Campsite at mile 972 to "Pooh bear" meadow mile 995
Hiked 22 miles
I got a late start again around 8am is when I started hiking. Today looks like it's going to be kind of tough 4700 ft of climbing and 4200 of down. Let's go!
I started listening to an audio book which is nice to let the mind wonder while the body does the hiking.
For some reason the body isn't liking the hiking today. I am finding the mind doesn't like it either right now. I'm climbing bond pass and it really sucks. I turned off the audio book and found a rock to lay on. I think the rocks are good for your back. Lumpy and hard. For whatever reason I'm just not a happy camper or should I say hiker. I feel low on energy. I eat some snacks and close my eyes. I feel asleep for a minute or two. I open my eyes and looked at the clouds and trees above me. It's nice and peaceful out here.
This is what I was looking at. I'm so down right now. I keep wondering why am I doing this to myself. I don't want to hike anymore today. I look at my pack and I'm over it. I hate that it's so heavy right now. Somethings are going to change Im getting rid of stuff next town stop. This is weird I was feeling so good yesterday. Why am I feeling so crapy. I haven't seen anybody today. Complete solitude. I didn't like it. I just not enjoying myself right now. I don't know how much further I'm going to go.
I despise bears right now because of the stupid bear can I have to carry. I haven't even seen any bears.
Oh yeah and I'm pissing blood again... Awesome. Which is contributing to my downward spiral.
I pulled myself together and realized my attitude sucks. I need to just push on. So I did. I pushed on and on a on... I finally came to some flat ground and realized it's almost dark I'd like to camp with some people so I felt a burst of energy coming on pry from all the snacking I've been doing all day. I finally felt good. I'm in this really nice and long meadow (grace meadow). there is a stream down the middle and the trail is in the trees along the left side it's nice so I push as fast as I can to find some people. It feels good to be feeling good and I'm hammering out the miles. 3 miles went by fast.
I'm happily hiking on with my head down and I smell something. Something kind of like some nasty poop or something. I remembered a story about some smelling something nasty and then finding out there was a bear on the otherside of a car next to them. So I thought, is that a bear I smell. I looked up and stopped abruptly. Shit! It's not shit it's a Bear! There is a nasty smelling bear right in front of me! (15 or 20 yards) I have been thinking over many miles over and over in my head what I would do in this situation. I started yelling as deep and loud as I could. Aaahhhhh get out of here!!! Banging my poles together. I even started hitting and shacking a small tree next to me. I'M A HIKING MONSTER! The bears response... It just starred at me... Crap, I guess this bear isn't afraid of hiking monsters. I kept yelling absentities and started backing up. Till I couldn't see the bear. I wanted to just keep walking the other direction. But that's counter productive. So I guess I'll go around. There wasn't anywhere to cross the stream so I just jumped in the knee deep water and walked through. I walked through the grass on the other side of the stream for about 100 yards and no sign of the pooh bear. Lol so I walked back through the stream again. My adrenalin was pumping pretty good I didn't feel the cold water at all. I found my way back to the trail and kept on hiking. I wanted to put some miles between the two of us. Since I was so not so scary to the bear. I wondered if he would bother me or my bear canister later. I still needed to cook dinner and I knew not all of my food fits in my can so I have to sleep with almost half my food. I went about a mile and I came across a south bound hiker. He stopped to talk to me for a bit. He congratulates me on hiking this far from the Mexico border. I told him about stinky back there. I couldn't help but think how familiar this guy looks. He told me he had hike 500 miles in 21 days. (Holy shit that 23 miles avg a day with resupply and what not) the skeeters where bad so we parted ways. After a few minutes. Holy shit that was Scott Williamson! I didn't ask him his name so I can't confirm it for sure. Scott Williamson is the only person (that I know of, I could be wrong) to yoyo the whole PCT (Mexico to Canada and turn around and go back to Mexico in the same year!) dam I wish I could have gotten a picture. Maybe it wasn't him but oh well. I guess I may never know for sure.
I'm beat. I found the next flat spot and set up the tent. The skeeters where bad so I made dinner in my tent. Yikes everything is going to smell like food. (It does already anyways) I debated on how far away to place my bear can. Do I keep it close so I can hear if stinky comes by and messes with it? Do I want a second chance to try and scare it way? Or do I put it out do ear shot so I can sleep right through?
Yummy
Rice and tastybite Bombay potatoes.
So I put it about 50 feet away so I could be close and protect my food. I put the rest of my food in my oder proof sack.
I'm a little nervous going to sleep but I really need to sleep. I am ready to face whatever happens.
- Posted from my iPhone
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