PCT Map Miles 597.7
Miles Hiked 537.4
Elevation 5,551 feet
Miles Hiked Today 14.4
Up again at 4 AM and hiking by 5:15. Before leaving my campsite I topped off my water. My pack was super heavy with 4 liters of water, but I didn’t want to run out like I nearly did yesterday.
The trail was surprisingly easy this morning. Sure there were ups and downs, but no 1,000 foot ascents like there usually is. Some parts of the trail were actually flat for extended periods. So I made good time and reached Miller Spring after 11 miles. If it wasn’t so blazing hot (excessive heat warnings are out), I’d skip this water source and make do until the next one in 10 miles. However, conditions as they are, I walked a mile down a steep, rocky road to get 4 liters of water. Now I had to go back and that was an ascent over the same road. Yuck!
I had dropped my pack before going down, and when I returned, I sat down and didn’t move for an hour. It’s afternoon now and I’m not going anywhere until around 5 PM when I head about 3 miles to a campsite.
Oh, Stephan, the Slovakian hiker is here, too. Like me, he is just resting and waiting for 5 PM to take off again.
Stephan headed out before I was ready to go. He’s going to do more night hiking. I doubt I will see him again. Finally, I’m back on the trail at 5 PM. The plan is to go about 3 1/2 miles and then camp. The trail started out easy, but then it went up very steep. I did find a suitable campsite and that’s it for today.
