Miles today: 30.5

Trail miles sum: 1196

Trail location: 1878.3

Elevation: 5831

Spinning on the turntable: Alanis Morissette: Jagged little pill

I’m finding some excitement in the bigger mileage hiking days. It’s a very different mindset. I need to be focused on continual, consistent movement the entire day. Ten miles by 10AM, twenty miles by 2PM. So far I’m able to usually hit the 10/10, but I start slowing down around noon and miss the 20/2.

This morning I was chatting with a hiker who was going to climb this mountain. He invited me along. He mentioned that it was a class four technical scramble and ropes were suggested. I declined.

I was so absorbed in my discussion with him that I missed my trail junction and walked down the wrong trail for 10 minutes. Curses. I returned to the apex and selected the proper trail. Lost time=25 minutes.

There was a tiny bit of snow on the trail here and there, but nothing serious.

I chatted with a super friendly SOBO hiker for a bit. Lost time=10 minutes.

I stopped for my morning break and a water refill at an amazing river.

The mosquitoes were ferocious. Just swarming all around.

When I checked my 10/10 progress I found that I missed it by two miles. The wrong turn and chatty spell cost me two miles. Not a big deal at 10AM, but a pain at 6:30 when I want to be done for the day and need two more miles.

Hitting the highest point of the PCT was so important that I missed it! It just seemed like an open meadow to me.

I kept plodding along throughout the afternoon and met up with Noelle around 6:30.

There were other hikers next to the trailhead so we sat with them and ate our dinner. It’s weird. We have a lot of food in the van but I’m reluctant to start eating a big meal in front of my fellow hikers. I don’t want to be nonchalant about my easy access to food but nor do I want to be hungry.

Noelle and I split a Mountain home dinner and then I had a big snack when we said goodnight and retired to the van.