Miles Hiked 371.2
PCT Mile 876.8
Elevation feet 6,184
Miles Hiked Today 16.2
The last blog entry noted that there would probably be more of the same today that I had yesterday. That supposition couldn’t be further from the trail I hiked today. It was definitely a different trail today.
I was on my way by 6:15 a.m. . The trail continued it’s ascent, which was started yesterday. However, to my surprise the climb only lasted about 30 minutes. Then the trail leveled off. Yes, there were rocks but they were few. The trail I was hiking today was mostly dirt and a few short sections of rock.
Thanking the hiking gods, I was happily hiking at my normal pace of two miles per hour. By 10:00 a.m., I had going eight miles. The trail continued to be either level or ascending but in short spurts.
One thing that didn’t change was the weather. Once the sun was up, the day turned hot. The forest that I was hiking through appeared to be young with no large trees to provide a shady canopy. Consequently, I was drinking a lot of water.
Just before noon, I accessed a spring just off the trail and loaded up with four liters of water. Of that four liters, I drank almost three liters by 4:00 p.m. . I needed to get more water and find a tentsite for the night. Fortunately, there is Freye Lake just a third mile off the trail.
I took the trail down to Freye Lake. There were plenty of tentsites, so I pitched my tent. Once the tent was up I went down to the lake and got two liters of water. That should be enough for tonight and tomorrow morning. There’s a water cache not far from here on the trail, and that’s where I’ll get more water tomorrow.
