Snuffy’s 2014 Pacific Crest Trail Journal-Oregon Day 3

You can read the first post in this series here.

July 4th

I woke up at 4am today, happy July 4th!  Not being in a super hurry, it was 5:45am by the time I got my stuff together and loaded in my pack. I had gone to bed sore again, but didn’t wake up terribly stiff. As I passed by the campground at Lola Pass, I could see the crowd that had been camped there.  The site was filled with three tents, a bivy and a hammock (although, it didn’t appear to have an occupant). I was thinking they were hikers but the camp chairs made me a little unsure. Either way, they were still sleeping hard as I continued down the trail.

I am realizing how much better I have gotten at reading maps than last year. I find myself able to gauge where I am without using the app, and it makes me feel pretty confident. I also realize that having toenails this year makes a difference as my feet swell each day. Darn those toenails!

Another thing I am noticing this year is that my feet are beginning to be sore much earlier in the day than last year and I am feeling a little more tired. Not sure if it’s the arthritis or what I am eating. I didn’t think I had made that much of a change from last year, but I can look at my foods and see they are protein/fat heavy. My carbs are more in my meals and less in my snacks. I know that if my body needs fuel, it can pull it from the fat and protein, but it wouldn’t hurt to see how I can add more complex carbs to my snacks (mostly in the form of dried fruit/dates right now).

I can tell you that the toasted coconut chips are divine and I will be making more of them (unfortunately, a fat). The homemade date bars and almond butter “goop” have been really good, too. By the time I get to my car tomorrow, my snacks will be pretty used up but I will have extra “meals”. I will adjust that next time, fewer meals and more snacks.

Feeling the need to take some Ibuprofen/Tylenol by 9:30am today although I am not going very fast. I am managing a 2 mile an hour pace, which is my goal though.
I only saw two hikers heading southbound as I arrived back at the Indian Spring junction; I had expected to see people at the amazing outlook just south of there. I guess they were still making their way up from the trailhead for the weekend.

From here, I headed north on the “official” PCT to Wahtum Lake and that is where the crowds were. The trail follows a fairly well maintained road; you can drive both to the lake and to the Indian Spring junction. The camping spots at the lake were filling up, hikers carrying both packs and coolers. I could hear the echoes of children as I found a spot to take my shoes off and soak my feet in the lake.

I have made this a habit every day and it seems to help. I can see I will be doing it as much as possible for all my future hikes.   I also took some more pain medication. I can tell my gut is not happy about it but what can I do? Definitely need to get some of the probiotic pills I meant to order but didn’t have a chance to before I took off for this hike.

After a short break, I headed up away from the PCT. There was a spring just a few 100 yards up, I chatted with two gentlemen there getting water, out for a few days on the PCT. I asked them how far they were going and if they knew how the camp sites were (or how level the trail would be). They said they had talked to someone who said there was one about 5 miles up. I told them I might see them there if that’s where they planned to stop.

Leaving them behind, I made it to mile 2145, just before the Benson Plateau. It was actually a trail junction that could take you down to Eagle Creek and it had at least 3 sites and a small spring. Just before reaching the campsite, there is a nice crest where I stopped to eat dinner and brush my teeth. This is another new routine, brushing my teeth after dinner but before I get to camp. Even if I eat something, I’m good for the evening and can worry less about smells at camp.

I did get to the campsite by 5pm but decided 20 miles was enough for the day. I chose a site back from the trail and walked just a tad down a side trail to the spring for water.   This area has clearly seen a fire recently, the bottoms of the trees are black and there is very little vegetation.   It’s also fairly popular by folks not familiar with LNT, lots of toilet paper under logs/rocks. Super gross.

The two gentlemen from earlier eventually made it up to where I was but camped in another site at the same junction, but I was really tired and unfortunately not very social. I will have to say here that one of the disadvantages of having a smaller/lighter backpack is that there is less for stuffing to make a pillow. After getting into my tent, I did some reading (trying to finish that darn 2nd Divergent book) and then drifted off to sleep. Well, kind of. Being only 10 miles from a town and close to several “camps” up on the plateau, I was serenaded for a few hours by a cacophony of fireworks.

If you are wondering about the no toenails last year comment, the January before I started my PCT hike in 2013 I did a training hike where the combination of miles, pack weight and shoes caused me to lose both my big toenails.  So, by the time July rolled around they were still not fully grown in (it take up to a year).  I didn’t realize what a difference this made until the next year when I was back out on the trail again.  I can see why some runners just have theirs removed to avoid any possible problems.

For the continuation of this journey, visit Snuffy’s 2014 Pacific Crest Trail Journal-Oregon Day 4

To start at the beginning, head over to Snuffy’s 2014 Pacific Crest Trail Journal-Oregon Day 1