Wednesday 9/5/12
27ish miles
Well today was interesting. We took a shortcut to Odell Lake off the PCT to save 10 miles, since that was where our resupply box was. It was not the most pleasant trail, especially compared to what we've been hiking on thus far, but hey, it saved us 10 miles. On the map it was listed as the "Oregon Skyline Trail". Nowhere on trail was there any sign indicating that name. It was a series of 3 or 4 trails of various names, amongst many other trail junctions. If anyone is doing the PCT in the future and plan on taking this trail, make sure you pay attention to your maps or you'll end up in some random location. What made the trail unpleasant was that it was really dusty and not very shaded. It's a horse trail, and so the ground is kinda banged up from all the stock going over it. Other than that, it's a great trail. It kinda reminded me of being in the desert again. Except with more trees. But the trees along this trail were really short and skinny, hence the lack of shade.
About 10 miles into this shortcut, Kyle ends up going the wrong way at one of the trail junctions. I know this because I track his footprints regularly, especially at trail junctions where I think he might have gone the wrong way. This really really sucked because he moves a lot faster than I so who knows how far he's already gotten. I drop my pack at the trail junction and go running down the trail after him (this is the first time I've ever ran in my 5 finger shoes, by the way. They work great for running. Which is what they're made for. Lol). I found him about 3 miles or so down the trail. That was seriously not fun. Trail running was not part of my agenda today, and at that point we already hiked 16 miles. Plus I had to go poop really badly but I left my shovel with my pack, plus I didn't want to stop because that'd be further that I would have to chase him. Bleh. Today was turning out to be a not-so-fun day. So we get back to the trail junction where my pack was, and we still had to hike 5 more miles to the next water source. That really sucked. Oh man I was so tired. I was totally slogging the whole way there. I didn't get to our camp area til way after dark. I'm just glad I was feeling better today than yesterday, otherwise that last 5 miles wouldn't have happened. Lol.
Something I've taken a liking to doing lately is resting on logs. It's awesome. What you do is, straddle a log and sit on it with your pack on. Then all you do is lean backwards and your pack makes a perfect backrest. It's awesome!! Just make sure you choose a log that's not ant infested. Or if you're in a snake area, make sure there aren't snakes hiding under it. And if youre on a hill make sure you lay with your head uphill, otherwise youll have to do an insane abdominal crunch to get up. Lol. Or just roll off to the side. :) But yeah, it's soooo comfortable! I've been doing this at various points throughout the day lately, especially since being sick. Every now and then I'd hit a wall and get sooooooo tired and not want to walk anymore. So I'll find a good sized log to lay on for about 15-30 minutes, and then I'll feel better. Yay for trees!!! They're awesome even when they've fallen over :). Especially the ones that have been down for a while because all the bark is usually stripped off and it's a lot more comfy on the butt. :)
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