PCT Day 99, 19 August 2022 (Friday)
"A Hard Day And Night"
Start Location: |
Wilderness Campsite |
Destination: |
Stevens Pass Ski Lift |
|
PCT Miles Day 99: |
24.4 |
Cum PCT Miles: |
1,816.9 |
|
Non-PCT Miles Day 99: |
0.9 |
Cum All Miles: |
1924.4 |
|
PCT Miles Remaining: |
835.9 |
|
|
|
Elevation Gain Day 99: |
5,415 |
Cum Elevation Gain: |
316,484 |
I know it’s getting redundant, but yeah, today was hard. In a lot of ways it was similar to yesterday. It was straight up, and straight down, straight up, and straight down, etc. Also like yesterday, there were a lot of water sources and generally good views. The difference is that the trail tread today was much more difficult, and therefore, much slower.
The only reason that I did over 24 miles today was that I had to hike into the evening, because, of course, there were no tentsites available. This is the first time that I’ve actually had to hike with my headlamp on. I don’t really like doing that, but I didn’t have a lot of options. I ended up setting up my tent at the top of a mountain near the top of a couple of ski lifts in the Stevens Pass ski area. I know where I set up my tent is not intended to be a campsite. However, it was the only unoccupied flat and smooth ground in the last 7 miles. It isn’t the most ideal spot because it’s pretty exposed to the elements, but it’ll have to do. And I’m glad I found this spot as there are a lot of low clouds settling in and visibility is getting fairly poor. In conditions like this the light from the headlamp can be disorienting as it just reflects off the water vapor that is right in front of your face.
Today also included what was probably the most challenging legs wet water crossing of the entire hike. There is an unnamed stream just described as “cascading stream” that had to be forded. In actuality, it looked more intimidating than it really was. It was actually pretty fun to cross. What made it challenging was the speed and force of the water.
My prediction for tomorrow: Hard.
The aptly named "Cascading Stream" from above
More cascading stream
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