• mimi singer
toukok. – lokak. 2023

PCT 2023

"Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" - Mary Oliver Lue lisää
  • Day 51 - lone pine zero

    20. kesäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Miles hiked: 0
    Campsite location: Mt Whitney hostel
    Weather: 90s and sunny
    One word to describe the day: easygoing

    I can't sleep in anymore 😪 woke up around 6:30. Mel and I went to a cute breakfast spot, relaxed around the pool until noon checkout and dis laundry. The classic town chores. I got a veggie platter at the grocery store for lunch and ate it while waiting for my clothes in the AC of the laundry mat. Rain clothes are not ideal on a hot day 😜

    Mel and I split a massive capstone for dinner and went to a classic saloon to end the night. Tonight we are stayed at the hostel. They were full last night so we had to splurge on the hotel but the pool this morning made it worth the extra money! Tomorrow we catch the bust at 6:10am to chester.
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  • Day 52 - flip to chester

    21. kesäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    This morning we caught our first bus from serria transit authority at 6:10 am. That bus took us to bishop where we got on a slightly bigger bus that took us to Reno. Unfortunately I misread where it dropped us off and that is not where our next bus started. Oops! But luckily we had enough time to get an uber to the correct location, the Amtrak station. We hopped on the sage stage bus that then took us to Susanville. From Susanville we caught our final bus via the lassen rural transportation system. Finally arriving in chester at 6:30 pm. That same bus would take us directly to the trailhead too, but I have to pick up a package in the morning at the post office. Going to do that first thing in the am, and back on the trail Mel and I go! 585.9 miles further up the trail. We will be starting at mile 1332.4, time for northern cal.

    We stayed at someone's house who offers up one of their rentals for hikers to stay in, for free! It was pretty tight quarters but we made it work. The owners of the home live below and have the upstairs turned into two units. One they rent out. And one for hikers. Very nice of them!
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  • Day 53

    22. kesäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    Miles hiked: 15.4
    Campsite location: 1347.7
    Weather: 70s and partly cloudy
    One word to describe the day: trees!

    This morning Mel and I got coffee at this cute little shop that also sold home goods lol. I picked up my package at the post office. And found a surprise monkey brittle and chocolate in there for me. One of my favorite snacks, thanks Ian! We then hitched from Chester to the trail. Two women pulled over to pick us up. They were filming a documentary for Dolly Chapman. She is the pioneer of the two person, manpowered saw that forestry teams use. I know that's not the official name of it but forget what they said it's called. The documentary they're making is called Dolly's Song. It should be out in about a year! At the trailhead there were two people who have been section hiking for the last couple years and were just on a little drive to see all the high water. They took our coffee cups for us, gave us watermelon and fancy cheeses from Sonoma!

    The hike today was so pretty. It started with alot of burn areas. We walked through pretty green forests, saw the Lassen volcano and many lakes. We are camped right on the edge of lassen national park because you can't camp inside without a bear canister. Tomorrow we will hike the 19 miles through the park and camp on the other side of the park boundary. We hung our food in a tree tonight just to be extra safe but we couldn't find a great tree. We had a pretty hilarious time trying to get the rope on a sturdy enough branch 😂
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  • Day 54 Lassen national park

    23. kesäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ 🌙 50 °F

    Miles hiked: 22
    Campsite location: 1369.7
    Weather: 70s and scattered showers
    One word to describe the day: meander

    This morning we saw a geyser. A park ranger we saw during the day said it isn't a real geyser...it normally is just steam and bubbles. But because of the snow and water this year it actually is 'geysering'. So we saw a very rare sight.

    Most of the park we walked through had been burned from a fire. But it was still pretty walking around the lassen volcano. We had rain showers on and off today, so the umbrella came in handy. Tomorrow we are doing a small resupply in old station.
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  • Day 55 hat creek rim

    24. kesäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    This morning we hiked 9 mi into Old station. There is a gas station and JJ's Cafe cafe here. We went to the cafe for breakfast. I got biscuits and gravy, bacon, hash browns and coffee! I devoured it. I then resupplied in the gas station. Only need about 2 days of food to get me to Bernie falls where I have a box.

    Today's hike was beautiful! We went through a lava tube which was super cool. It was very cool down there, temperature wise. We then climbed up a hillside where we had beautiful views of Mount Lassen and I saw Mount Shasta for the first time! It's exciting to see Mount Shasta because Jordan and family can see Mount Shasta from their house so it makes me feel like I'm getting closer to Oregon! We then traversed along the hat creek rim. Omg, so pretty! Mel packed out beers for my birthday. We enjoyed them on the rim, overlooking northern California, mt Shasta and Mt lassen watching the sunset. Perfect last day of my 33rd year!
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  • Day 56 - 🎈

    25. kesäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ 🌙 57 °F

    Miles hiked: 22
    Campsite location: Burney word of life church
    Weather: 70s and partly cloudy
    One word to describe the day: birthday!

