Day 45

(Originally written Thursday, June 18)

 

Wow...what a day.  I feel like I've been saying that a lot recently, but I've been putting in some bigger miles lately and that is pretty much the only creativity I can summon.  Started out before 7 this morning with an eye on Walker Pass for a great lunch location.  There wasn't much special about the morning walk, except that it was relatively flat.  Part of the area that I was walking through had been burned a while back so there wasn't much shade (again).  But it also opened things up enough for me to see a beautiful, big 4- or 5-point buck!  He was enormous and scampered away before I could get a good photo.  It made me miss the days when I would go deer hunting.

 

It's funny to see what kind of food you crave while on the trail.  It doesn't matter what day it is, if it is hot then I'm craving a Coke.  So today, when I got to Walker Pass and there was a sign that read "Trail Magic" with an arrow, my heartbeat quickened.  You see, Trail Magic is best described as some sort of modern comfort, usually in the form of food, being delivered to the trail for PCT hikers.  My dear friend whom I had never met before this moment, Okie Girl (from California but has relatives in Oklahoma), had everything a hiker could want.  She was also the first human interaction I had had in 3.5 days, I might add.  Let's just say I downed three Cokes and two 7-Ups before I left!  It was wonderful and exactly what I needed.  Thank you Okie Girl!

 

In the afternoon I had to do more climbing.  This time I was headed up over 8000' before dropping all the way down to nearly 5000' (my knees loved that).  Thankfully, the weather continued to be warm, but not unbearable.  I made pretty good time and saw one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen in a long time from the Owens-Jenkins saddle.  I was hoping to make it all the way to Joshua Tree Spring--another 3.3 miles up the trail--but I ran out of daylight.  So I'm camped underneath a pine tree in a valley just below the saddle where I watched the sunset.  It's not the best spot in the world because of the slope, but it'll do!  I should note, however, that this is about exactly at the 663.5-mile mark, which means I have exactly 2000 miles to go!  In the meantime, I can't wait to get to Kennedy Meadows.  I smell awful and it is mainly my socks/shoes combo to blame.  Hopefully the new shoes will help correct some of that as well.

 

Now that I am about 40 miles away from Kennedy Meadows, I'm going to try to get there by Saturday evening instead of Sunday afternoon like I had originally planned.  I likely won't have time to get myself cleaned up before dark Saturday, but my body will be so happy to not have to get up and hike on Sunday!  It'll be my first zero day since Pasadena, 250 miles earlier.  And my body needs the break!  But before I get there, there are a couple of significant mile markers for me to pass.  First, this morning I'll hit the 1/4 mark at Mile 666, then tomorrow of course I'll hit Mile 700 shortly before Kennedy Meadows. 

 

Ugh, even though I'm 40 miles away, it feels like I'm never going to get there!