Today’s miles: 24
PCT Miles hiked: 447/2660
I wake up to the strange sensation of my body resting on a mattress. It takes a moment to sink in- I spent last night sleeping in a bed. It’s the first actual bed I’ve slept in since Bellingham, nearly a month ago.
I say goodbye to our host Johanna at 7:30 am and look for a bite to eat before hitting the road. I talked to Doug last night and he said he or another town member could take hikers back to the trailhead at 8:00 this morning. The people of Trout Lake have truly been some of the most hiker friendly, generous people you could hope to meet on trail.
After a successful breakfast sandwich, large hot latte, and peach yogurt, I’m ready to roll back on trail. Max-Heap, a German woman hiker, and myself catch a ride with an older gentleman named Jerry. Jerry is soft-spoken, tells us he has been driving hikers for a decade, and a few years ago a few years ago some hikers gave him the trail name “Always There”. Pretty self explanatory.
I begin walking around 9:30 and I feel lethargic. I stop and rest after only 2 miles or so. The water sources look iffy today. There are a few listed ahead on Guthook but the comments read “warm, still water full of dead bugs”. I decide to fill up here for the next 20 miles, packing out 3L of water. My pack feels really heavy but the trail itself is very smooth and shaded.
In the beginning of the afternoon, I come upon a spot that has a picnic table. The picnic table is occupied by a group of 10 people or so, and a few cars are pulled up beside it. I sheepishly walk-up and ask if they know of any pit toilets nearby. They say no, ask if I’m thru-hiker, and then offer me some of their food. I ask are you sure, and they insist yes, yes, yes.
Shortly after, as if almost by magic, two other thru-hikers appear in the next 5 minutes, Max-Heap and another SOBO hiker named Lambo. The three of us munch on cold watermelon, peaches, sun chips, brownies, and I have a cold seltzer.
Max-Heap and Lambo leave before I do, and I slowly and reluctantly pry myself away from the improv trail magic. As I walk away from the picnic tables, I walk into the Indian Heaven Wilderness. There are many signs saying stay on trail, do not enter reservation land. Word from other hikers is that this is suppose to be a mosquito hell and I see on my map there are several pond/lakes in the next 15 miles.
I hike into the late afternoon and early evening, and the mosquitos aren’t too bad. If you keep walking, you just need to do a little swatting on your arms to keep the four-legged creature at bay. It’s the stopping that gets you. There must be some magic mosquito communication because a 1 minute stop will have a flock of 40 around you.
So I don’t stop, I hike and hike. I play with the idea of pushing to a trailhead with a pit toilet that’s another 10 miles ahead. I’ve already gone 21 on the day though and the bottom of my feet strongly protest this idea. I catch Max-Heap who tells me he was thinking of camping at Blue Lake, 3 miles ahead. I tell him I’ll join him.
Miracle of miracles, we catch a miraculously strong wind at Blue Lake and the mosquito activity is so low that’s after I pitch my tent, I take a cold dip in the lake before dinner. I crawl back into my tent after, nestle the sleeping bag around my body, and chat with Max-Heap while eating dinner. It feels unbelievably good to not be on my feet. My shelter and sleeping bag feel more cozy than usual as the wind beats strongly down on my tent. But I’m so happy it is keeping away the mosquitos (at least that’s Max-Heap’s and my theory). Thank you wind.
