Day 80 - PCT 2024
PCT trail miles: 7
Ascent: 1,498 ft.
Descent: 748 ft.
I woke up exhausted. Not entirely sure why because I actually got a fairly decent sleep considering. I didn’t want to get up this morning.
We slept in a bit to allow the sun to fully rise so we could dry out our gear before packing up. The rain did a number last night.
Three hikers passed us as we were packing up camp. It’s reassuring knowing there are other hikers in here as well, especially since most thru hikers are through the start of the Sierras now.
The three of us started on our hike and it was hot for the first part of the day. We knew it would be. We took a break about 3 miles in to eat lunch and hang out in the shade. It was wonderful transitioning from open desert to what now seems like the high Sierra. We walked through a beautiful meadow before climbing again. We even saw a baby marmot!
The climb seemed never ending. I was dragging my feet today because I felt tired. Every step took a lot of effort. Tina said she was feeling the same and had a headache on top of it. Krista was doing better today than yesterday but she strapped the sunbrella to her pack for most of the day to keep the sun off of her.
On our last climb, thunder rumbled in the distance. We hurried down the trail toward Kern River and decided we’d cut our hike short today so we could get our tents up before the storm. We were planning on 9.5 miles today which puts us behind schedule now. We have enough food for 5 days so we must be at Cottonwood Pass by Wednesday. I’m starting to question if that’s even possible. Our lack of hiker legs is making this tough.
Thankfully we made it to the river before the storm hit. But unfortunately we were stuck in a wide open meadow on the other side of the Kern River bridge. There was a tent spot in the trees that was already taken which made our options limited. The bridge had so many Swallows flying around. They were swooping out from under the bridge and flying all over. It was fun to watch them!
We had enough time to put our tents up, grab water from the river to filter before the thunderstorm commenced. It was intense. Probably the most intense thunderstorm I’ve ever experienced. Being directly beneath the thunder and lightening in a wide open field was terrifying. I thought my tent was going to collapse or worse, be destroyed. The wind and pouring rain was whipping my tent walls. Two of my stakes pulled up and that was with rocks on them. I had to go outside and add rocks to the guylines to secure my tent further. At one point I heard Krista scream from inside her tent. She was panicked. I called out to her but I don’t think she heard me over the thunder and rain. Eventually it subsided and we had a lovely evening having dinner and watching the swallows play.
Now that I’m tucked into my tent for the night, I hear thunder in the distance. I’m hoping it blows over.
