Miles Hiked 115.3
PCT Mile 145.8
Elevation 4,741 feet
Miles Hiked Today 9.2
With Ben somewhere ahead of me, I did my own thing in the morning. There was no race to get everything packed up, and so I left camp at 7:00 a.m. .
The trail was relatively easy in morning. There was a descent but very little overgrown trail as there had been the day before. Once the trail got much lower, it started to flatten out in places, and I was able to make some good time. Yes, the blowdowns were still there and they are very frustrating. However, they were not as many as the day before.
Yesterday, Ben told me one of the reasons he decided to continue on rather than wait for me after summiting Fire Creek, was a report of potential rain this day. Sure enough, it did start raining in the early afternoon. Rain is not my friend. It usually means that I’ll end up with hypothermia. Fortunately, when it did begin to rain I was close to several campsites. So I stopped at the first one to which I came.
My tent usually takes quite a bit of time to set up. Not this time. I rushed it and got all the gear inside before I got a bad case of hypothermia. When I did choose the site for my tent, it was flat and clear. That didn’t last very long. As the rain continued, a puddle formed right under my tent. It got pretty deep, and I became concerned.
Something had to be done about the puddle. When I moved in my tent it sent waves flowing through the puddle. I climbed out of my sleeping bag and headed outside to assess the situation. I could see that the puddle was continuing to grow and remedial action was needed. There was a low spot in the puddle and I dug a channel that went down into another area. The water started flowing out of the puddle until my tent was on dry land again. I sure hope that continues to work tonight if there is more rain.
Tonight I’m 42 miles from Leaveworth, WA. Ben and I were going to share a hotel room there for two nights. There is no way that I will reach town in time to room with him. I guess I’ll have to figure out something else.
