370.9 – 385.1

Guess what!  Today I make us all a green smoothie for brekkie! I get a green smoothie for brekkie!!!  I’m so excited I’m bouncing of the walls. It’s tasty and green and full of all the things I should be eating but cannot on the trail. Despite my extra energy it still takes a long time to get back to trail as I have to spend time on my phone ordering new things and replacement things and using the wifi while I have it.  I have a delicious mini cup of blueberry coffee with almond milk for FREE from the café and have my photo taken for their PCT hiker log.

We grab a hitch from town and are on the trail around 1115.  Raven, Little Foot and I get stopped about 5 times by a school group that is hiking through the area today. Each time we answer questions about the trail, our packs, bears, out trail names and how far we walk.  It’s quite fun but eats up a lot of time!  We come across a group of older hikers who hold out bananas and grapes and snickers (I pass mine on!) for us as we walk past! Moving trail magic! I love it 😉  They are a local hiking group who are used to the PCT hikers and our appetites 🙂

We stop at the bottom of Baden Powell to eat some food to reduce a tiny fraction of the weight on our backs and then start to tackle it. Holy poo. This is a tough one. I stop waaaaaay too many times. I think my pace is about .2 miles per hour. Lots of heaving breathing. Crazy steep steep ups.

It takes forever but I am finally at the top. I waste too much time trying to take selfies with the giant American flag and a beautiful 1500 year old tree at the top (that some w*nker has put their initials in. Grrrr).

It’s a beautiful trail down from there. All heading down and towards my next water source. I hustle because there is a campground close by that is notorious for bear activity and I want to be nowhere near there when I sleep!  The spring is gorgeous and I’m sad I didn’t get there earlier to spend some time, but I collect water and march on, past the scary bear land and down the trail a little way.  It is getting dark so I start to panic that bears will be out and about, so I sing a fabulous Beach Boys medley to keep them away.  (It’s common forest knowledge that Bears aren’t Beach Boys Fans… or maybe that they are scared away by out of breath, out of tune, loud singing). I cross my fingers that I don’t encounter anyone else along the way! haha.
A great little spot presents itself about .7 miles from the campground, and I set up my tent.  Unfortunately every little noise in the woods tonight belongs to a bear that is coming to eat me, so sleep is a little tricky. But my eyes and tired body are masters over my overactive mind these days, so I’m off to dreamland in the quickest of blinks. zzzzzzz.