Sherpa and I set my alarm for 5 a.m. the night before but I woke up 10 till and jumped out of bed to catch the bathroom before everyone woke up. Then I went back to get Sherpa up and found her turning off my alarm. Whoops!
We got our gear together, I had some coffee and we waited for the rest of the crew to be ready. I slipped Hillbilly a donation and he thanked me. Soon everyone was loading up in his pickup truck to head to the trailhead. I snapped a photo of the group and then we took off.
At the trailhead we said goodbye and headed off in a big column of about 6 or 7 of us. Sherpa and I were right behind the first person and we couldn’t seem to find a good way to politely pass. I took a video of one of Sherpa’s failed attempts. It was hilarious, at least for me because when I want to pass someone I am not afraid of speaking up. Sherpa expects people to be “more aware of their surroundings” and instead is content to just clicking her poles on the rocks, hoping they will get the hint. She didn’t, but luckily there was someone who stopped to talk to the group and Sherpa and I seized the opportunity!
We accelerated for a bit and then hit our normal rhythm. Flame and Beve were right behind us for a while and eventually Beve passed us. The hiking was very pleasant and to our right was a enormous wind farm. Before long we entered the wind farm property and section c of the PCT.
After a few more miles we came across a sign leading hikers to the wind farm office for water and shade. We wanted to check it out just to see what the setup was like and as we approached a man in a pickup truck said there was water and Gatorade inside. Sherpa almost cried she was so excited and it was worth it. The Gatorade was premixed fruit punch, very strong and delicious!
We helped ourselves and said hi to a few hikers inside and then hit the road. As the day went on the hiking was more and more enjoyable and beautiful. We entered high prairies overlooking vast canyons
Our next destination was Whitewater Preserve. Our friend Crash left his sleeping pad there and I was going to pick it up for him and mail it. Sherpa didn’t want to hike the .5 miles in so she hiked on.
The preserve was on a small river that lay in the bottom of a canyon. The river bed was all white stones and white sand and it stood in contrast to the tan canyon walls and grassy hills above. It had a very nice layout and I spent a few minutes snapping pictures of a wading pool and a sand shade hut.
Afterwards I went into The rangers station quickly located Crash’a pad behind the counter, and meandered back to the trailhead passing a few hikers on the way.
Sherpa was going to wait for me somewhere no further than 7 or 8 miles ahead at a stream.
Hiking alone for the first time was really enjoyable. For some reason, I am not as thoughtful when hiking with others around so it was nice to have the solitude. I tend to come up with little snippets of ideas that I like to write down so I don’t forget them. I usually only write down the idea not all that I want to remember, hoping that I will be able to recreate the idea from the captured sentiment. Here are a few that came to me as I wrote them down:
When I’m walking I feel as if I’m devouring the land. And as I walk ground crunches beneath my feet and moistens my tongue.
Sometimes I cross very dry land and it leaves me part needing a drink to swallow the next few miles.
I once kicked a tumble weed and set it free sooner then it would have on its own
And because of me it laid in some stream bed and took root
far from where it would have, had I not giving it to boot
The mountains rise like breasts from the chested ground.
I smash them beneath my feet and squeeze there peaks between my toes
and perch like a nipple at their peek
My hike was a lot of elevation gain until the very end when I descended into a valley to meet a stream that flowed along the trail for about 12 miles. Sherpa was sitting under a very pretty tree with tiny song birds all around. It was very idyllic and peaceful. She suggested that we shift to another spot along the stream and that’s where we spent the rest of the afternoon.
I took off all my clothes and washed in the stream while Sherpa shook her head. I also washed the salt from my clothes and hung them to dry. Just as I was putting on my boxers 3 hiker guys passed by and definitely got an eye full. Oh well! I am not ashamed. Though Sherpa I’m sure thinks I should be!
We both tried to nap and then at 6 pm, we got up and hiked another 4.2, set up camp, and slept like little hiker babies.