    This morning I slept in till 7. I had a breakfast bear claw from the gas station that was as flat as a pancake from my pack. Still tasty! It was downhill or flat for most of the day. I found myself getting kind of bored midday. I'm doing my best to enjoy every moment, even the 'boring run of the mill forest'. It was still really pretty, just a lot of the same and I had listened to all my podcasts. But then I came across some trail magic, just in the nick of time. My favorite bubble water, coconut pineapple. A little tropical reprieve!

    Mel and I decided we were going to push it to Burney to get real dinner and charge our electronics because we were both running low. Once we got to the highway, the first car we saw pulled over to pick us up. He was a very sweet older man who dropped us at the church in Burney. They let hikers stay there for free in the gymnasium. They even have showers! We got a delicious meal at the Mexican restaurant across the street. Mel got me a carrot cake too 😊 There was another hiker who also had a birthday today so we all celebrated together at the local VFW.
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  • Day 57 - burney falls

    26. kesäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    Miles hiked: 16.5
    Campsite location: 1428.9
    Weather: 70s and scattered storms
    one word to describe the day: booms

    This morning the church provided free coffee in a little 'coffee shop' they have. It looks like it's open for the entire community. And then as I was sitting there a woman walked in and asked if anyone needs a ride to the trailhead! The trail provides! The communities along the trail are so kind to hikers. I think Burney has been my favorite so far.💓

    We walked 8 miles to Burney falls. We stopped into the general store they have to pick up my box. I got a soft serve mixed ice cream cone too🤤 The falls are so pretty! When we went down to the falls it started to thunder, rain and hail on us, again! It's been a pattern over the last few days. It's thundering and lightning as I am writing this in my tent at night. It's sooooo loud. It feels like it's directly over me 🫠

    We walked another 8 miles after the falls to our campsite for the night. As soon as I stopped the mosquitos swarmed so I set up my tent quickly and hunkered down for the night!
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  • Day 58

    27. kesäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Miles hiked: 19.5
    Campsite location: 1448.4
    Weather: 70s and sunny
    One word to describe the day: noble

    Today was another day through some beautiful forests. It is nice going through lush, live trees. I saw some pretty wild flowers. And the most perfect Christmas trees ever. A full forest of noble pines, my favorite ones! We had a few views of Shasta, it's closer!

    Tonight's dinner was extra good for a backpacking meal. Peak refuels cheesy, chicken and broccoli. It was sooooo good. It tastes just like chicken broccoli casserole, a meal I grew up on! 🤤 And I found dehydrated hummus, it is also very tasty. Just add cold water!

    Tomorrow we hit snow, it should be interesting! We are only at 6,000 feet so it's kinda crazy it's still around. But we have heard it's a challenge section.
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  • Day 59

    28. kesäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Miles hiked: 20
    Campsite location: 1468.2
    Weather: sunny and 70s
    One word to describe the day: confidence

    This morning Mel and I woke up just slightly earlier to get the snow section over by mid morning. We had about 6 miles of snow to get through. It wasn't terrible. There were lots of comments on farout, the app we use for wayfinding, that made me a little worried. The slopes weren't terrible but definitely the steepest snow traverses we have done so far. We did have to do some bushwacking to get to the trail here and there. But overall we made good time and felt good about it!

    We had good views of Shasta throughout the snow section. After the snow we went through some amazing forest with giant trees. So tall! Camping at water tonight and have lots of friendly deer around.
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  • Day 60

    29. kesäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Miles hiked: 22.5
    Campsite location: 1490.5
    Weather: high 80s and sunny
    One word to describe the day: heatwave

    This morning I checked my Garmin weather and the high for today was supposed to be 92, tomorrow 99! The heatwave has finally reached us. We have been sooooo darn lucky with weather so I am very grateful for that. Even though it got hot today we had an amazing swimming hole to cool off in. I normally take lunch around 12 miles in but today I pushed it to mile 17 because that's where the swimming hole was!

