I awoke in the middle of the night and realized I wasn’t going to go back asleep until I got up and peed. I took out my earplugs and all I could hear was farts. We had crammed a lot of tents into a small space and everyone was farting, including me. It sounded like a fart symphony. I think all the town food has done a number on everyone’s digestive system.
The day started with a 2000-foot climb up a mountain to a ridge with lovely views. I walked along the ridge for a couple of miles and was practically bowled over by the wind when I turned a corner. I’ve encountered some strong winds on this adventure but this was the strongest winds by far. I had to put on my puffy coat, gloves, and buff. I would have put my pants on too but they were buried in the bottom of my pack.
Cool View!
I hiked a little further and found Sunkist, Captain Underpants, and Francois all huddled in a row behind some trees. It was noticeably less windy there and had a little cell reception. I made some oatmeal and watched the clouds as they were blown across the sky in the big wind gusts.
The trail followed the ridge for a few more miles and then dropped in elevation. I kept hiking to the next water source at Chimney Creek where we stopped for a late lunch and filled up on water.
PCT Trail Register
I hit the trail again around 3:00 pm. I was hoping to do approximately 5 more miles, so that I only had to go 15 tomorrow in order to reach Kennedy Meadows. However it was extremely windy and the trail over the next 5 miles climbed to the top of a hill. I guessed that it would be even windier up at 8000 feet as it looked pretty exposed. Also I heard that a fire recently burned the top of the hill and there wasn’t much protection from the wind up there. That didn’t sound very pleasant to me.
Fox Mill Spring
Monarch and I ended up hiking a couple more miles and stopping at Fox Mill Spring for the night, which was about a third of the way up the hill. We both had energy to keep hiking as we’d only hiked 14.4 miles today, and almost hiked on, but Spider Mama and Tetris came by and talked us into staying. And I’m glad we did. Captain Underpants and Sunkist wanted to get more miles in today and hiked on. We planned to meet up with them at Kennedy Meadows.
I Love This Tree!
It was nice to set up our tents at 5:30 pm and to have plenty of time to make dinner and relax before bed. Spider Mama and Tetris crack me up. We made dinner together and chatted and laughed. We ended the evening by reading a chapter of Harry Potter. That’s what we’re doing right now, in fact. It was too cold to sit outside so Sinatra took a turn reading aloud from Tetris’ Kindle so that we could all hear from inside our tents. He’s doing funny voices for all the characters and we are cracking up. Good times 🙂
Sinatra and Spider Mama Chillin in an Abandoned Truck
Camping at Fox Mill Spring
It’s forecast to get down to 38 degrees tonight so I put up my tent and rain fly for extra warmth – the first time in weeks. My electronics and water filter are inside my sleeping bag so they don’t freeze. But I feel cozy inside my sleeping quilt.
PCT 2017 Stats
PCT Day 59 – Sunday June 11
Spanish Needle Creek Mile 668.7 to Fox Mill Creek Mile 683.1
PCT Miles Hiked Today: 14.4
Feet Ascended Today: 3420
Feet Descended Today: 2140
Current Elevation: 6522
Steps: 43664
For more on my experience hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, visit my Pacific Crest Trail 2017 page:
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