Start: 0600 - PCT mile 1029.5
End: 2830 - Soda Springs (Micky and Nancy's)
Miles (today): 23.5
Miles (cumulative): 1191.5 (1045 PCT, 91.5 alternate, 55 off)
Knowing someone would be picking us up and treating us to dinner, showers, and a comfy, legit bed was excellent motivation to get up early and get the miles done. :)
Most of the hike consisted of walking the ridgelines, although there were several intense inclines to get through, too. I really enjoy walking the ridgelines - I love being so high and being able to see for miles (although it does get pretty windy up there... Which is part of the fun)
the sun over the lake was beautiful- although difficult to capture in a picture
it's fun walking on the ridgelines
As I said, some of the inclines we hiked were pretty long and steep. My form of attack with the inclines is to just do it - I don't like to stop, I just want to get it over with. As a result, I hiked for 7 hours without seeing Nick (he approaches inclines differently). Alas, I eventually ran out of water and so had to stop to wait for him so I could purify some (we decided that the person behind should carry steri-pen). Sometimes waiting is a nice break but other times it really messes with my flow; Today it definitely messed with my flow - after sitting for 1.5 hours it was really tough to get going again.
And this is where I'd like to give some advice to all those couples out there who are thinking about hiking together - unless you will be hiking next to each other all day, I recommend each of you having your own stuff (like water purifier). Nick and I thought it made sense weight-wise to share as much stuff as we could, but our hiking styles are so wildly different that sharing things (like a water purifier) can be tricky. (Mary is sending me my own purifier- a sawyer squeeze - in the next resupply package she mails out.). Sharing a tent is fine (you can survive a night without one by cowboy camping) and I suppose sharing the cooking stuff is fine, too (you can cold soak your meals).... But access to clean water is essential.
Even though I waited 1.5 hours for Nick in the afternoon, at the end of the day he ended up waiting for me. My leg is mostly ok but I'm still wary about rocky downhills and so go really slow ... And that's how the day ended, with miles of rocky downhill. (When I get my own stuff we won't have to wait for each other so much!) It's all ok though, because 1. There was a cooler of trail magic at the end from which I snagged and apple and 2. Nancy was there with cold water and the promise of a wonderful evening away from the trail.
there was an apple in here just for me!
And oh, was it a wonderful evening! Nancy and Micky are so nice and fun to talk to! (Nancy is a friend of Nick's former boss, Paul.) After showering (oh, to be clean!) we enjoyed chips, salsa, guacamole, and fresh green beans/pea pods as a pre-dinner snack. For dinner we gorged ourselves on quesadillas, salad, and fresh corn on the cob. The delicious dessert was ice cream with fresh raspberries. I ate so much that I'm actually full!
Oh! And in their guest bathroom they have two of my favorite cartoons of all time - the Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes. It made me so happy! :)
I love the Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes!
the view from their back porch
Micky designed the house and it is stunning
where we get to sleep!
they chose the apple figure
a selfie with trail Angels Nancy and Micky
Along the trail:
We walked by several ski resorts today - it's pretty obvious what people like to do here!
more cool rock formations