Dave’s PCT & Other Adventures: Day 150 wasps!

Sunday, August 13, 2023

Day 150 wasps!

August 13

Even when I try to sleep in it doesn’t happen. I did lay in bed for an extra 20 minutes or so this morning enjoying it, and then I went downstairs had a coffee and my oatmeal and visited with Uncle Rob, the owner of the hotel, for about 30 minutes. He then gave me and another hiker named Rabbit a ride to the trail head. I said goodbye to the Old Sierra Hotel. I would love to come back here another time and just spend the weekend.

Today starts with a very Long and steep climb up around the left side of that rocky mountain peak pictured yesterday. Rabbit and I started up together. We visited along the way for about the first hour.

I can feel my shoe insert starting to slip forward, so I stopped on this nice little plateau had a great rock to adjust. It sat down, and within a couple of seconds felt fire on my chest, and then fire on my hand. I looked down and saw a wasp sitting there, and noticed a whole bunch more swarming out of a bush that I had just sat next to. I jumped up without my shoe and grabbed my pack and hopped over to another rock. I got stung twice more on the way so I had four good stings; one on my hand, two on my chest, and one on my leg. I did get my shoe adjusted and I’m back on the trail. The view here is amazing, we’re up on the side of that big Butte that I took a picture of yesterday and going around it

As I hike high on a side slope mountainside there are incredible surrounding views.

I stopped at this mid slope spring to get some water flowing about 2 L a minute which is really nice. We are switching back and fourth uphill getting ready to climb and eventually go around a knob at the far end. We are fully exposed in the sun. I’m sweating a lot today.

Looking back, the trail is visible switchbacking through the hillside.

California Fuchsia has a pale green leaf with a bright red trumpet flower

It’s amazing just after going over the knob and coming around the back side of the Butte I come into a heavily forested area

I stopped at this spring for a second breakfast, and a little bit of rest before continuing on

Woodland Pinedrops are an interesting plant spring up on the side of the Trail. It is growing in another of my favorite sections of forest with mass covered trees.

I have been on a steady descent towards Tamarack lakes. Which the trail will go between before heading back up the other side of the mountain.

I took a moment to look behind me and where I have come from.

I passed three separate mountain lakes all within a close proximity to each other, visible from the trail. All of them look beautiful. If you look closely, you can actually see some kayaks and one when I got higher up I could see that there was road access to that lake.

After a little more of a climb, and of course another decent, I came to another lake that I had hoped to be a beautiful camping spot. It’s kind of marshy covered with reeds and OHV roads run right by it. I got some water and went about a quarter mile down the trail to a different camping spot for the night. I was up for sunset and got a couple pictures through the trees.