PCT Day 24

Start: 2632.8

Stop: 2648.9

Today’s miles: 16.1, but zero

Total PCT miles: 187.8

The three of us finally got on trail around 7:30. I kept pushing snooze, even though the sky was getting light around 4:45. It was cold! I was snuggled up and warm in my sleeping bag, but I could see the frost on my tent from the snow overnight. I did not want to get out of my perfectly warm bubble.

Alas, I did. I didn’t have enough water for oatmeal and coffee, plus I didn’t take my synthroid early enough, so I put belvita breakfast cookies in my side pocket of my pack and kept it moving. Once I crossed water, I filtered a liter and then ate my cookies while walking.

The trail, even in this white cloud we were walking through, was stunning. It was foggy but the green of the fir trees popped out. There were a few blow downs to go under or around, but nothing too terrible. I was happy and the views that I could see were still quite lovely.

I saw a couple deer and walked through a burn scar. This had to be the fire from last year.. the one that closed the border, so hikers that had literally hiked all the way from Mexico had to turn around as Hart’s Pass and miss the border by only 30 miles. Heartbreaking really. And the scorched zone I walked through was sad, too. These big majestic giants charred and broken. I know I’ll have a lot more burned areas to walk through, and potentially even fires to detour, but this one felt significant.

Once I got up to Rock Pass, the scenery was unreal. These huge peaks jutting out of the ground, many surrounded in snow, and the trail just wormed its way up and around them, switchbacks and steep slides, views, even in clouds, for days. I wish I could see it without the clouds and snow/hail/sleet/rain.. but even still, incredible.

The temperature steady dropped and the snow didn’t let up-neither did the wind. I caught up to A-Train (Steffi) and Drake (Thomas) several times to chat, and we also ate lunch together. It got so cold sitting there eating my hot oatmeal and coffee that I didn’t have for breakfast that I was back on trail the second I cleaned up. I was visibly shaking.

The trail from here was stunning though. I was singing Christmas songs because of all of the trees covered in fresh snow. The good thing about this snow now is that it’s not enough to accumulate to anything, but the cold weather also makes the current patches of snow we have to cross hard instead of slushy. This is great for me because the footprints that have previously stepped in and sank a little bit have refrozen and I can step right into them like steps and not slide. So far anyway.

I met A-train and Drake at the junction to a beautiful alpine lake. They found a perfect spot for their 3 man tent and were willing to let me set up practically on top of them to get me out of the wind and a lot of the snow. The problem was the spot for me was a bit more slanted than I thought I’d handle. As I’m laying here now, in a different spot I found-I should have taken the slanted spot.

I walked to the lake to see it: gorgeous minus the winds from Satan himself blowing snow in every direction. I walked around and scouted out spots.. soooo many would be perfect if it wasn’t in the current weather conditions. I found 3 decently flat spots, 2 covered by big trees, one with a small tree and a big rock I could get up next to for wind protection. One of the 2 with big trees also had big dead trees hanging. Not for long in this wind. The one with the rock I decided didn’t have enough protection. So, the third choice: I stood there shivering for 10 minutes.. watching the wind. Seeing where the snow landed.

I even went and checked out other sites after I saw Marcus (Gio’s real name) walk through. There was a good one, almost completely dry ground, but it was in a bit of a hole and my tent is too big to fit. I walked back to option three. Watched the wind again and then set up shop. I shit you not, not 5 minutes later the wind blew in different directions, swirling around-and my tent was getting pounded with snow and sleet.

I was committed, and too cold to pack it all back in and move-so I quickly finished the set up, climbed inside with a bandana and wiped out the water from this morning and then dragged my pack in. I was shivering the whole time I was setting up my bed, putting on extra layers, climbing under my covers. Shivering so hard that after 30 minutes of not getting warm, I pulled out my emergency bivvy and put it around my sleeping pad and quilt, and pulled it up to my hips.

Immediately I started to warm up. I did a big no-no and ate my dinner sitting right here. I’m so cold the idea of going to pee seems unreasonable. But I know I’ll have to hear shortly. Hopefully if there are any bears around they’re hunkered down out of this cold, too, and if not-maybe they want to snuggle. Once I go pee, and get back in here for the night, I’m going to pull that bivvy up higher. I just don’t want the condensation to get my down quilt wet, which I know it will. I think I’ll leave my liner between the quilt and the bivvy-maybe as a middle man.. it just doesn’t dry out fast. So much to think about, and hypothermia is a real scare out here.

Tomorrow, I’ll get up and leave my tent and sleeping stuff here and walk to the Canadian border and back. It’s just over 6 miles one way. I’m hoping I’ll do it quick enough to then pack up my left gear and hike out of this cold hole.. maybe 8 miles to a beautiful tent site I saw today. The good thing with having to turn around at the border is I know I can safely do everything for at least the 30 miles back to Hart’s Pass. Because I’ve already done it once!

I would go on chatting about all the stuff in my head, because there’s a lot, but I’m cold as hell and my fingers are starting to go numb. So, maybe tomorrow. My miles officially start counting once I hit the border! I think at the top of these posts where I put the milage, I’ll stick to SOBO numbers.. so tomorrow starts at 0 and Mexico will be 2655.

Alright. Goodnight! I bet y’all are much warmer than me right now!