    We had a lot of climbing today. The day started with a big climb, then it was downhill to the swim spot. The final 5 miles were all uphill and steep. Plus we have a dry camp tonight so I had 4 liters of water in my pack to get me to the next water source tomorrow. Water is heavy!! Today was a great day overall. I had epic views of Shasta and the forest was very pretty. Tomorrow we have only 11 miles into town 🥳
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  • Day 61 - Mt Shasta

    30. kesäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    This morning we started hiking at 5:30 to beat the heat. We hiked 11.5 miles by 9:30am! As I was sitting waiting for Mel a guy drove by me and asked if I was the hiker that called for a ride. I said no but we need a ride! Is name was doc and he took us to Shasta. I had seen his name on our navigation app for rides. That was easy!

    Luckily I was able to book the last koa spot in Shasta. All the hotels were booked out since it's a holiday weekend. The koa is nice! big trees, lots of shade, showers, pool, laundry...what more could you ask for? We stopped into a shoe store that has a guy known as the 'foot Jesus'. I needed new shoes and he knows how to fit your feet properly. However they were out of all sizes I would need!! So I got a pair of insoles and ordered shoes for my next town stop in etna. My shoes will have over 600 miles on them by the time I get there.

    Tomorrow there is a festival downtown for the 4th that we will check out. We will most likely head back to trail tomorrow evening since lodging is booked. Mt Shasta is a super cute town!
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  • Day 62 - Mt Shasta 4th celebration

    1. heinäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Mel and I had a leisurely morning at the koa. She had a chiropractic appointment at noon and check-out was 11. We organized a ride back to the trailhead with Natalie, a lady who works at the koa after her shift at 4:30. We spent the remainder of the day walking around downtown, checking out the booths at their 4th celebration. I got a samosa at the Indian food cart. A beef pie at the Jamaican cart. And some Hawaiian food 😋 It is hot today! Next week is looking very hot. High 90s so here comes waking up early, taking mid day naps and hiking in the evening! Our next stretch is 100 miles to etna, then 60 to siead valley and then ASHLAND OREGON! 🥳Lue lisää

  • Day 63

    2. heinäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ 🌙 68 °F

    Miles hiked: 24.5
    Campsite location: porcupine lake
    Weather: 90 and sunny
    One word to describe the day: beautiful

    This morning I got an early start. I wanted to get our big climb of the day done before the heat. I started walking at 5:30. We had beautiful views of castle crags, alpine lakes and Mount Shasta throughout the day. We pushed it to get to camp at porcupine lake. We arrived around 5 so we had time to swim and there was even a little canoe that someone just left there. The water was a perfect temp, brisk but not too cold. One of my favorite camp spots so far!Lue lisää

  • Day 64

    3. heinäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Miles hiked: 24.6
    Campsite location: 1557.9
    Weather: high 80s and sunny
    One word to describe the day: cougar!

    Early wake up again today to beat the heat! About 1 mile into my hike, just around dawn, I saw a mountain lion (90% sure)! It was about a football field length away on the trail and my eyes need a touch up 🤓. But it was a very large, tan animal. It didn't quite look like a deer and deer don't care about people at all. It very quietly ran away from me. I got a good look at it for about 5 seconds. Pretty neat!

    Today we got some more views of Shasta and lakes! I also saw some rattlesnakes today. Eventful wildlife day! Around mile 9 we arrived at a trailhead and there was trail magic!! It was from 3 hikers that did the trail last year. They were making crepes, I ate mine too fast for a photo. And lots of other goodies! I definitely want to do some trail magic next summer around Hood River! How fun!

    Mel and I did another 24 mile day. I'm beat!
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  • Day 65 - trinity alps

    4. heinäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    Miles hiked: 20.5
    Campsite location: 1577.9
    Weather: 80s and sunny
    One word to describe the day: peaks

    Happy 4th! Last night we had an amazing sunset. Woke up feeling very tired so slept in a little 😏 Today we walked through the Trinity Alps wilderness area. It has tall craggy peaks with lakes. We walked through it all in one day. Today was definitely up there in my favorite views and the campsite tonight isn't shabby either! Maybe we will be able to see a few fireworks from our vista. Will report tomorrow! My ankles and feet are feeling it. I can't wait to get my new shoes in two days. We did 50 miles in two days. I think that's a high for me!Lue lisää

  • Day 66

    5. heinäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Miles hiked: 17.2
    Campsite location: Paynes lake
    Weather: high 80s and sunny
    One word to describe the day: 1k

    Today we hit 1000 mi! It feels like I've been on trail forever but also just started yesterday. Time is weird like that. And it's wild to think I still have 1650 left to hike but I know this next 1000 will fly by.

