PCT day 119 – 2000 miles and a bit more.
I got in to camp last night when it was dark so I didn't really see the surroundings. They were creepy! But the camp site was nice and warm. No condensation.
I still had the 2 litres of water I carried for 9 miles yesterday without drinking so I didn't have to get water from the questionable pond.
There were lots of animal tracks this morning. Now, when it comes to footprints I can only be described as...an über tracker. From the common Cascadia to the lesser spotted Salomon, I can spot them all. However, when it comes to animal tracks I can only be described as...clueless. Something had a merry time walking along the trail last night! I thought it looked like a birds tracks, but would birds walk/hop along the trail for at least half a mile?...
I hit the 2000 mile mark yesterday but there was no marker so it passed me by unnoticed! The mile markers after mile 1000 become less important and the bigger mile stones are what you begin to think about, reaching the Oregon border, then the Washington border and then the finish! But, 2000 miles is a really long way and I wanted to commemorate the achievement with a photo. So, I made myself a marker today, what's 20 miles when you've walked 2000!
We walked through a large area of burn. Mt Jefferson came into view.
7 miles in I was hungry from having no dinner the night before so I stopped and had tuna crackers and Cheetos. With only 27 miles on the agenda today I could afford to be a bit more leisurely.
The next 11 miles were in forest with no views so I plugged myself into some podcasts and walked on until I got to Milk creek and caught up to Oreo. We had more food and contemplated the 9 miles we still had left to do with the 3000ft of ascent (Oregon – not flat). I just got one litre of water and carried on. I came across a ranger who checked my permit (second time for the trip). I asked him what the shovel he was carrying was for – for burying people's poo that they can't be bothered to do themselves, and for turning over camp fire rings which you aren't allowed in this area. He said they go on regular trips to remove toilet paper from the forest. People, pack out your toilet paper!!
The uphill was slow going. 4 miles later I was faced with a raging creek to cross. I changed my shoes after finding no way across on the rocks and waded across. It was definitely the most treacherous crossing yet. Really fast flowing, really cold and up to the tops of my thighs!
But I made it across and carried on with the climb. My legs felt like lead. The path was rocky and it was difficult to pick up any kind of speed. We made it to the top eventually just as it started to rain a bit. We had .8 miles down the other side to a camp spot. I tried to go as quick as I could but the ground was loose and I kept slipping. We got there at about 8pm. We just about had enough time to pitch our tents and do our chores before watching the sun set. We made delicious ramen for dinner and it was starting to get really cold so Oreo and I retired to our tents.
27.3 miles, over 6000ft of ascent.