6.16.18+6.17.18
Day 64: Mammoth Resuppply
We resupplied in Mamoth. It was a nice little ski town. There was enough depth to explore and with free trollies and nice Cafes, it made getting chore done quick work.
We messed around the town until the last trolly out at 4:45 and was on it headed to Horseshoe Lake. Happy, Kevin, Lush, Reaper, Ladybug, Sissyphus, Vertigo, Trainwreck, and Cowboy all hiked the 0.6 miles to McCloud Lake to sleep for the night. The lake was awesome and we all sat on the beach chatting hang hanging out w our dinners and a few brews we packed out. It was indeed, a good day!
6.17.18: The slow walk.
My sleeping pad had been recently leaking at a pretty slow rate, after which I patched 2 holes I found. Only tonight, on a particularly cold night, the pad began rapid decompression. Every 45 minutes I would wake, cold, and my body on the ground from the deflated pad.
I must have moved quickly in the night because a muscle on my left side was enflamed and irritated. It hurt to agony and ny time I tried to relax it, the muscle would send searing pains to my brain. 1:45, 2:45, 3:45, I wouldnt sleep, and when finally 4:45came round. I got up and packed up to start hiking. It was the worst sleep on trail I’ve ever had.
I pressed out of camp first, and soon Reaper, then Lush followed. Reaper caught up to me, and with coffee in hand we chatted as we padded down the forested trail. He told me about where he was from and what he did before the PCT. We chatted on about bear attacks, wildlife, post PCT life, sports, anythin under the sun really.
Soon we had already hiked the 3 miles to the PCT and soon after the 4 miles to Devils Postpile. We decided to do the small side trip and check out the awesome basalt columns and learn how they were made while taking in their beauty.
Afterwards, Reaper pressed on and I scrambed around to get more pictures. Soon Ladybug came rolling through, asking about the rest of the crew, then pressed on himself. My back was still hurting and the exhaustion of the sleepless night was getting to me. I dragged along the trail. I tried to enjoy the creeks, mountains, flora, and fauna, but I was seriously dragging butt!
I pulled over, had a snack and resigned myself to a nice nap below a tree., Just 40minutes had passed and I woke once again, ready for the trail. I grogilly got up and pressed n, up and up through th switchbacks, across the Soda Springs trailhead, and finally into the valley that would lead me to the,Thousand Island Lake, and Island Pass.
Soon Tornado popped in behind me and we chatted on and hiking up hgiher towards the lake. Soon the magnificent Mt. Davis came into view and we both paused whatever conversation we were having in awe of the massive mountain!
After stopping for pictures we chatted on and hiked up until finally reaching a sutable camp. Soon Lush rolled in, and from our slower pace i learned that the guys had already gone over the pass. I was in no shape for that tonight, so the camp we made would have to do.
Tornado – 40s, Musician, from Roanoke Va. Went to school for meteorology and then got into music, making 4 albums and touring for 40,000 people. Kevin Selfe and the Tornadoes. After finishing the AT in 2017 and a strange string of evens, he found himself single and on the PCT hiking north.
Reaper – 25, from San Francisco, went to Whitman college in Walla Walla for English. His mother was a wrighter and his father big into backpacking. Reaper was an unltarunner and a veagan. He worked in silicon valley with a startup that make plant based air cleaning devices for industrial buildings. Hes not sure what hell do with his life once finishing the PCT. One step at a time he says.
Outdoor Sierra Explorer Suggestion: Luor Pantilat
