Day 27 - PCT 2024
It’s always exciting to get back on trail after you’ve taken some zeros in town. Today is no exception. There’s added anticipation because of Mission Creek. Who knows what is in store. I was hoping to fill up on breakfast this morning before Ubering back to trail but the hotel was serving breakfast burritos which weren’t gluten free so I had a couple of hard boiled eggs and some coffee before heading out.
It was hot today. The sun was beating down. There was some good elevation to climb before reaching Whitewater. We passed a couple of signs saying Whitewater through Mission Creek is severely damaged. Our first look at Whitewater from a ridge showed pretty extensive washout conditions. The trail was still very much in tact as we walked down the ridge to Whitewater. Up until now the trail was well maintained with no issues. The PCT trail makers were still in place along the Whitewater washout. The trail was easy to navigate.
As we reached the flowing Whitewater River, Patrick and I decided to walk downstream to a wider section to cross. Crossing at a wider point means the water is less deep. We took our socks off but kept our shoes on for the crossing. I made the mistake of looking down at the water when crossing which gave me a little virtigo but I crossed safely! The deepest point of the crossing was shin deep. We were both almost out of water at this point so we sat down at the river to soak our feet and collect some river water for filtering. The water was silty but filtered clear. I was constantly back flushing my filter. I drank over a litre of water sitting on that bank. Once we were satisfied, we walked back upstream along the wash to find the trail. The trail marker posts exist on both sides of the river so it was easy to find. We decided to set up camp near the trail as we found some flat sandy areas perfect for camping. The views were spectacular here and having an abundance of water was great. I drank my share of water. The desert makes you thirsty.
Since it was still early, Patrick brought out some wine for us to enjoy. We cooked dinner. Drank some wine and watched a Space X launch! Pretty cool to see! A few other hikers showed up so we were happy we weren’t alone. A hiker named Conner descended down the trail from Mission Creek. He said he promised his wife he wouldn’t do anything crazy so he turned back. Understandable since most hikers are skipping this section entirely so at least he hiked the miles he could easily get.
Tomorrow we’ll hike to Mission Creek and check it out.
