The whole country is baking from the one headline I read a few days ago. And so are the hikers on the PCT. And unlike the desert, even the wind is not cool. It helps, when it occasionally blows, but only a little. And, now the nights are also not cold. Cooler definitely and quite pleasant, but not cold. No need for a sleeping bag or quilt to cover up. To beat the heat, started the hike yesterday and today at 4 am to get as many miles in as possible before the sun comes out in full force. Luckily big chunks of the trail these two days were under the canopy of trees, and that helps. Today the water sources were much more numerous and spread out, unlike yesterday when there were only a few and pretty much all of them were off-trail, which meant walking some distance to the creek or stream.
All water sources have cold water, though by the time one filters it, it has warmed up a bit. Another big issue are the mosquitoes and bugs around water sources and at the campsite (even those far away from water) in the evening. Hundreds of them. Very irritating and I get inside the tent as soon as it set up. Tent is a good protection from these pesky things!
Ok... enough complaining. Just smack me in the head if I ever complain about heat when I am at home with access to a fan and some cold water/pop and don't even need to carry a 35 lb bag on my back! 😬🙂
Today crossed two big water sources - McCloud river and Squaw Creek. Collected water and lay down in the cold water to cool down and to clean up in the latter! That was really nice. One of the advantages of hiking in the wilderness 🙂.
Yesterday in the middle of the hot afternoon, I came across a patch of leftover snow - that was like winning a small lottery. Sat on it, collected some cold water from it and washed my face with the cold snow.
Also continued seeing Mt Shasta in the far off distance while hiking.
Encountered a fearless deer at the campsite last night. It came close to the three tents and was not at all perturbed by the people around. Kept all my food and hiking poles inside the tent, just to prevent them from being chewed upon.
Data:
D-70
D-71:
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