PCT Map Miles 218.5
Miles Hiked 154.3
Elevation 2,209 feet
Miles Hiked Today 12.8
Woke up early this morning with the intent of starting early and try to beat the heat. The high today is forecast to be 97. That really affects my energy level when hiking. Also, all my chocolate, which is supposed to provide an energy boost is melting. Frustrating!
So, I was off around 7 AM. It was already smoldering hot. I reached the I-10 oasis in two hours. This a place for hikers and wild life to cross under the highway. There is usually goodies left there by trail angels, but the only thing there when I arrived was water, which I had plenty already.
I continued down the trail as it started going up. Right at noon, I came upon the offices of a windmill farm. I didn’t realize this is a good place to stop until another hiker told me. The office set aside an area for hikers to sit, and they had soda, ice cream, water, sandwiches, etc. all at really cheap prices. I pigged out on ice cream and soda.
As much as I wanted to stay at the windmill office in the air conditioning, I finally left after a half hour. The rest of the afternoon was up and down with frequent rests in shade when I could find it. Because of the heat I’m not doing the 15 plus miles I usually do. Pushing myself could cause heat stroke, and I’m in no mood to have that happen. So my days for the foreseeable future will be low mileage days.
I decided to end my day at Whitewater Preserve. It’s a free campground 1/2 mile off the PCT. I headed down the trail to it just after 4:30. Well, dumb me didn’t read the comments in the navigation app or scrutinize the map. I found out when I arrived that I had to cross a raging river not once but twice to get to the campground. I don’t like doing something like that alone, but I had no choice.
The first crossing went okay, but the second crossing almost knocked me over. That could have resulted in my getting thrown down the river. Anyway, I made it into the campground and setup. Now here is the bad news. When I leave, I have to cross the river again. In fact, there are multiple river crossings when I get back on the trail. UGH!
