PCT Day 30: Lessen Learned

Day 30 6-17-2015     Sleep 2300 – 330
Miles 1351 – 1401

            Well it was beautifully smooth terrain and I was running.  About 500 feet at a time.  There were down trees everywhere.  The down trees were huge with lots of branches.  This sucks.  Each time I get running, I almost get into a groove then stop.  Have to figure out how to get around these trees.  I had gotten so pissed that I just started walking all together.  There was a beautiful volcano off to my left (Lessen) but I could care less.  I was hot again and in a bad mood.  Come on Joey, don’t be a baby.  Shut up mind.  You don’t know what this is like.  Wait a minute, you always say you like a challenge.  Isn’t that why you are out here killing yourself?  Yes, what is your point?  Well aren’t the downed trees just another challenge?  Good call mind.  Challenge accepted.  I was running again, but shortly after my epiphany, the downed trees stopped…almost to my disappointment.  Now the trail was pine needley bomber descent.  A hero trail if I ever saw one.  So smooth and soft, my feet rejoiced!  For probably ten miles I just bombed down totally in the groove and not feeling a thing.  Except of course for the heat that was slow cooking me into one of those dehydrate meals other hikers eat.  I hit the road that put me at my resupply point.  A beautiful gas station with AC. 
            I took my time doing my shopping.  After feeling the AC, I had no motivation to keep on hiking in the afternoon heat.  I drank as much juice as I could stomach, used the facilities and then laid down in the shade for a nap.  Also, the next thirty miles had no water source and only one unreliable water cache.  I wasn’t going to tackle this in the mid afternoon sun/heat.  Three hours go by, with hardly a wink of sleep.  I am finding it very difficult to get any sleep with it being this hot.

            So here we go hiking off into the night.  The whole section was pretty much all flat.  The trail skirted along the ridge of the bluff.  It provided a nice breeze and I felt cool almost cold.  Once again I was starting to head bob.  I would have just given in right away, but I wanted to get closer to some water.  I didn’t have to go long, there was water at the cache.  I drank some and filled up full.  Walked a few more minutes just to brush my teeth.  I passed out immediately. 
Lessen and the tree massacre

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