Mt Thielsen, Pacific Crest

Crossing Highway 140, I find myself between Brown Mountain and Mt McLoughlin, with Fish Lake shimmering to the west. The trail climbs steadily, wrapping around the east flank of McLoughlin, a steep-sided, dormant volcanic giant. The mountain was named after John McLoughlin, a trader with the Hudson Bay Company who played a key role in the history of the Oregon Trail. As the Chief Factor of the Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort Vancouver, he provided food, medical aid, and supplies to pioneers arriving in the Oregon Country. His generosity earned him the nickname “Father of Oregon”. Later, he set up a general store in Oregon, which became a major stop for settlers at the end of their long journey west.

Further along, I reach Fourmile Lake; its vast 483-acre expanse is significantly larger than the neighbouring Fish Lake. A canal connects the two, allowing excess water to flow into Fish Lake for storage. The surrounding Fremont-Winema National Forest was formed by merging two forests. Fremont National Forest was established in 1908, and nearly half is still covered in old-growth trees. It’s also home to ancient lava flows and fault-block mountains. Two former uranium mines within the forest have been cleaned up and restored. Winema National Forest has a different story. Once a Klamath Native American Reservation, it now includes vast wetlands that provide a crucial stop for migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway.

The trail leads into the Sky Lakes Wilderness. This pristine sanctuary with over 200 pools of water has some of the purest lakes in the world. As I hike through Sky Lakes Basin, Marguerette and Trapper Lakes glisten in the sunlight, their surfaces rippling with the breeze. Further along, the trail winds towards the Seven Lakes Basin, where I catch glimpses of the strikingly narrow Alta Lake, so long and slender it could be mistaken for a river. Nearby, the still waters of Cliff Lake rest in the shadow of two towering peaks, their jagged, craggy silhouettes reflected perfectly on the calm surface.

The path continues past Red Cone Peak and Grouse Hill before skirting the edge of the Pumice Desert, a stark, open landscape shaped by ancient volcanic eruptions. The journey eventually leads to Mount Thielsen, an extinct volcano rising sharply against the sky. Its jagged, horn-like peak results from centuries of glacial erosion, transforming it into a challenging black-diamond ski run in winter. Explorer Jon Hurlburt named the peak after Hans Thielsen, a railroad engineer involved in constructing the California-Oregon Railroad. I wonder if Hurlburt saw something in this peak, its sharp, deliberate rise mirroring the precision and ambition of laying tracks through untamed wilderness.