Day 42, Water... or lack there of

June 2
Robin Bird Spring mile 602 to Willow Spring 621

Hiked 19 miles

I woke up around the usual time. I was feeling less than motivated to get going. Everyone at the camp was starting to get up. I saw that I was camped by Ranger Jan. He was up and I said you wouldn't believe the night I had last night. The person from last night pipes up and says "oh yeah, well atleast you didn't have someone pointing a light in your face all night"

...Yeah I'm just going to leave this alone...

I proceeded to give them the story.

We all got up and got water from the spring they all left and I was still there going through my food bag and organizing my stuff. I was slowly packing up. Indy came walking by he laughed and "haha you made it all the way here?" yeah buddy 30 miles yesterday, well 29. I saw some other hikers I didn't know come by. Then I saw Auto. I haven't seen him since Kick Off. He was like 100 miles ahead of me before I even started I thought. He didn't remember who I was till I told him I am the guy with the chair lol. He said he felt good and needed to get going cause in a mile he wasn't going to feel good. I'm not sure what that means. Ok see ya later.

I filled up my water ate breakfast. It was past 9 by the time I started the trail. I'm walking really slow this morning. I don't really feel to good (this is what happens when you don't eat dinner). I need to stop and eat some more I decided.

So Yeah. The snakes don't bother me anymore really. They are old news. It just startled me.

So I was back in business after my little break. Time to make up for lost time. I didn't get any water at the last spring I was at where my friend the snake was. I had plenty but I will need to stop at the next one.

Next stop is Landers Camp fire tank mile 608.

I was about a mile from the the Spring and I found some trekking poles by a fire pit leaned up against a bench in some some campsite. I grabbed them and strapped them to the side of my pack. I'll pry run into the owner of them coming back to get them in a mile or two. You don't hike over 600 miles with poles and then just walk off without them, at least you don't go to far before you realize something major is missing. like the things you always have in your hands.

I reached the spring and it flows into this huge tank. and the overflow comes out of this pipe and it flows into this drum cut in half which then pours on the ground. This is the best flowing spring I have seen all trail. It is super clear and cold. I fill up with two liters from here and I try and drink a liter and half. I ask the other two hikers there if they where missing poles. They were not. Tarzan had seen the poles earlier but just passed by. I got my water and left. I wrote a note in the dirt and the top of the hill letting whoever know that I have found trekking poles and I was going to carry them to mile 621 tonight.(incase they are somehow behind me)

I wasn't that far behind Tarzan I wanted to catch him and walk to the Willow Spring with him since it was going to be getting dark by the time we would get there. I walked for miles I was even running down the hills and still no sign. I could see his Cascadia shoe prints on the trail. I think I am now traumatized for life now when it comes to night hiking alone lol (at least till I get bear spray).

I came to my first trail magic and cache that wasn't empty! Pretty excited. There was Starbucks Iced coffee drinks, sodas and capri suns! how cool is that. I grabbed a coffee and I pulled out my chair and was considering camping right here since I still had over a hour of walking to do get to this spring. The spring was 3.2 mile alternate route off the PCT. I knew everyone else would be camped there. I sat and rested for a while. weighing my options. Screw it lets go.

I hiked fast as my little legs would go. I got to the altnernate trail and ran down this little Gully. I noticed on the map that I could climb out of the gully and cut across to the spring. So I saved a quarter mile. I saw a bunch of hikers here. Rolling Boulder and Vestibule where the first to greet me. I walked around and found a good spot to camp. I think I'll get water in the morning.

I realized that it was dumb for me to come down here. Cause there was a freshly stocked up water cache by the trail magic and I could have saved myself the 1.5ish mile detour. dammit. There is a 20 mile stretch of no water after here to the next water cache. They say never count on a cache but my water report says over 100 gallons there. So I should be good. If it's dry though it's like 30 miles to next water, yikes.

I fell like I should wake up really early and do 30 miles to the next water source. But I always want to do 30 and it never happens. Guess we shall see.




- Posted from my iPhone