Miles Hiked: 37.2
PCT Mileage: 1263.8
This morning I was up an hiking at 5:20 am. Since I got to camp early yesterday I was feeling well rested and ready for another big day. Today was the first morning that I noticed it was still dusk at 5am. Pretty soon these early wake ups will have to start with a headlamp or I will just start later. The first part of the day was mostly uphill but I was glad to get it done with while my legs were feeling fresh. At the top of the hill was an open ridge covered in wild flowers. I absolutely love Northern California. When I entered the forest the trees were covered with a pretty bright green moss that looked like something from a fairy tale.
I cherished these last few miles of green forest before entering a burn zone from years past. The trees were charged but there were green plants and lots of flowers growing among them so I thought it was still pretty. One thing to note is that the forest sounded so quiet compared to it’s usual plethora of birds, bugs, leaves, and animals moving around all day. I started going down a very long descent. The trail itself was graded but the terrain it traversed looked as steep as a double black diamond ski run. I held on to my poles tight so I didn’t accidentally drop one down the mountain. At the bottom of the descent was the feather river where a large bridge crossed. I took a break in the shade here before going for my last big push all the way back up and out of the valley to finish the day. I was tired and it was a very long climb to be doing for miles 28-35. I did my best to not stop the whole way. My music I’ve been holding off on listening to definitely helped. At the end of the long long climb, I sat down at look out rock where a bunch of other hikers were to eat dinner. I was eight miles from town but I wanted to be closer. After I finished my dinner the only food I had left for tomorrow was protein powder. Perfect.
I pushed on four more miles into the dusk, hoping other hikers would be at the campsite I was aiming for. I did not want to camp alone tonight. Luckily there were two tents set up and I walked into the forest to find a spot next to them. I spent an hour taking care of my feet and doing all my other camp chores before falling asleep for the night. I was so tired I briefly fell asleep sitting up in the middle of all my chores. Oops! Today felt satisfying.
Happy Trails!
-Early Bird
Des Hikes Thru 