#ThrowbackThursday
This is part of a series of journal entries I have made while section hiking the Pacific Crest Trail since 2013 over on Trailjournals.com. I am moving them here to Must Hike Must Eat and updating them with photos (and maybe fixing typos). Look for them on Thursdays or you can head over to Trailjournals.com and read as many as you would like!
http://www.trailjournals.com/journal/entry/429538
Destination: Escondido Ridge
Today’s Miles: 13
Start Location: Park Lakes
Trip Miles: 275.50
I woke up at first light and prayed for a more organized day! Packed up my things and went in search of Barb. Didn’t take but a few minutes and she was coming up the trail to me! What a relief. We exchanged stories and discussed how not to make the same mistake again. Then we were off and down the trail by 7am.
Today was filled with more wild flowers, streams, and beautiful views. Spectacle Lake was gorgeous!
We passed an old silver tree, 3 feet diameter, that had fallen and was hanging over the trail. Discussed how cool it was and took pictures. Not much further down the trail, we passed the forest service coming up to blow it up with explosives! Guess it was a hazard hanging over the trail like that…
Today was also my first injury of the trip (blisters and physical exhaustion aside). We came upon a cascading stream (Delate Creek) and a perfect waterfall pool for getting water and doing a little cooling off. I couldn’t wait to be a little colder! I spotted a small pool and made way down to fill my canteen and get my shirt and hair wet. Well, I didn’t realize the dark rocks were algae covered and my left foot (again) slipped out from under me and sent me falling backwards into a much larger pool below. All I could think was, “Please don’t let me hit my head.” Needless to say, I hit every other part of my body and I seem to notice a related bruise every day (I’m up to 8). I ended up half submerged in the pool.
My first assessment was that I hadn’t broken anything, so I just decided to get the rest of myself wet. I look up to see Barb smiling at me and seeming unaware that I had just tumbled backwards. I said, “Did you see that?” She said, “No, what?” She thought I had gotten in to the pool on purpose and was enjoying taking a picture of it! At this point I was laughing at the whole thing, and feeling much cooler. My hand was bleeding from superficial scratches and I was sore but no lasting effects (until I see my chiropractor when I get home, I guess). And of course if it had been worse and I had been by myself, the forest service would have been coming along shortly…
Some other highlights from the day: A bridge was out so we got to cross a stream over a downed log. Barb took some nice pictures, I have a photographer now! We ran into several hikers; a thru hiker who started in Mexico, a couple in their late sixties/early seventies with traditional external frame packs enjoying a trip and several day hikers. This section of the trail is a popular one for the Seattle area, I expect we’ll more hikers than before.
An old sawn log with sawdust cascading from it, we observed ants coming out from a ridge in the middle and dumping the sawdust over the edge onto the pile. Everyone has a job to do in the woods! I also tried to quiz myself on the flowers and plants learned so far, I probably got a C. I tend to remember the ones with non-Latin names. The most interesting one is Fireweed. I included a picture that came after my fall in the burned area following Delate creek. It is the tall pink flowers. It is so named because it tends to be one of the first vegetation to move in after a fire.
I noticed today there is a certain efficiency learned while long distance hiking. I don’t think I was hiking faster than Barb, but I have learned to do more during each stop and take less of them overall. I remember in my first few days thinking I was stopping too often, so would adjust my rate so that I am always moving, even if I am taking “baby steps”. I can go to the bathroom without taking off my pack and have placed needed items to I don’t have to stop to get them.
We ended today better than yesterday (we were together!), but a few miles shy of 15. We had a long, hot ascent at the end of the day that wiped us out, so we stopped where it leveled out and set up camp about 8:30pm.
First post: Snuffy’s 2013 Pacific Crest Trail Journal July 20 &21, previous post: Snuffy’s 2013 Pacific Crest Trail Journal Aug 4 & 5. Look to next Thursday for more of my journey on the Pacific Crest Trail!
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