I awoke early this morning to the faint glow of predawn coloring the horizon through the trees. We were on the trail by 6:30 am and hiked to the top of Lookout Rock. The morning sunshine was spectacular from the overlook and lit up the hills on the horizon.
We chatted with Yadi and Brewhiker who had camped up there last night. I spent some time playing with Yadi’s kitten, Manzanita, who is rambunctious and adorable. Sorry I couldn’t help myself – I had to million pictures. Prepare yourself for cuteness overload!
It wasn’t a specially notable day. After summiting Lookout Rock, the trail gradually headed downhill for about 10 miles in the watershed towards the Middle Fork of the Feather River. The path was shaded and it was relatively easy hiking. The trail crossed over a couple of pretty creeks near the bottom of the hill.
Monarch and I took a lunch break at the river in a bend where the water formed a shallow pool. I rinsed most of my clothes and hung them over rocks in the sunshine to dry, and then jumped in to rinse myself off. It’s been 6 days since I’ve showered or washed my clothes and I’m not feeling very fresh. The water was surprisingly warm and we relaxed in the river for a while.
After lunch the path climbed up the other side of the watershed and we slowly hiked uphill all afternoon. Around 5:30 pm, we stopped to get water at a stream and saw that the water has stopped flowing and only puddles were left. The water still looked clear and tasted fresh so we filtered a couple of liters.
I pooped out after 18 1/2 miles and Monarch and I set up camp at Fowler Peak Trailhead, which is located at a junction with a remote paved forest service road. Only one car went by the entire evening. We had planned to hike more miles today but given the elevation profile for the day I was content.
PCT 2017 Stats
PCT Day 91 – Thursday July 13
Mile 1257.6 to Fowler Peak Trailhead Mile 1238.9
PCT Miles Hiked Today: 18.6
Total PCT Miles Hiked: 1067.7
Feet Ascended Today: 4143
Feet Descended Today: 4524
Current Elevation: 5451
Steps: 54787
For more on my experience hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, visit my Pacific Crest Trail 2017 page:
0 Comments