Start: 433.8
Stop: 459.5
Today’s miles: 25.7
Total PCT miles: 647.4
Compared to previous days in Washington, the scenery today wasn’t all that mesmerizing. Not to say it wasn’t beautiful, because it was, and I enjoyed it for the most part.. there just wasn’t any “wow!” Moments, ya know?
I was woken up by my loud ass neighbors who lack respect for any other human beings, especially those sleeping, at a lovely 5:30am. I was pissed. It’s one thing to wake up and make noise packing, because that can’t be helped, but to wake up and start talking and laughing loudly to where I can hear you through my earplugs makes me slightly murderous. Like, why? I was wide awake at 11:30pm, but they wouldn’t have known that, BECAUSE I WAS QUIET. Asshats.
I could tell Margot was annoyed, too. I don’t know that Marquis ever gets annoyed, but once they got louder, he was packed and left camp lol, so maybe he does, too. I started packing at 6:30 and got on trail a few minutes after 7, making my way down to the water source to fill up. Some guy that had camped next to Margot, was one of the loud ones, AND smoked and let his smoke blow into her tent, came up to get water at the same time as me.. and my god he is chatty as hell at 7am. Bro, please just hush.
My walk through the woods today was just that.. walking through deep woods with little ponds or lakes here and there and mosquitoes pretty much everywhere. They turn me into a self harming lunatic, constantly slapping my arms or whacking at my face and ears.. and this is with Picaridin and deet on, and a headnet, too.
At lunch I stopped by some other hikers at a lake and ended up in full rain gear and headnet just to sit down for a bit and rest my feet. I had eaten my snacks and whatnot while walking, but the toes were aching and I needed to be off of them for awhile. They were joking around with me and saying how the mosquitoes aren’t even bad right here right now.. and it’s like, sure, I get that-I know they get worse, but that doesn’t make the ones that are here and swarming my ears and biting my back suck any less..
I stayed a little longer after Margot caught up to me, but then I kept moving, because someone passing promised they get so much better in a few miles. They were right, it did get better.. and the forest was beautiful to walk through, soft pine needle and dirt trail, no rocks or real climbs to worry with. I got in my head a little bit, maybe because my brain didn’t have to focus on my footing as much or slapping at bugs as often.
I realize that I do tend to talk negatively to myself at times. I think I appear mostly positive on the outside to others, but inside, my brain is constantly swirling, constantly self-deprecating. Not to mean that I don’t talk positively to myself, too, but when I think back on the way some situations played out in my past, I tend to blame myself, assume I’m the one that created the problems, pushed people away, caused myself to be left alone, created the reasons I catch myself feeling unlovable. I don’t know why I got wrapped up thinking about these things today, but it definitely made the time pass.
I’d think through scenarios, wonder what things would be like now if A, B, or C had happened instead of what did. That would turn into wondering if I’m destined to always feel the way I do, not bitter, but definitely even more untrusting of others and way less willing to ever be caught being vulnerable again. I don’t like feeling like a failure, it’s part of why I’m so stubborn and strong willed, it’s where the majority of my determination comes from. And that works with a lot of things I enjoy doing, like these hikes, but not so much for relationships. I’m just not good at them.
Anyway. At some point I came across Marquis and lizard (not my AT lizard) sitting at a campground area. I sat too, and we waited for Margot. We talked and snacked and enjoyed the brief time without many bugs at all. When Margot got there, she sat and snacked, too.. then we started hiking towards our planned camp for the night. We got water from the stream just a quarter mile from camp, and when we came rolling through, every site was taken. Son of a biscuit.
I was irritated. We’d already gone 23.8 miles at that point and my feet were aching. Even still, nothing to do now but keep moving. Two miles and some climbing (albeit not much at all) later, I got to camp, just before 8pm. There are 2 other tents here and after we set up and started eating dinner, someone else appeared too. I’m not liking all of the current overlap in hikers.. I think I liked it better when I’d only see my friends at camp, and not 29374627291 other hikers. Maybe I’m still crabby about being woken up this morning.. day 55 and I’m still not a morning person, even if I do get up way earlier than I’d like every single day.
Anywho. I’m in my bed now and think it’s time to get some sleep. It’s already 9:30 and mostly dark. The father south we get, the less sunshine we have.. at the northern part of the state it was staying light until 10pm.. that’s no longer true. Ok, here’s to some shut eye, goodnight!