Mile 2,442 to CS_DutchM1
Miles: 25
Slept in until a luxurious 6:45AM this morning. I didn't feel the need to rush a full day of hiking.
I set out with Hayden from camp around 7:30AM. We had a few miles of relative flat to warm up before a 2,000 foot climb up a pass. Beginning the climb, I ran into a northbound hiker who is hiking all of the Washington PCT. "I got to warm up with my most difficult stream crossing of Washington so far," she said in a chipper the-hard-stuff-is-behind-me voice. The stream was only a couple miles ahead, so I had some time to look forward to it. In my mind, I kept repeating the line "the hard parts are the best parts."
The stream was a gushing creek running down a steep slope, but not the monstrous swollen river that I was expecting. I scoped it out for a couple minutes, I finally found a spot fifty yards down the creek (and the mountain) that seemed safe to cross. A couple minutes later, after a few hops and a scramble up he brush on the opposite side, I was over. Hayden took my dame route. I was psyched to have conquered "the worst stream crossing in Washington" and let out a victory yell. I told Hayden, "that wasn't so bad." Then I walked twenty feet and saw the other fork of the stream, and our trail continuing on the far side. Of course.
This time, after a longer scouting session, I found a submerged wobbly log that I thought could serve as a good stepping stone. I took my shoes and socks off and, knowing that it probably wasn't the best idea, threw them over to the other side so that I wouldn't have to carry them. Luckily they landed safely. I extended my hiking poles to the max, and gingerly stepped onto a rock, then the wobbly log. I could feel the log shift under my feet. I consciously told myself not to think about the rushing current and sharp rocks. I braced, and jumped, and made it across. This time, though I was sure that there was no more stream to cross, I did not celebrate. Best not to taunt nature.
The miles didn't come easy today. Between two 2,000 foot climbs, and a bunch of up and down in the middle, it was a pretty challenging day. Most of all, though, I lacked the energy that I've had in past days. I think that it's some combination of calorie deficit and dehydration. I've been consuming about 3,000 calories per day, but I likely need more. Also, I just noticed that my dinners alone have 100% of my daily sodium, so I'm probably dehydrating myself with too much salt.
After the first climb, while Hayden hung back in the shade to make coffee and have second breakfast, I found a sunny spot with an incredible view and I pulled out my harmonica. I still suck at the harmonica, but I had a blast spending thirty minutes blasting poorly executed harmonica riffs into the valley below. The track list included: Desperado, You Are My Sunshine, Home On The Range, Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay, and Somewhere Over The Rainbow.
Two thirds of the way through the day, we came upon the "Goldmeyer Alternate" trail. There are a handful of alternate trails along the PCT. Generally, they are not part of the PCT and are meant to deviate from the trail to hit a local highlight. Since they follow the direction of the PCT, and loop back to the trail at different points, some add a few miles while other alternates are a bit shorter than the equivalent PCT section. The Goldmeyer Alternate is intended to hit the Goldmeyer hot springs and is 5-10 miles shorter than the same PCT section (the maps are unclear).
Though Hayden opted to stay true to the PCT, I was enamored with the idea of hot springs and a bit of a shortcut. I also knew that the PCT was about to make another 2,000 foot ascent, and I hoped that the Goldmeyer trail might be more forgiving.
The Goldmeyer trail was not more forgiving. I did an immediate ascent of over 2,000 feet. Nonetheless, the views made it all worth it. I climbed up to Dutch Gap and, having achieved the higher elevation of the ridges and nearby mountain tops, I emerged into a world of alpine lakes, waterfalls, and quiet prairies. It was superb.
I pushed onward past Dutch Gap to cap off a big mile day. My goal for today's push was to take the pressure off of tomorrow, so that I can do fewer miles and, hopefully, soak my achin' muscles and bones in some hot springs.
Random anecdote from midday today:
I put on a bunch of DEET in the heat of the day today since I was being swarmed by mosquitos and flies. Within a couple hours, the DEET wore off (or was absorbed into my system, which is worrisome), and the bugs came back with a vengeance. As I was being swarmed post-DEET, I kept picturing one of the scenes from Game of Thrones, The Battle of the Bastards episode, toward the end of the episode.
[POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT FOR 2016 SEASON OF GAME OF THRONES]
Backstory: Ramses (me) has trained mosquitos to hunt for him.
The scene: Ramses is sitting next to a pond in the middle of the forest.
Enter Sansa (forest sprite)
Sansa stands twenty feet from Ramses, facing him. Sansa raises both hands and thousands of mosquitos coalesce and slowly buzz toward Ramses
Ramses: my mosquitos will never hurt me. They are obedient creatures.
Sansa: but you haven't fed them in seven days
Mosquitos fall upon Ramses and suck all of the blood out of his body until he looks like a raisin.