Destination: Landers Creek
Starting Location: 3.5 miles beyond Golden Oaks Springs
Today’s Miles: 20.40
Trip Miles: 607.60
Beyond Golden Oaks Springs (586.9, 4738) to Landers Creek (607.3, 6300) ascent (4472) descent (2904)
Took a long lunch break at Robin Bird Spring because we only went 5 more miles to ensure we have adequate time to hydrate at what will be our last water source for 35 miles of trail. Twoshoes, Earlyriser, and Hardtack are also here and are setting up for the same strategy. This morning we had a nice hike and had the Weed financial hour with questions from Sugar and I being fielded with aplomb. This conversation was much more fact based then our lively chat yesterday about separation of church & state and the appropriateness of Christianity in public places to the exclusion of other religions. Conversations like that really help on tough up hills. When we are all panting like dogs we typically take a time out until the terrain flattens. At one point Sugar Daddy said I was being very stubborn in my views and we laughed as we both realized how entrenched each of us are.
We passed the 600 mile mark today and are getting close to the 25% line. We are making steady progress in the cumulative, but if I think about hiking 20 miles a day everyday I tilt at how overwhelming it is. This was not the case at home as I planned this hike. Oh yea, just hike a 20 per day and you reach Canada in 4 ½ months or so. Right! The trail is great because it has an amazing ability to get me into the here & now. And right now that means I must focus on getting my cells saturated with water, eat, and sleep. Canada or other things are not on the agenda.
Our camp spot is Sierra like with large pines & granite. Several times today I literally smelled the Sierra in the air. It’s not quite right but we are getting close.
So Weed got his trail name because he is an advocate for the legalization of marijuana. He is also a professional in the world of the S&P 500 and he certainly is not the stereo typical hemp head depicted in our fear based culture. So our current team is a Baptist missionary whose drug of choice is sugar, Weed, and a guy who does not drink or use drugs because I had my full allocation by age 26. The PCT is the great meet place for unlike minded souls.
I love getting into camp early and being able to relax before sleep time which is typically before 8 pm. 9pm is called hiker midnight for a reason; if you make it that late it feels like midnight.
I seem to be accepting the trail as it is more now then a month ago. Today we had some pretty torn up trail due to motorcycles & I was not even close to as upset as I was weeks ago when I saw minor evidence of bicycle use. Today it seemed like the trail just was how the trail was & I realized I could not change that . . . at least not today.
Oops, I do not have enough food for this leg. The inventory results are quite clear & old mother Hubbard has struck. I set aside a last day bare minimum needed to make our next resupply point. I will have to go 20+ miles on 2 energy bars. Tomorrow will be okay, but lean & will have the added bonus of having no water tomorrow night. Oops again, Weed & Sugar are in the same boat so we can do little to help each other out. Sugar may have a bit of extra mashed potatoes and mac & cheese but we will not have any extra water to cook it with tomorrow night. We all believe we brought our usual amount & think that our appetites & metabolism may have kicked into full gear as our bodies scream for more calories. Being a hunter-gamer must have been very interesting.
Destination: Landers Creek
Starting Location: 3.5 miles beyond Golden Oaks Springs
Today’s Miles: 20.40
Trip Miles: 607.60
Beyond Golden Oaks Springs (586.9, 4738) to Landers Creek (607.3, 6300) ascent (4472) descent (2904)
Took a long lunch break at Robin Bird Spring because we only went 5 more miles to ensure we have adequate time to hydrate at what will be our last water source for 35 miles of trail. Twoshoes, Earlyriser, and Hardtack are also here and are setting up for the same strategy. This morning we had a nice hike and had the Weed financial hour with questions from Sugar and I being fielded with aplomb. This conversation was much more fact based then our lively chat yesterday about separation of church & state and the appropriateness of Christianity in public places to the exclusion of other religions. Conversations like that really help on tough up hills. When we are all panting like dogs we typically take a time out until the terrain flattens. At one point Sugar Daddy said I was being very stubborn in my views and we laughed as we both realized how entrenched each of us are.
We passed the 600 mile mark today and are getting close to the 25% line. We are making steady progress in the cumulative, but if I think about hiking 20 miles a day everyday I tilt at how overwhelming it is. This was not the case at home as I planned this hike. Oh yea, just hike a 20 per day and you reach Canada in 4 ½ months or so. Right! The trail is great because it has an amazing ability to get me into the here & now. And right now that means I must focus on getting my cells saturated with water, eat, and sleep. Canada or other things are not on the agenda.
Our camp spot is Sierra like with large pines & granite. Several times today I literally smelled the Sierra in the air. It’s not quite right but we are getting close.
So Weed got his trail name because he is an advocate for the legalization of marijuana. He is also a professional in the world of the S&P 500 and he certainly is not the stereo typical hemp head depicted in our fear based culture. So our current team is a Baptist missionary whose drug of choice is sugar, Weed, and a guy who does not drink or use drugs because I had my full allocation by age 26. The PCT is the great meet place for unlike minded souls.
I love getting into camp early and being able to relax before sleep time which is typically before 8 pm. 9pm is called hiker midnight for a reason; if you make it that late it feels like midnight.
I seem to be accepting the trail as it is more now then a month ago. Today we had some pretty torn up trail due to motorcycles & I was not even close to as upset as I was weeks ago when I saw minor evidence of bicycle use. Today it seemed like the trail just was how the trail was & I realized I could not change that . . . at least not today.
Oops, I do not have enough food for this leg. The inventory results are quite clear & old mother Hubbard has struck. I set aside a last day bare minimum needed to make our next resupply point. I will have to go 20+ miles on 2 energy bars. Tomorrow will be okay, but lean & will have the added bonus of having no water tomorrow night. Oops again, Weed & Sugar are in the same boat so we can do little to help each other out. Sugar may have a bit of extra mashed potatoes and mac & cheese but we will not have any extra water to cook it with tomorrow night. We all believe we brought our usual amount & think that our appetites & metabolism may have kicked into full gear as our bodies scream for more calories. Being a hunter-gamer must have been very interesting.
Robert Francisco 
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