The helicopters kept flying all night long. At one point, I thought one was going to land on us because it was flying so close. I was woke up about 4a with a bright light shining in the tent but it turned out to just be the moon.
I used to think all the foods I ate when backpacking gave me gas. Even water. I’ve now decided it’s not the food, it’s the activity of backpacking. Bunny has also been producing enough gas to fill a Macy’s balloon for the Thanksgiving parade—Pepe La Pue would be my recommendation.
We didn’t see a single hiker all day. We didn’t see anyone all day. With 30,000 crossing the border illegally every month, we at least expect to see someone. Bunny kept mentioning how quiet and peaceful it was except for the occasional bird call and the frequent helicopters.
I realize it’s only our second day on the trail, but I feel confident in making a comparison between the AT and the PCT. The PCT is not at all afraid of using switchbacks. It’s been a year since we started the AT and the southern states were much better at using switchbacks, but not to the extent that the PCT does. We climbed almost 1200’ in one go and barely even noticed that we were climbing during the three miles it took to gain the elevation. If that had been in the Whites in NH, we would have climbed the 1200’ in a half mile.
I’m sure that the extensive switchbacks are why we have already gotten a double digit day of miles under our belts. We didn’t break 10 miles on the AT until near the end of our second week. Something else that we noticed today while we were hiking…we were looking at the views WHILE we were hiking. On the AT, we had to stop walking if we wanted to look around much. The track was so rocky that we had to keep our eyes on our feet at all times. It wasn’t until Shenandoah that we could walk AND look around.
The track itself is also very different. The first 700 miles on the PCT are in desert so the track is sandy and easy on your feet. I’m very appreciative of this because my right heel still is not back to normal after all the rocks on the AT. I do miss the forests of the AT. So far, trees are occasional rather than a green tunnel. I’m not a fan of full sun. I couldn’t imagine hiking this section later in the year when temperatures get above 100. I still haven’t quite forgiven New Jersey for the bake fest last year when we hit 107.
Regarding wildlife, it seems like we might have more encounters out here. Bunny has seen several rabbits along the trail, so she has already decided this is her favorite of the two long trails. We were woke up to birdsong this morning and we have seen plenty of animal tracks in the trail, including some suspiciously large ones which might be cougar. As always, vultures tend to follow us as we hike. I wish they’d stop that because it’s not a confidence builder.
We stopped for a break to snack and soak our feet in a stream. Naturally, I left my camera in my pack on the other side of the stream when a humming bird nearly flew into my head. He actually hung around us for a bit while we were having our snack.
We made it to Moreno Lake before 5. We are thru-hikers, so we headed to the liquor store/grocery store/pizza parlor before we worried about setting up camp. It’s hard to believe this was only our second day on the trail because our hiker appetites were in full bloom. Maybe we never lost them from last year. Possibly, that’s why we gained almost all of the weight we lost on the AT over winter.
I’m pulling a late night tonight. Bunny has self medicated with Benadryl and is breathing heavy. We did set our tent up next to Jeff (Bucky) and heard him as he was returning from supper. We talked a bit and will probably be hiking with him for the next couple of days. He’s 69 and usually knocks out 20 mile days so he won’t have the patience to hang back with the “old at heart” hikers he has run into.
EFG