, which is next to some railroad tracks…

[img]https://photos.smugmug.com/Backpacking/Diamond-Peak-Loop-82016/i-qTj4SBb/0/L/DSC08442acr_1-L.jpg[/img]

Here’s a Google Map of the trailhead location:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/43%C2%B034’47.0%22N+122%C2%B002’32.0%22W/@43.579731,-122.0427632,124m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d43.57973!4d-122.042216?hl=en

Soon after is a narrow footbridge which might be difficult for dogs…

Diamond Peak is the next major volcano south of the Three Sisters. Its summit sits at 8750’. Unlike most of its Cascade neighbors, Diamond Peak is a shield volcano. This type of volcano tends to build up a broad, flat profile over time compared to the much pointier stratovolcanos like Mt. Hood or Mt. Thielsen.

I took this picture of it from the north near Mt. Yoran:

Diamond Peak has a network of trails on all sides that make a loop possible. Depending on where a person starts, this loop could be done in just two or three days. I decided to approach the loop from the north on the PCT however, which added some miles and a couple days to my trip.

I car-camped at the Trapper Creek campground on Odell Lake the night before I hit the trail. The lake is about a three hour drive from Portland. I paid for my site for a week, and left my camp set up while I was out on the trail.

From my camp at Odell it was just a short walk to the rather strange Yoran Lake Trailhead, which is next to some railroad tracks…

Here’s a Google Map of the trailhead location:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/43%C2%B034’47.0%22N+122%C2%B002’32.0%22W/@43.579731,-122.0427632,124m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d43.57973!4d-122.042216?hl=en

Soon after is a narrow footbridge which might be difficult for dogs…

If you have a dog you can avoid the bridge entirely by starting here instead:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/43%C2%B035’12.6%22N+122%C2%B003’07.9%22W/@43.5868996,-122.0607294,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d43.58682!4d-122.0522?hl=en

Just hike up the old dirt road a short distance to Pengra Pass where you will pick up the PCT. That’s the way I returned. It’s a bit shorter anyway.

The hike in on the PCT was hot and dusty, but luckily the trail passed several small lakes which offered some much needed shade and water. Arrowhead was one of the lakes where I took a quick break and grabbed some water…

It was here that I met my first mosquito of the trip. There’d be many more in the days ahead. Even the dry west side of the mountain was surprisingly buggy for this late in the summer.

Eventually I began to get some views of Diamond Peak…

And after crossing a saddle my first view of rugged Mt. Yoran…

Then its impressive neighbor, South Mt. Yoran…

I camped at lovely Divide Lake my first night, and had the lake all to myself. It was perfectly calm here, and amazingly quiet. I always seem to forget how quiet a night can be away from civilization. It surprises me. To my delight there were very few skeeters here as well.

Mt. Yoran the next morning, with Divide Lake in the foreground…

[img][/img]

I’ve now used the BeFree on a 5-Day trip, so I thought I’d update my experience with it. After the initial catastrophic failure (see my post and photo 10 posts back) I returned the unit to REI and received a new one. Being a bit paranoid, I decided to use the Hydrapak SF750 Soft Flask in place of the .6L flask that comes with the filter, and carry a second SF750 as a backup. The area I was in had few water sources, so I also carried a 700ml SmartWater bottle for clean water. I also carried a 3L Seeker soft bottle for water in camp. This system worked well. I didn’t notice any significant reduction in flow rate after the 5 days. The 3L Seeker was handy for carrying water 3 miles to a dry camp, and also for filtering in camp. The SF750s held up OK, no failures. You really have to tighten down the BeFree on the 750s to keep from having leaks though, which increases the chance of damaging the flask and the filter. The BeFree filter itself could use some grippy texture as it is difficult to tighten with cold, wet hands. I’m not in love with the soft flasks either. They work OK, but are tricky to pour from or into, and can roll away if you’re not careful. I’d really like to see some kind of semi-hard sided bottle option for this filter, something like a SmartWater bottle. That would be ideal. Or at least an adapter that allows you to use a SmartWater. All-in-all I like the system, the scoop and go aspect is awesome, but I feel it really needs improved container options.