Today’s Miles: 20
Trip Miles: 159/2690
I begin hiking this morning with a nice long descent. The trail is well packed and there are few down trees. I’m feeling very, very good and make about 8 miles in a little over 2 and a half hours from the time I packed camp. I’m aided solely on my protein/ coffee shake which usually constitutes the first two hours of hiking. I find myself consuming no calories from food until about 2-3 hours from waking, which makes for great hiking time. I’ll do a post soon constituting a feel day of food/meals on trail.
I take a nice break after my descent and while eat breakfast, I look at what is in store for my day. Which really boils down to how much ascent/descent is ahead. And this is what it looks like. Drop, climb, drop, climb, climb some more and drop. This is Washington, I realize. At least Northern Washington. The elevations aren’t too high, 7,000 feet and some change is the highest you get on the PCT, but it feels much much higher with the dramatic mountains of the Cascades.
Sometime before lunch, I put on the audiobook Wild to bolster my spirits. It’s tough hiking and I figure listening to another PCT hiker’s hardships will help me feel connected. Lots of thru-hikers scoff at the book Wild and will be quick to tell you Cheryl Strayed didn’t hike the whole PCT, just half. But I like the book. And honestly I think it’s harder to hike half the PCT with the weight she was carrying and the lack of navigation technology back then. My pack weight is surely less than half of her weight and I have a smartphone that uses GPS navigation to show me my exact location on or off the trail. So I feel for her.
In the afternoon, I come around to a roaring glacial river called Milk Creek. According to Guthook, the creek feeds from Ptarmigan Glacier. Accordingly, the water is a milky white/grey substance. I’ve heard hikers say they prefer not to drink waters from glacial melt, due to a salty tasting flavor emitted from the glacier. I try it and it tastes like nothing but cold water.
That night I camp by myself underneath a big patch of snow. It’s night two of camping alone and I haven’t seen anyone another soul for two days. I wonder how far Victor and Squegy are ahead of me? Should I try to catch them? It’s tempting, but I don’t want to push harder at this point. I don’t even know how much harder I can push right now. Alternatively, I could hike a slower and let Mousetrap and the group he headed out with come up from behind me. Or I could continue trekking by myself with Cheryl Strayed in my ear. The possibilities are infinite.
