May 2, 2026. No clouds, mid-40s going up to 83.
Up at 5:45. On trail at 6:30. Carrying 3 liters of water.
Today started with a long, hard climb. We kept ascending for 14.5 miles. The first 2 hours were not too bad, but it got hot by 8:30 and just kept on climbing. The views were pretty much the same all day.
One new thing today were the black flies. They were around all day, but swarmed whenever you stopped. Little suckers bite too!
This is the largest pine cone that I have ever seen!
Got to the road by Mikes Place at 1:30 and there was trail magic. Hosted by two PCT hikers from last year. Everybody is worn out from that last 14.5 miles uphill with no water and nasty heat. The trail magic is awesome, especially the shade!
Grabbed 4 liters of water from the tanks by Mikes Place. Lots of hikers taking naps in the shade by the tanks.
Mike’s place is a cabin where a guy named Mike lives and lets hikers camp on his property. When he is in residence, he provides snacks and a toilet. He was not there when I got water. Apparently, he showed up later in the evening, and the youngsters had a hell of a desert party with beer and cheap tequila.
Brad and I headed out at 3:30. Limited tenting spots ahead, and we want to claim one before the crowd gets there.
The next water is 12.6 or 13.5 miles away, depending on how clean you want your water. More on that with pictures tomorrow. Therefore, we carried 4 liters out of Mike’s place.
We trudged 4.6 more miles mostly uphill and found some decent spots to camp. Kellie and another hiker joined us. Glad we left early as at least a dozen others passed by looking for a place to camp.
We had camp set up by 5:30. No cell service, no surprise.
It is amazing how dusty it is out here. Sand is one thing, but the dust is almost as fine as talcum powder and gets into everything.
Overall, another damn hard day. That makes for back-to-back 20-mile days. My feet are not happy at all! I had to make dinner in my tent vestibule lying down to get my feet to stop screaming.
Technical Notes:
- Pop Tart 340
- Slim Jim 140
- Skittles 120
- Croissant 350
- Kpop ramen 580
- Sweet Spicy tuna 80
- Fritos 350
- Propel x 1
- Water liters: 5
- Miles: 20.15
- Time: 9:00
- Up: 3883
- Down: 2145
- Calories consumed: 1960
- Calories burned: 3694
- iPhone battery used: 30%
Leave a Reply