8.13.18. 32 miles.

I didn’t sleep very well last night. I guess I slept some, but I pretty much checked my watch every 1-2 hours. There was something making a lot of noise too. Maybe it was the 2 horses in the corral? I wasn’t too bothered by it actually, but it was loud. I was ready to wake up when my alarm went off at 4:45. I got dressed and ready, hanging out in my quilt bc it was a little chilly. I used the very nice pit toilet one more time, then walked back to the PCT. By the time I got on trail, it was 5:45. I needed my headlamp until about 6:15. The days are getting shorter and it’s dreadfully noticeable.

The morning wasn’t too eventful. There was a pretty cool sunrise due to the smoke, and I saw a family of like 7 deer. Saw a few SOBOs in the earlier hours, and a total of 10 today. They are definitely becoming more prevalent! My big climb of the day was pretty gradual, but over 6 miles. It wasn’t bad at all. I could get used this gradual climbing in Oregon. Following the uphill was a downhill with flat spots interspersed. I took lunch at a shelter with a water pump, and I didn’t take any pictures. Oops.

The mileage wasn’t too accurate on this sign

I met 5 NOBO hikers there, finally seeing some people hiking in my direction. They include Shoesie, Rooster, and Chongo. They (or a few) are self-proclaimed LASH-ers (Long Ass Section Hikers) and started in Lone Pine and have been hopping around to the sections they want to do. They were nice.

I was really appreciating the nice, forested shade that my afternoon started with, but that quickly turned into exposed lava fields. Sometimes the trail was very nicely groomed, with all of the loose rock pushed aside, but some was very slippery and rocky. My least favorite kind of trail. There was a bit of up and down in this section. A couple of the guys passed me, and I found them again after a major paved road near a stream. This stream is the last water for 11 miles. Southern Oregon is pretty dry!

I pulled out my cold soaking jar and started soaking my dinner: cold mashed potatoes, filled up with water, and hiked another 3 uphill miles to the place I wanted to camp. I was actually happy to see others camped here, but I just found out that one of the tents houses a very loud snorer. Seems like he has sleep apnea though, bc he does one big snore and kind of coughs, then sleeps quietly without making a peep. Hopefully I’ll get a good sleep tonight!