Hannah the hiker

I ended up taking a zero day on day 82 (September 26). I woke up at the campground and walked to Ernie’s diner for breakfast. I had the best breakfast ever since being on the trail. 3 chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs, home fries, and coffee. The waitresses were super friendly and constantly refilled my coffee or water. A couple of other diners asked about my trip so far too. When I was ready to go I asked for the check and found out that someone had already paid for my meal. I was really surprised and felt very fortunate that someone would be kind enough to do that. My only complaint is that I haven’t been able to find any diners so far that sell coconut cream pie. I have been craving it!

I went to the post office afterwards to pick up my resupply box and then I walked around town a little before getting back on the bus to the campground. At the campground I only intended to charge my electronics and pack my food up then head back on the trail. However, hikers I met before starting the trail showed up so I was quickly and easily convinced to take the day off and hang out. Jenna, Ian, and I went to the gear shop and got milkshakes. It was great to catch up with them and have someone to hang out with in the town. I also used the day off to look at the trail ahead of me and my resupply points. It was an unexpected zero but I’m glad I took the time off. I was feeling so tired and I think I really just needed some good company and good food to feel better.

I woke up early on day 83 and grabbed some coffee and a light breakfast before getting back on the trail. I got a ride to the trail within 5 minutes of sticking my thumb out which was nice. I started hiking at 9 and had a lot of uphill. I just kept a steady pace and enjoyed the views along the way. I got to a great view point and stopped to have lunch at 12 after having walked 7.5 miles. I sat there and enjoyed the view and the sunshine for about an hour. As I was packing up I saw some familiar faces walking up to me. It was Kelly and Frank! I hadn’t seen them since Ashland so it was exciting to see them on the trail. We walked and talked for the rest of the day. It was great to catch up and share some of our stories from the trail. We walked by some huge rock walls and boulders through this part of trail. We had a bunch of up and down though which really tired me out. It gets annoying to walk uphill for 2 miles gaining around 700 feet in elevation, just to go straight down for 2 miles after before going back uphill. I made it through though obviously.

The three of us camped at the same spot and had dinner together. I like having someone to talk to and hang out with at camp so that was nice. I walked 24 miles on this day.

Day 84 was a long day. I was really tired when I woke up and didn’t leave camp until 7:15. I just didn’t want to get out of my sleeping bag. Kelly and Frank left before me since they were going to do 30 miles on this day. I left camp and walked a couple of miles and noticed that my hips were hurting. They haven’t given me any problems on the trail so far, I just stretched for a bit and the pain kind of went away. I met a couple of people who were backpacking this section of the pct. It was kind of funny, I passed a couple headed in the same direction as me but then stopped to filter water and take a break then they passed me. This happened twice more throughout the day because I was moving pretty slow. Mark and Easy two other SOBO hikers caught up with me too and we leapfrogged eachother a bit throughout the day. Most of the day was up and down bouncing between 8,200 and 8,600 feet. There was a lot of sand along the trail and huge boulders. The grade of the trail was really great too, going uphill didn’t feel too taxing. It was around 70 degrees out but super windy. There were a couple times I could feel myself being over by the wind, it definitely cooled me off. I stopped around 1:15 for a lunch break at a creek. At this point I had only walked 11 ish miles. I was so tired and sore and just did not want to go fast. I think having so many days off the week before made my body think it was done hiking.

I left the creek around 2:30 and continued on for the day. I had originally planned to hike 27 miles on this day but changed my mind and just aimed for about 22. There was no point in dragging myself along if I didn’t feel up to it. In the last 4 miles of the day I saw 5 deer. One of the deer was right on the trail and just looked at me. We stared at eachother for a couple minutes. I normally just wait until they start walking off the trail instead of continue walking toward them. Eventually 4 deer crossed the trail in front of me which was neat to watch.

I saw another deer half a mile after that first group. This one also stared at me before walking off. I had about 600 feet of uphill for my last mile of the day. It was dark at this point so I slowed down a little since I had to use my headlamp to see the trail. I always trip when I’m hiking at night so I try to take my time to minimize that. I got to the tentsite around 7:45 and set up. It was a nice spot by a lake but extremely windy. I tried to set my tent up quickly but that was almost impossible with the wind whipping it around. I was getting so frustrated because all I wanted to do was eat and go to sleep but it took nearly 10 minutes to set up my tent. I went to sleep and hoped that my tent would still be in one piece in the morning.

On day 85 I woke up and thankfully my tent was still in one piece! I woke up several times in the night though because the sides were getting whipped back and forth but it held up. I took my time getting ready and left camp by 7:15. Most of the day was either up or down, there weren’t many long flat sections. I gained 5,720 feet and lost 4,294 feet over the course of 23 miles. I think I noticed too that the altitude affects me. I was getting more out of breath than usual when I had some uphills. It wasn’t anything unbearable though I was just breathing hard and felt fine after a minute or two. In the morning the temperature was around 40 degrees but it warmed up quickly and I was able to take my warm layers off. I stopped and had lunch around 1:30 next to Boulder creek. I was able to rinse off and soak my feet which felt great. I’m still having the same problems with my feet so letting them soak is a great relief.

At this point in the day I had walked 14 miles and didn’t really want to walk a whole lot longer since I get so tired after lunch. I packed up though and left by 2:30. I saw some nice small waterfalls and a ferret at one of them. It kind of just looked at me before scurrying off. The last 5 ish miles of the day were uphill from 8,100 to 10,400. The elevation gain was surprisingly gradual and I was able to keep a steady pace. I got up to the high point around 8 and decided to camp up there since it was already dark out. I can hike in the dark but it just makes it easier for me to slip. I set up camp and went to sleep, pretty happy with how much I had hiked in that one day.

Day 86 started off slow. I woke up to my alarm at 5:30 but decided to sleep in. I only had 4 miles to walk to the highway to get a hitch to town. So I got up at 7 and left camp by 8. I had some nice views walking up at that elevation. There were a couple small streams and I could see frost on the ground! It was pretty cold the night before I guess! I met a guy hiking with his schnauzer. That’s the third schnauzer I’ve seen in the past three days. I have seen lots of schnauzers on the trail so far, maybe more than any other breed. But that might just be because I notice them more than any other breed. Regardless it was still cool to pet a dog after so long.

My feet were still irritating me so I was kind of limping for the first mile.

After that the trail was pretty cruisey and I just repeated left, right, left to myself to forget about the pain in my feet.

I got to the highway at 9:45 and stuck my thumb out. Two cars passed before a guy in a truck stopped for me. I told him I was going just ten miles up the road so he said he’d take me. His name was Ted and apparently he went to school with two beach boys. He had some nice stories to share about his growing up in California and how cold it gets in Bridgeport. Unfortunately he missed the road to Kennedy Meadows and dropped me off about 3 miles past it. I was a little upset but beggars can’t be choosers so I started walking back to the resort. A couple cars passed and thankfully a guy in a jeep stopped for me! He drove me the rest of the way to the resort, which saved me from walking a couple extra miles. He knew about the PCT and some people who have hiked it already. He also goes hiking in the area so it was nice to chat with someone with common interests. He wished me good luck as he dropped me off.

When I got here I saw Mark and Easy who apparently were not as lucky getting rides. They walked 10 miles from the trail to the town! They at least had a nice breakfast when they got there though.

I picked up my resupply box, Bear can, and an envelope my mom sent. She sent me halloween injinji socks! I’m so excited to wear them and get in the Halloween spirit, it’s my favorite time of year. Hopefully they help with the pain in my feet too.

I have to carry a bear can now until Kennedy Meadows South, a little more than 300 miles.

The altitude is making me a little bit more tired and sore so I might not hike as many miles per day from here on out, all depends on how I feel.

Today I went the highest I’ve ever hiked at 10,540 feet! I’m excited to keep climbing up and eventually summit Mount Whitney.

I had a nice little lunch at the resort in Kennedy Meadows. It’s a neat place with a store, restaurant, and lodging. They accommodate hikers as well and have a charging station, hiker box, laundry, and showers available. You could even pitch your tent here to stay the night! I have to get a couple snacks and charge everything up before I head back for the trail. I will probably only walk a couple more miles for the day.

The next section is 110 miles to Mammoth Lakes. I’m at mile 1636.7 of the trail! Also, I got a new hat in South Lake Tahoe.