Some patches of snow at 6800 to 7000 feet on North and Northeast aspects.
6000 feet of elevation and below - mostly Douglas Fir. 6000 to 7000 feet mix of true fir forest and open park
Parks can be bear grass or shrub-forb-grass. Parks have balsamroot, lupine, buckwheat, needlegrass, sedges
I've done as much as I can the last two days and still haven't hit a 20 mile day. I felt a little bit better today. Still no uphill gear.Monday 7/8 Saturday got to start at 9:00 am
Sunday left camp at 5:06 am
Monday started hiking at 4:23 am - can't get much earlier. Had to use the headlamp for the first fifteen to twenty minutes.- Left camp at 4:23. Made it to Callahans about 9:15. Hiked to PCT mile 1725
- Shower and laundry and I feel like a million bucks
- Left Callahans at 11:45 am
- The PCT does the unexpected. Now that I am going NOBO (north bound), the trail took me south, then east and finally north. That's just what trails do
- I put in 30 minutes extra (up to 1 1/2 miles extra today. Coming onto Pilot Rock trail was a sign. I didn't look at the sign, I just assumed this was where the trail turned North. WRONG! Bucko!! I know you were almost at the twenty mile mark. For goodness, gracious sakes alive, spend five seconds looking at the sign and save yourself a big frustration. Today I laughed. Another day . . .
- Yesterday I saw two solo hikers--young women and quite pretty in both instances. The first solo gal asked the best way to get to Ashland. We talked a few minutes, then parted in opposite directions. She was wearing tights and very easy on the eyes. I wanted to turn back for one more look, but I didn't out of respect for her and for Becky. Later, I thought these two gals would need to spend two minutes at the max trying to get a ride into town. And then I wondered why there weren't two to three guys hiking with those gals?
Today, I nailed my first twenty-mile-day. We'll see if I can sustain that pace.Nights I sleep okay for a few hours, then I wake up with my right hip aching and throbbing. It takes awhile to find the right position so I can sleep again. I have Ibuprofen, but I won't use it until I get desperate. I know of hikers who use it every day and every night. I refuse to do so because when I really need pain control, I want to have it work. I had a grandmother who got hooked on medicine and I really want to stay off that road.
Three Goals
About a week before starting my PCT hike here at the Mexican border, my son, Garrett, called. He was in panic mode. He had been reading hikers' blogs and a lot of hikers were concerned about snow in the Sierras and so quit their hikes before it even started. Garrett said, "I've got three goals for you, Dad."
- First goal--just get on the trail and get started. I am back on the trail, so goal #1 has been realized. I will write about the other two goals if and when I achieve them.
Condolences to the Billingsley Family. I saw in a text from Becky that Dave Billingsley died. Dave was a rancher in the Palisades. He was strong in his faith and was a nice man. I am sorry I was not able to attend the service.
Callahan's Lodge to the Rescue: Monday, a little after 9:00 am, I arrived at Callahan's for a resupply. The box was there (thanks, Becky!) I asked about showers and laundry and I was handed a towel, robe, wash cloth, and directed where to go. The place was connected to their shop. Pretty basic room--toilet, sink, washer, dryer, shower. And I could have had a meal (3-star restaurant) In two and a half hours, I showered, did laundry, charged my phone, got maps, water, and food for the next section.In towns you can find yourself forever walking to the laundromat, the grocery store, a restaurant, camp, a hostel or motel. And the clock is ticking away, eating up time. I absolutely prefer self-contained units where everything is in one place. You can get everything done and get back on the trail the same day. The analogy is in car racing--carefully organized pit stop, or Bubba and the boys.
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