PCT, Day 14

The night was restless. I had to run to the toilet many times. I get some Imodium from Navigator in the morning, and it helps. I guess it is nervousness. The next stretch will be challenging. Water will be scarce, and we will also encounter deep snowy sections. I have no idea what to expect, and I assume that I will also lose the guys who have gotten much faster than me.

Everyone is ready at 8:00, but our driver does not show up until 8:50. This gives us the first opportunity to see a coyote who is just walking around the cabin.

I lift all the backpacks, and it turns out that mine is the heaviest. I thought so. My stuff is just much warmer and therefore heavier. Frostbite seems to carry almost nothing. He is tough, and the low weight makes him very fast on the trail. He makes fun of my backpack and asks if I have a child in there. He decides to name my backpack Emma, and from then on, it is Emma, which I seem to feed a lot.

We start walking around 9:20. I carry 3 liters of water. The next water source is around 20 km away. It is hot, and we are walking uphill. I soon lose the guys. When I get to the crossing that leads to the water, I drop Emma and start walking downhill. The water is 1.5 km off the trail. It is a steep way down as well as another 1.5 km walking up with 3 liters of water.

I am tired and hungry once I am back up and have a quick lunch (Snickers and chips in tortillas). Navigator waits for me, and we decide to try to walk another 6 km before setting up the tent. We make about 4 km. It is late. There is only a spot for one tent, so we decide to Cowboy Camp. The spot is protected from the wind, and we have a view down to Palm Springs.

Tomorrow there will be an elevation gain of 2000 m, and I'll probably have to walk in snow. I don't know how this is going to be. I still have to be careful with water too. The next water source is about 12 km away.

Mountain desert walk:

Cowboy camping: