PCT, Day 61

I start walking at about 6:30 a.m. The path goes up to over 3200 meters again. I still struggle with breathing. It takes a while for the body to get accustomed to the elevation. At the top, there are great views. I am also amazed by the fighter jets flying around, several times passing just between me and a mountain in a side position, turning around and shooting down into Death Valley. If they weren't so fast, I could see the pilot as they are just a few hundred meters in front of me.

I only walk about 17 km today. The next campsite with water is too far. I am glad about the short day and arrive at 1:30 p.m. I sit in the shade. There is a great tent spot, but right now, there are hikers lying around for a siesta. I have to wait until they continue before I can set up my tent.

The landscape today is most interesting to me. In this southern part of the Sierras, I am currently walking through Sequoia National Park. Today, I walk through a lot of rock formations, with Sequoia trees in between and many dead, fallen, or burned-out trees. Those trees look like sculptures to me. It feels like walking through a big sculpture garden. At one point, I see some bones. I don’t yet know from what animal.

I stay at camp with Lost and Found, an engineer from Alaska who lost stuff but also found a lot, hence the trail name. My digestion is still crazy. I have 5 more days but only 85 km in total to cover. I am walking much less per day, hoping that my body handles it better and that I don't lose much more weight.