Daily mileage 28
Total mileage 1277
Hiked from 5:45 am to 7:15 pm
Total mileage 1277
Hiked from 5:45 am to 7:15 pm
Stunningly beautiful in the morning and kind of mundane in the afternoon.
After I was all settled into my tent last night I realized that my sleeping pad was going flat at a rapid rate. How convenient that I am camped right by a lake. So I got up and tested for leaks and found the culprit right away. It took two attempts but I did get the leak patched. It is the little victories that count!
I also ended up sharing the campsite with a really nice couple named Zebra and Skittles (if you have been paying close attention, you will know this is the second Skittles I have gotten to know on the trail). I ended up leapfrogging with them for the next few days. Super nice young couple from Northern California.
Zebra and Skittles taken a few days later in Medford
I was away at almost first light. The smoke in the sky that has been in the area for a couple of days made for a spectacular sun rise. The hiking in the morning was really beautiful. I was above the treeline and the vistas were great. After a while, the feature that this area is named after came into view. Marble Mountain is this beacon of white surrounded by all the other grey mountains. After getting up to the base of the mountain though, I am pretty sure it should have been called Limestone Mountain.
Smokey sunrise
There are forest fires behind and ahead of me but I am still hiking through snow patches. That is the PCT 2017 in a nutshell!
The lake with the most intriguing name: Man Eaten Lake
Marble Mountain
Random cabin in the woods
At times on the trail today we almost needed traffic control measures. I ran into three different Boy Scout Troupes, a long procession of CCC (California Conservation Corps?) workers out doing trail maintenance. Throw in a few Sobo section hikers and dayhikers and you had a very busy trail.
I stopped at the horribly named Paradise Lake for lunch and Dutch came up the trail. I had met him way back near the beginning of the trail and got to know him and his hiking buddies around Hikertown. I ended up hiking with him the rest of the afternoon. He did the Sierra and has now caught up with me. Nice to see a familiar face from the first part of my hike. Zebra and Skittles also joined us for the prolonged break.
The hills are alive....
"Paradise" Lake
The afternoon took us down a long ways in elevation and through several old burn areas. It was ok but I prefer the vistas up in the subalpine.
I hiked most of the afternoon with Dutch. That is rare for me as I usually hike alone. But along the way, we had some really great conversations which definitely helped melt the miles away. We, at one point or another, noted that the trail is a great equalizer when it comes to making friends. And we were proof of that. Here I am, a 61 year old from Western Canada having simply a great time chatting with a 21 year old from Mississippi. Dutch did a very nice job of capturing that conversation on a video of his later (he gives me far more credit for the discussion as it was both of us talking about it).
I hiked most of the afternoon with Dutch. That is rare for me as I usually hike alone. But along the way, we had some really great conversations which definitely helped melt the miles away. We, at one point or another, noted that the trail is a great equalizer when it comes to making friends. And we were proof of that. Here I am, a 61 year old from Western Canada having simply a great time chatting with a 21 year old from Mississippi. Dutch did a very nice job of capturing that conversation on a video of his later (he gives me far more credit for the discussion as it was both of us talking about it).
There are 6 of us camped here tonight (Zebra, Skittles, Radio, Dutch, someone I do not know and myself). The plan is to get going as early as possible to beat the heat on the remaining miles into Seiad Valley. No picture of the campsite tonight as the mosquitoes are savage.
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