This morning I definitely got up slower than most. I laid in bed a little bit longer. There is something about cold, wet mornings that make it tough to get going. I was hoping for a little sun to maybe dry out the tent a little bit, but not today, It is still too overcast. I slowly packed up while in admiring the beauty around me. For now I just pray that I will have some early sun on my first break and can yard sell all my stuff out to dry. (hikers use the term yard sale when we lay out all of our gear to dry in the sun during a break.)
Just as I was finishing my pack load, I had this visitor come within 12 feet of me you can see the outline of where my tent laid on the ground. It poked around for a few minutes and then went back into the woods.
I walked out of camp back up into the meadow by the ranger station, ready to start another day
I’ve come to another view of the marbles, partially obscured scared by the clouds
I come into this big flat area where the rocks do resemble marbles. There’s no discernible trail and I have to hunt around a little bit trying to determine where it goes. The places where Trail normally would be seen is covered by snow, but I was able to notice a hillside ahead with what looks like a trail, so I head in that general direction and quickly picked up a dry portion of trail.
The trail opened up into a beautiful Valley with gorgeous views all around as is typical, especially in this section.
My shadow! You know what that means, the sun!
As I cross the snow fields , there’s a faint set of tracks from yesterday I can follow. They’ve been filled in with snow, but are still evident. Behind me I leave a solid set of tracks for anybody further back.
Another view of the beautiful valley I’m walking above. On the lower end the far mountains are visible above, and below the middle of a cloud. The mountain to the rear of me has light wispy clouds in front of it. The mountain at the top of the valley has clear blue sky And straightahead snow-covered trees
This giant boulder is just sitting by itself in the middle of this open field
I reached area where the trail is completely covered by Snow and it is enough of a slope that I stopped and put on my micro spikes. I traversed across without any problems.
More beautiful mountain views, that seem to just go on forever
The trail passes by yet another mountain lake, nestled between mountains rising higher above it
Views from another saddle, beauty in 360°
Just over the saddle, I looked down to my left and spy this gorgeous Lake and double and Meadow
The wide leafed Monument Plant is beginning to show up often on the trail. I am also observing the yellow flowered, Matted Wild Buckwheat.
I stopped for lunch in this open Meadow with beautiful mountain views. There’s an underground spring that comes up just about 200 feet away. I hung up my sleeping bag laid out my tent got everything drying, and as I was eating lunch I had a guest show up.
I am on a section of trail that is bushwhacking and navigating blowdowns like I’m in an Indiana Jones movie. It is extremely frustrating and slow going, and I just want to get to camp and lay down; however, in front of me on this section is a flower I have not yet seen called the Columbia Lily.
The bushwhacking and blow downs have stopped, and now I pass multiple draws full of Thimbleberry plants
Short time later, I arrive next to what is only been called a seasonal stream. It is running fast. I set up my tent next to the stream, make my dinner, do my cleanup chores, and lay down finally. I wanted to go a little farther today, but the next camping spot is 8 miles away, so I will camp here and go to sleep, listening to the stream. As I am finishing this intro, I hear some noise and I looked out the bottom of my tent, and there are two deer 5 feet away, eating the brush.
Today’s PCT miles hiked 17.9
Total PCT Miles hiked to date 1099.9
PCT mile marker 1642.7
(Flipped over 542.8 miles)
