PCT 8/27 Day 4: Start: 1743 plus 2.8 mile hitch End: 1751.5 Wake up around 1:30am absolutely starving. Bad choice to not eat dinner - just the pie and a beer. Dug into apricot slices, string cheese and dried apples. Updated my notes aka Facebook blog and checked the PCTA website for weather and trail reports. Saw the official closure of the PCT at mile 1780 for the next 50 miles, which puts the reopen just south of Crater Lake. EXACTLY where I am headed. Spent an hour looking up reroutes (none yet) and leapfrog options. Couldnt fall back asleep for a long time as I am so very sore everywhere, especially my feet. Hoping it doesnt take 4 weeks to get my trail legs. Took a long time to get moving in the morning..all parts aching. The bed was ridiculously comfy but I was too sore to really enjoy it. Swiped a coffee filter from the room to clean my sunglasses for the rest of the trip- works great! The Inn is 2.8 miles from the trail...walked about .30 mile as 5 vehicles went by before I scored a hitch. Cris is a line cook at a diner in Ashland- refused any $$ for the 2.5 miles he was driving anyway- and it would have taken me 5 minutes to dig out my money. Trail was a bit hard to find, across the road it is clearly marked but not here. Once I started, I was almost immediately overcome with a headache from the heat- no shade for the next 4 miles. Finally made it into a forested area and had to stop as my pinkie toe was on fire. Yep, blister #8. Crap. My socks worked well on shorter distances but cant handle the heat, the dirty trail or my sweaty feet. Made an effort to eat food to lighten my load even though this resupply has to last thru Sunday morning- 4.5 days of food weighing about 12lbs plus a full load of water. Thats another 4.4lbs. Three strikes against me with the heat, my feet and the load. Made it to Hyatt Lake campground and called it quits. Met camp host Gary who loaded me onto his golf cart and drive me to a great site next to the showers and didnt charge me. Oh what a relief to get in the shade! Took a shower with my clothes on and washed out my socks as best I could. Tended to my toes and took a nap. Gary and wife Linda came by around 5:30pm and brought me fresh grapes. What a treat! Then the other camp host, Mel, came over with her red heeler Scout. Hes super lovey yet focused on his tennis ball. Happy to play w/him for a bit. Told all of them about the trail closure at Hwy 140 to the southern border of Crater Lake. Boiled Mediterranean Salmon in a bag and made instant mashed potatoes- baby reds with garlic, the package says. YUM. Trying to eat the heaviest items tonight and tomorrow morning before I leave. On to another subject: earworms. I havent yet listened to music as I want to enjoy the sounds, so of course I find my head runs songs over and over- mostly just portions as I dont know the words. Yesterday morning was Folsom Prison Blues in the morning, Down by the Water (Decemberists) in the afternoon, and Fields of Gold in the evening as I literally walked through fields of golden grasses. Not bad, but hoping for a better selection tomorrow!
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 17:29:23 +0000
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