    Mel and I decided to go 17 miles today to payne lake. By the time I got to the lake I was so happy we weren't going any further. I'm feeling so tired! Tomorrow we only have six miles into etna for resupply. Today's views were so pretty. They reminded me of what I think the sierra might look like with jagged granite peaks. I wasn't expecting it! As soon as I got to the lake I jumped in. My feet are sooooo sore. Hoping my new shoes are the trick.
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  • Day 67

    6. heinäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ 🌙 64 °F

    Miles hiked: 8.5
    Campsite location: 1607
    Weather: high 80s and sunny
    One word to describe the day: Tinkerbell

    This morning we hiked 6.5 miles into where we hitched into etna. The highway was quite but eventually a truck drove past and picked us up. It was this nice older man and his dog, Tinkerbell. they went up into the mountains to fish. He dropped us off at the city park where they let hikers camp, offer showers and charging! Etna is a very cute, tiny town. They are very hiker friendly. We met so many very friendly locals. An older lady, probably about 85 years young, was so sweet and chatted with us at the park for a while. She gave me a ride to the grocery store and back.

    Unfortunately my shoes didn't get here in time so I got a different brand at the outfitters. I'm a little nervous to change shoes but I think they will be better than what I had! If they don't work out I just need to make it to Ashland where I can go to the REI. Town consisted of normal chores. Eat, charge, laundry, shower, resupply! After that we hitched back to the trail and hiked 2 miles into the closest campsite.
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  • Day 68

    7. heinäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Miles hiked: 21.5
    Campsite location: marble valley campsite
    Weather: high 80s and sunny
    One word to describe the day: rugged

    The views just keep getting better! Today was quite rugged. We had lots of ups and downs on steep granite peaks and were rewarded with beautiful views and more alpine lakes. We had lots of blowdowns to climb over which made today pretty exhausting. Tonight we are camping at a Backcountry tent site with really pretty views of marble mountain.Lue lisää

  • Day 69

    8. heinäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ 🌙 68 °F

    Miles hiked: 25.5
    Campsite location: Grider Creek campground
    Weather: high 80s and sunny
    One word to describe the day: owch

    Today was hard. My feet are killing me. I'm tired. Definitely need to take a zero once we get to Ashland. Today we pushed it and went 25.5 miles because there was a big gap in campgrounds from mile 16 of the day to Mile 25.5. The shoes aren't working for me, so I am going to get the brand I wore from the start in Ashland.

    We did have a lovely swim spot at mile 17. I went in and out of the freezing water in attempts to relieve my sore muscles and recreate my favorite spa, the society. The first bit of the day was uphill but then the last 20 miles was basically all downhill. Tomorrow we only have 5 miles to seiad valley!
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  • Day 70 - seiad valley

    9. heinäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Miles hiked: 6
    Campsite: wild wood RV park
    Weather: 80s and sunny
    One word to describe the day: vibes

    This morning we hiked 6 road miles into town. Road walking is nice and flat but it kinda sucks! It feels longer than trail miles for whatever reason. We stopped into the one restaurant they have here. They have a pancake challenge where if you eat 5 lbs of pancakes, you get them for free. I did not do it! I got huckleberry French toast and loaded hash browns with gravy, cheese and bacon. I also got a chocolate milkshake 🫠

    Then we resupplied in a tiny store next door. They definitely stock things that hikers would want. Then we hung out the rest of the day at the RV park in town. They are so hiker friendly and really love that we are here. I took a cold shower in the outside shower. It was lovely because it's quite hot today! They fed us an all you can eat dinner with ribs, burgers, hot dogs, all sorts of salads, corn!

    I met alot of new awesome hikers today. Amy from Seattle who is a chemical engineer. She is super cool. Id love to hike with her but we are just slightly off on our days. Hopefully we can sync up our hiking schedule because we seem to get hiking at a similar pace. Liv is from Belgium. She just started the trail 4 days ago so still building her trail legs. And Alexandria from SLC is so fast. She is hiking 30 mile days and even did a 60 mile day. She is into ultra running. Going to start hiking tomorrow with Alex but I'm guessing she will take off 🤣
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  • Day 71

    10. heinäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    Miles hiked: 25
    Campsite: 1684
    Weather: 80s and sunny
    One word to describe the day: tired

    Last night around the campfire we were talking about how we're going through all these beautiful places every day and it's just becoming a normal occurrence. "Oh another beautiful alpine lake, another beautiful sunset, another mountain." They are becoming less significant when we see them, hence me feeling bored. Which sucks because what I am doing is beautiful. It may be an unfortunate thing about thru hiking. When you take a shorter trip you really appreciate everything you see and experience. But the cool thing about thru hiking is also being able to take those mental struggles and become a stronger human. I think I wanted to write this down just because I know after this is over I'm going to look back on this with nothing but the best memories. I'll miss it all. And I want to remind myself that every trip no matter the length is spectacular.

