What a difference a day makes. Yesterday we woke up in fog and mist. Today we woke up in sunshine. It was probably colder today than yesterday, but the sun makes all the difference in the world. Add in that we had latrines in camp and the world looks that much better. With everything going for us today, we were able to get out of camp by…9:30. What the hell is going on?
After yesterday’s freeze out, Bunny refused to stir until the sun actually hit the tent. It wasn’t enough that she could see it through the trees or watch it as it progressed across the campsite. It had to hit the tent or she wasn’t moving. If I had put the tent 50’ further to the left, we’d still be there. Ivy and Wolf were late leaving. They were tired from yesterday, as well, and didn’t get out of camp until almost 8:30. We had agreed the most we were going today was 13 miles so Bunny had no sense of urgency.
It turned out to be a perfect day for hiking. It was 60 and not a cloud in the sky. We camped at 6,300’ last night which helps to account for the cold in the morning (and it got right at freezing last night leaving ice in our coffee cups). We climbed up to 6,800’ in the first 2 miles this morning to a point higher than we reached on the entire AT last year. (6500’ at Clingmans Dome in the Smokies is the highest point on the AT.) When/if the snow ever melts in the High Sierras, we will ultimately climb to a height more than twice of Clingmans Dome when we go over Forrester Pass.
We were fine with 6800 today because that meant we had a smooth 7 miles of downhill with a grade of about 300’/mile…hiker Nirvana. We were a bit afraid when we crossed over the ridge that we might end up in a snow field again, but not today. We had actually crossed from an alpine zone back into the high desert. The day and a half foray into the alpine region is probably meant as a reprieve from the heat for the hikers starting in April. For us, it made us appreciate being in the desert and having sunshine again.
The worst part about hiking on the PCT is the lack of privies forcing the whole “digging a hole” routine. Finding a campsite less than a half mile off trail is worth the reprieve. I caught Bunny watching me the other day. When I was finished and got back down to where she was, she asked me “don’t you squat?”
To me, a squat is like a free throw. You’d better be able to make 99 out of 100 or coach is going to have you stay after practice. I only squat to fill out the required paperwork. My game has progressed way beyond that point. Just as a word of caution, if you are ever in the woods and notice a man without pants running back and forth jumping over the same spot, don’t be alarmed. It is only me working on my 3 point play jump shot. It’s a quick release and requires multiple passes to get the job done. Just make sure you have Purel if you want to shake hands with me, or better yet, just go for a fist bump.
As we got down to our first road crossing today, we found a water cache. We are definitely back in the desert. The only shade we had was our chrome domes. We stopped, had lunch, drank a couple liters of electrolytes, and filled up our extra bottles. The place we’re going to camp at tonight has water, but it’s a 2 mile walk to it. I’d rather skip that much extra mileage just for water. Now if it had a privy…
I’m pretty sure Ivy and Wolf chose the spot for tonight based upon the old folks getting in before dark. Kind of like when I was little and had to be home before the streetlights come on. “But dad, their streetlights come on later than ours! I’m not late.” Bunny does real well on level and downhill sections. Uphills aren’t her forte. I’m pretty slow on all levels of incline so it doesn’t matter to me. On the PCT, we can pretty well count on 2 mph plus a half hour for a big break at some point. We left at 9:30, hiked 13 miles, and had one big break (and several little ones). We got in right at 4:30. Wolf was relieved so he could go to bed on time tonight (at 5).
Ivy has worked out a geriatric hiking plan for the next 3 days that we really like. 9 miles tomorrow to a water cache and camp there. 12 miles the day after that to a cabin that allows hikers to stay (or if full, camp near). The third day will be lass than 10 miles to get us to Walker Pass where we can catch a bus if we get there before 1:30. That’s the only questionable part of the plan. I have to get bunny up and on the trail by 8 to make the bus. There’d better be sun at the cabin if they want this to happen.
EFG