PCT Day 89

Start: 1383.8

Stop: 1410.4

Today’s miles: 26.6

Total PCT miles: 1261.9

Today was.. tough. Mostly mentally tough, although there were some climbs that felt a bit physically draining, too..

I woke up late, because I keep pushing the wrong button on my watch for the snooze.. so I keep turning it off instead. Why am I like this? Almost 3 months in-and I’m still not a morning person.
I did finally start packing at 6:35 and left camp at 7am. The morning was chilly and the trail was nice and open-almost like a gravel path-through manzanitas. I continued with the audiobook I was listening to yesterday, “Girl, Forgotten” and I was in a trance it felt like. Before I knew it, I was looking for somewhere to eat lunch.

The trail climbed to a rocky outcropping, so I stopped there, in fun sun, to eat my lunch with some pretty views. I continued listening to my book until Margot got there-I was really sucked in. We chatted and agreed we both feel pretty-blah lately. This terrain is much more elevation gain and loss, especially compared to Oregon, so it’s a little demoralizing to not be getting farther, easier.

I left before she did, worried about making it to camp before dark. I listened to my book and swatted at gnats dive bombing my eyes, cussed a whole lot, and was constantly grateful there isn’t many other hikers to witness my meltdowns over the bugs. I even put on my bugnet. I just really cannot stand the buzzing in my ears and the smacking into my face.. it seriously makes me nutty, like bonafide nut job.

It didn’t help that when they were swarming me, the trail was deeply wooded and it was blazing hot and I was sweating like a pig-and felt like a pig, too. When I came down the trail and was met with a huge bridge over a gorgeous river in a canyon-my mood shifted. It was stunning! I walked to the other side of the bridge and found somewhere to sit a bit to rest my feet. The bugs relented some, I reluctantly took off my bugnet. Then decided to take some ibuprofen and eat a snack. Yep, all mood changers.

Until I started climbing again. The trail from the bridge went uphill for roughly 2000 feet. It was switchbacks and hot.. I was back to sweating like crazy and wishing the sun wouldn’t set, but would go behind a mountain or a cloud-give me some shade. At times, it did. For a good mile the trail was overgrown bushes, so I traded my cussing at bugs to cussing at bushes.. again grateful no one was around to hear me, or see me when I got so pissed I chucked my trekking pole.. then had to go get it. Talk about humiliation.

I finally made it to where we planned to camp. We knew we had to fill up water down a steep side trail here at this junction, but we were hoping to camp here, too. No dice. The junction was steep and every tree for as far as the eye could see was dead-which-I was so tired if the ground had been flat, I’d have probably set my tent up anyway. Alas, it wasn’t even sort of flat.
I dropped my pack and went down the side trail to get water. It took all of 10 minutes to go down, fill up, and come back up. I filtered my two liters, the whole time hoping Margot would show up before I finished. She didn’t. I was going to stay and wait for her before carrying on to find a tent spot, but the bugs came at me again and I couldn’t stand it after only 5 more minutes of waiting. Sorry, friend.

I pushed forward, scanning the trail for anywhere safe for us to camp for the night. The trees were dead and the ground was sloped. Finally, less than a mile down, I came across a dirt road. Someone had commented in our app that they followed it around the corner and set up under trees that were alive. I decided to look for that spot. I turned to my left and followed the road-turned the corner and someone was set up already in the one spot available. Everything else was sloped or in the road or just too far away.

I walked back and tried the other side. I found some trees that were alive and decided I liked this spot enough, both of us would be safe here. I dropped my pack and walked back to the trail crossing to draw a message to Margot, incase she crossed while I was setting up my stuff. It was already 7:45 and the sun was setting. Shit.

Once I wrote her name with a stick in the dirt and drew arrows, I came back to my stuff and set up my tent. I cleared out a spot for her tent too, hoping she’d make it soon. I unpacked everything and took my food bag and phone back to the trail. I sat on the road and cooked my dinner, eventually having to turn on my headlamp because it got dark so fast.

I was packing up my stuff, worried about Margot but also pretty sure she’d make it in the next hour or she found somewhere closer to the water to camp tonight and we’d find each other in the morning. As I stood, I saw a light bopping up the trail. MARGOT! She made it! When she saw my headlamp, she yelled my name, just as relived to see me as I was to see her.

We walked to my tent and set hers up. She’s eating her dinner and unpacking, and I’m just about ready for my earplugs and some shut eye. Every night we both agree we need to try to leave earlier, but each morning we both oversleep and refuse to wake up. Hopefully tomorrow we actually get up when we should, so we can make some better morning mileage when it’s not as hot. That’s the plan, anyway! Sweet dreams!