    This morning I hiked the first 14 miles with Alexandria. But then split off the rest of the day from her. She is going to camp with us tonight but I could tell she wanted to hike faster and it's not smart for me to try and keep her pace. My feet are hurting and I'm very excited switch back to my Brooks shoes once I get to Ashland. We are only about 10 miles away from the Oregon border! I cannot believe it! It's still blows my mind how many miles I've walked. We are going to take a zero and Ashland and I'm very excited for that. I know my body needs it. The last time I took a full day off was in lone pine which was almost 400 miles ago.
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  • Day 72

    11. heinäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ 🌙 59 °F

    Miles hiked: 22.5
    Campsite: 1705.7
    Weather: 80s and sunny
    One word to describe the day: Oregon!!

    I am officially in Oregon!! It was such a mental boost to hit the border. Its already feeling like different terrain. Oregon is "flat" in comparison to the rest of the trail. It will only take around 3ish weeks to hike all of Oregon. I'll be able to see Ian and Riley before I know it! Tomorrow we go into Ashland for a full day off. Caroline got to Ashland today. She is hopping on the trail tomorrow. She injured her hip so she is going to take it slow and Mel and I will catch her.Lue lisää

  • Day 73

    12. heinäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    Miles hiked: 14
    Campsite: Ashland Commons
    Weather: 80s and sunny
    One word to describe the day: exhausted

    I am soooooooo excited for a day off tomorrow. I'm exhausted. Once we got to the road, we got a hitch from a lovely trail angel who lives in Ashland. We are staying at the Ashland Commons. It's a hostel, Mel and I paid a little extra for our own room. Ashland is super cute! It's got a funky vibe to it.

    We got into town and went for lunch at Ruby's. I got a burrito and a Marg. Then we went to the co-op, a cute local grocery store where you can spend way too much money. We got some stuff for breakfast. We also booked 90 mins at a soak/sauna spot for tomorrow morning. I can't wait for that. After a shower and laundry I left my room and went into the common room and saw Tarzan!! He was someone I'd been hiking with in my desert tramily. He went into the Sierra and made it through to kersarge pass but had a glissading accident. His pants slipped up past his calves and the snow took off quite a bit of skin. 🥴 He has been taking the last few weeks off in bishop with Caroline and flipped up to Ashland to get back on trail. We went to the Thai pepper for dinner. A bit pricey but so delicious. Was a pretty chill night. Just hung out with some hikers at the hostel and went to bed!
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  • Day 74 zero in Ashland

    13. heinäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ 🌙 75 °F

    Miles hiked: 0
    Campsite location: Ashland Commons
    Weather: 90 and sunny
    One word to describe the day: zen

    Slept in a bit this morning. We went to chozu bathhouse and soaked this morning. They had a hot pool, cold pool, sauna and steam room. Was only $30 for 90 mins. It was sooo relaxing. My muscles needed that. After the soak i picked up my new shoes and we hopped on the public bus and headed to Medford to go to the REI. I needed a new water filter. I've had mine for a very long time and all the cleaning I could do didn't seem to help the flow. It took a while to get there and back. We went to Safeway when we got back to Ashland and got enough food for our next 5 day stretch, a box I'll send to Crater lake and a box I'll send to a resort near bend.

    We treated all of our clothes and gear in permetherin. It's supposed to kill ticks and mosquitoes on contact. I've heard they are bad in Oregon so I'm prepping for the worse. Tomorrow we need to ship our boxes and then we head back on trail. Our next stretch will take us to Crater lake!!
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  • Day 75

    14. heinäkuuta 2023, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    Miles hiked: 17.7
    Campsite: 1738
    Weather: high 90s and sunny
    One word to describe the day: pretzel sando

    This morning we shipped some packages to Crater lake and elk lake resort. We got another ride from Daryl, the trail angel, up to the trailhead. Started hiking around 11:00. It was quite hot so I was moving slowly. I remembered to pack out a good item for lunch, a pretzel bun sandwich. 🥪 We did get 17 miles in today which I think is pretty good! About 1 mi out from camp I walked out to some trail magic on a gravel road! It was put on by a lovely couple who has done various section hikes on the PCT. They were a wealth of knowledge about Ticks and mosquitoes. They do work testing for various diseases in the area and keeping the mosquito levels down. They had all sorts of yummy snacks and beverages. I went for a cookie, poppy seed muffin and Doritos 🤪 I love when I stumble upon unexpected trail magic. It's such a nice boost. Going to bed listening to the sounds of coyotes howling 🙂Lue lisää