PCT Day 106

Start: 1674.2

Stop: 1691.6

Today’s miles: 17.4

Total PCT miles: 1543.8

Let me tell you about the day I was supposed to do 25 miles, and instead only did 17. I swear, we plan, God AND this trail laugh. And boy oh boy do they laugh hard. Two days in a row of me falling short of my planned mileage, but I think it’ll be fine-food wise. Everything out here is measured and cared about in food: how much I have with me, how many days I can go with what I have, and-most importantly-when can I spend money on overpriced “cooked for me” food?! Haha

Anyway. I woke up late, smiling in my dreams as I turned off my vibrating watch not realizing what it was. I popped up at 6:38-which, in the grand scheme of things isn’t really late at all.. except I set an extra alarm last night, determined to get started earlier this morning, so I’d have a better chance at making my miles. Go ahead, laugh. Thankfully, Margot seemed just as motivated as me to get up.

I was packed and on trail just after 7:15, and I was met immediately with the not so gentle climb I was supposed to do half of yesterday. The whole way up, panting and pouring sweat, I was grateful we didn’t try to do this in the dark. With the tent sites having rules about being so many feet away from trail, it’s hard to spot them in the daylight-in the dark it’s practically useless.

The mosquitoes were out, which had me cussing. How in the hell are these bastards surviving in cooler temps? Are California mosquitoes seriously so adapted to the changing temperatures so well that they can survive to dive bomb my eyeballs to their death? Seems crazy to me. And it makes me absolutely crazy, too. Thankfully the picaridin lotion keeps them from biting-I just wish it created a foot wide forcefield around me so I didn’t have to hear them buzzing in my ears or feel them bounce off my face.

It was overcast and that worried me some. I was slow moving up the ascent, and somewhere around the top was several ponds and a stunning lake. There are so many beautiful lakes around here (I see why the mosquitoes are here, too) and it’s heartbreaking that it’s too chilly now for me to comfortably swim. I mean, I could get in-but then it would take forever to warm up and dry out. Temperatures seem to be hanging around the 55-65 degree range the last few days.

I stopped to emergently poop and on my way back to my pack, Margot caught up to me. We walked together for awhile, chatting and finally laughing for the first time today. The scenery was still just as stunning as it’s been: huge granite mountains jutting out of everywhere, their broken pieces crumbling to the bottoms. The bugs shouldn’t be enough to make me cranky in all this beauty. Having Margot to laugh with really helped me realize how silly I was being in my frustration.

I stopped to filter water, sitting on a rock, and I started to notice more dark clouds rolling in with the previous just regular overcast clouds. Margot stopped with me, and she decided if it started raining, she’d set up camp at the next site and wait it out, since she has a permit for half dome to get to in Yosemite valley, but it isn’t for a few more days. As we’re discussing all of this.. It. Starts. Raining. Son of a biscuit eating bulldog.

It’s only a sprinkle, and she starts off ahead of me. I quickly pack up my water stuff and put on my rain jacket and pack cover, then set off after her. Down the hill, at a junction, we hug and say goodbye for now, as she goes to set up her camp and I keep walking. I’m not going into Yosemite, so I don’t have the time or food to stop so short today. Dammit. I’m already missing the hell out of her.

From where we split, almost immediately I have a water crossing that I just barrel through, because my socks and shoes are already getting wet from the rain. Then, as I’m attempting to pick up my pace, it downpours. I start the second huge ascent of the day, that goes up, levels out, then goes up again to the top of Benson Pass, at just over 10,100 feet high.

The rain is ebbing and flowing, and it’s fine. I mean, it sucks but it’s keeping the massive amounts of bugs at bay, and it’s only raining-no thunder or lightening. Until I’m almost to the top of that first part of the climb, before the leveling out bit. Lightening flashes across the sky, 4 Mississippis pass by before the thunder rumbles the entire earth. I’m stopped dead still, looking for my safest reprieve when it starts hailing as well. Fun times!

I huddle in some branches of a few thick and very large trees, that are thankfully nowhere near the highest or only trees around. I’m saved from the pelting hail coming down in sheets of their own.. reminding me of that thunderstorm back in Washington. Dip n Dots iceballs all over the place, not melting.

A few more cracks of lightening accompanied with thunder later-the hail stopped and it was only lightly raining again. I eased out of my cover and started climbing again. I’d get so far, then seek cover from more hail, hike a little more, then hunch under more branches to let the rain ease up. It was slow going. Any chance I had at getting 25 miles done before dark left my mind pretty early on during that incline.

It finally relented enough that I felt safe going to the top of Benson Pass. The clouds were all over the place-dark and scary here, blue skies over there.. the sky was very bipolar. I passed a few other hikers out, making their miles in the storm. Two guys told me if it started up again, I’d want to get down fast, because while there are a few trees, it’s pretty exposed and on a lot of rock.

I picked up my pace, crested the top, and as I started going downhill, thinking my luck had changed and it would turn out to be a gorgeous day-I heard the Thunder before I saw the lightening pass by. It was practically right over my head! Seconds later, the sky fell out and sheets of hail poured down. The trail was a river, and I was following it downhill as quickly as I could without falling.

After a solid 30 minutes of chaos, the rain eased up and the skies started to clear. I saw no more lightening. The trail was all water and mush. There was absolutely no way to keep my feet dry, so I didn’t even try to pretend I could. I sloshed through, making my way. The trail leveled out at the bottom of Benson Pass. It was already 5:30 by the time I was half way down, so I decided to just camp at a spot before the next climb.

I knew I didn’t want to camp up on a ridge, in case it storms through the night, and I knew I wasn’t going to get 5 more miles out of myself to get to the bottom of the next climb before dark. Which completely sucked, because my feet for once felt fine. My back and left shoulder are sore, but I think that’s just par for the course with this bear can.

I found a tent site and set up around 6:45. I unpacked and got into my warm layers before cooking dinner. Now, I’ve eaten, moved my bear can, and I’m all huddled up in my quilt. I’m starting to hear some sprinkles hitting my tent, so it looks like I need to close the one open vestibule I have. Dammit. I was really hoping the rain was over.

I hope Margot is ok, and staying warm. She ordered a new tent, the newer version of mine (it has zippers AND magnets! If she loves it, I may want to upgrade for the CDT!).. BUT she doesn’t get it until she gets into Yosemite Valley. We were praying it wouldn’t rain again until she got her new tent at the very least, because the one she has completely failed her after we left South Lake Tahoe.. and if she set up in that rain I walked though, she might be sitting in her own little river right now-God I really hope not.

Ok, I think that’s all I can think of for now. Time to put in my earplugs and pray for a good night, since I’m camped all alone for the first time since that lightening storm before getting to Etna. Ha. Yikes. I’m seeing a pattern here, lol! Sweet dreams, y’all.