PCT Field Notes

Out of the River into the Lake The heat comes early. Just like the flowers, summer is in full bloom. I had a morning dream, a blue bird was telling to get up and get moving as “the adventure was starting.” So I woke excitedly and quickly open my tent, a moment in time between reality and dream. I then sit there with my head out of my tent, wondering what the hell just happened. The day is full of tree blowdowns. I find myself balancing and climbing throughout the day. One balancing act has me landing in a thicket of thistles. The trail sings to me, but she also tests me. In the second patch of dense overgrowth and blowdowns, I have a moment where I feel I may lose my cool. I take a deep breath, and continue on, there’s nothing to gain from losing my temper, though I’ll curse the trail later. The trail gives way, sending me crashing into the ground multiple times. Gnarled roots stick out like hands looking to drag me under. I take a break finally, the heat has me sweating furiously. I e...

  A Walk through Desolation   Taking a slow day from the hotel. I trim my face, my nails, try to lean into self care, this may be the last bed I sleep in for a long time. The shower is big, so I sit in the hot water for quite some time, letting everything melt. I am tired and calm. I decide to Uber to the trailhead at Echo Lake. I would have had to take the bus to the highway then try hitching, too much time already has passed today, it’s a cheap ride anyway. About a mile in, I find a random geocache. A pill bottle full of plastic jewels. I was a little disappointed. The lakes are abundant and the smell is rich with plant life, I am in the Desolation Wilderness.  Lake Aloha Looks like he’s going to ask me to go stay the night with his friend  The mosquitoes are quick to find me. They don’t hurt like the Sierra ones. I pass Lake Aloha, which is spectacular but I’m not tempted to swim, I’ve had a shower just this morning, so I feel no need for a rinse. I push up throug...

I’m Sailing Away I spend the morning catching up on blog writing. I wish to get to more “in the moment” writing, as I keep losing good nuggets that come in the moment. I had ran the numbers in ChatGPT the day before, once again, it tells me to chill out, I don’t need to be hiking 25 miles a day, I’m at a good pace. I struggle to accept that a bit, but it also eases any tension within me about my daily mileage goals, I can enjoy things more. Cookies offers to take us out on his small sailboat and teach us how to sail. It’s a definitive yes. It’s also a great break from the laziness of the day. We set off from the lake shore into the water. Dina takes the first go and catches plenty of wind to get across Pinecrest Lake. The sun is hot on our skin and we find a place to land and swim. The lake is the warmest I’ve been in so far, nearly 70 degrees I’d say. I do a bit of swimming and quickly feel the fatigue in my upper body, realizing how out of tune it is. I sail the way back, against the...