PCT and Timothy Lake Loop

On Aug. 29th my hiking partner and I did a small section of the PCT and hiked around Timothy Lake. We started from the Little crater Lake Campground and went by Little Crater Lake. 

Left: Little Crater Lake trail sign, Looking into Little Crater Lake and the gorgeous reflection of the trees on Little Crater Lake. It is amazing and not very large. Surrounding the lake is a large meadow. We continued hiking on a boardwalk and dirt path until we reached the sign for the PCT and the Timothy Lake Trail. Along this section I found some huge Skunk Cabbage leaves. I remember being told that the Native tribes in Alaska used the leaves to wrap around salmon and then bake the salmon.

I seem to have a passion for trail signs. This one marks the turn off for Timothy Lake. Says 15 miles by bike and then we later saw a sign that said 13 miles hiking. Between STRAVA and PCT books I am finding mileage to be a best estimate. 

We saw this American Dipper dipping and splashing in this pool of water. The little waterfall was on the other side of the bridge we crossed. It looks like a dot, we had fun watching the bird dip and splash. The other photo is of Timothy Lake, which has an interesting history as it is an artificial lake. 

Mostly hiked amongst the giant Douglas Firs and Rhododendrons.

Soon we went down a small rocky patch of trail and crossed the inlet to Timothy Lake. There was a footbridge and next to it there were some stumps and a log across the inlet and I did wonder if this was the old crossing before the bridge was built. 
We stopped for a short break and 3 horses came down to cross the inlet. A woman and two children on horses. She said she was training them to cross rivers. Before the inlet there was a trailhead sign to North Pinhead. Looked like another hike for another day! 

We came across another trailhead for a future hike. Miller Trail. The best views were of Mt Hood and Timothy Lake. I took a photo of Mt Hood peaking between the trees until we saw it across the lake in all of its majesty.

We reached the other end of Timothy Lake and headed back to Little Crater Lake campground. This is a relatively flat trail with minor ups and downs on a mainly forested trail of dirt. 
There were some bikes and many campers and trail runners. we met one lady camping with two dogs and her cat. I'm not sure I would let my cat free range in a camp site. She said the cat hunts and brought her a dead chipmunk. That surprised me and I did wonder about the ethics of that. 
Towards the end of our hike I was very focused on a huckleberry shake at the Huckleberry Inn at Government Camp on my way home.