Mosquito-Misery and the Turnaround

Typing out last nights entry took me a long time, so I fell asleep a lot later than I intended. And I didn’t sleep well. I felt groggy this morning and wanted to get a jump on the day. This has been the longest stretch and food-carry yet (7.5 days) and I am really forward to getting into town at this point. I guess it’s affected my mood a little. But even with slightly dampened spirits, there were still miles to be hiked. So earphones in, music on, and back at it. Since we made it half-way up the pass yesterday, there were only 3 miles left to get to Selden Pass. I welcomed the clouded morning sky, making for a cooler morning than usual, and arrived at the pass a half hour before the others. I enjoyed an extra long break, found a nice spot along the boulders and soaked in the views of the lake-filled valley.

The others soon joined me, and we hung out a little longer at the top with a few other hikers before heading down on the other side. The sun broke through the clouds and soon it grew hot again. There were several stream crossings to make, and I managed to keep my feet dry. I was pretty adamant about this, because getting my feet wet would not benefit the cut at the sole of my foot I patched up yesterday. Just before lunch we arrived at a roaring stream, one of the the bigger ones to to cross yet. The others were taking off their shoes and socks and put on their sandals (ever since sending my crocs home, I only carry a pair of flip-flops which would do me no good). Recalling yesterdays brutal pain of fording a stream bare-foot, I decided to hike upstream to look for a way to cross without getting wet feet. About 300 feet upstream I indeed found log that could make for a possible passage to the other bank. The bark of the tree had weathered off the log, and the surface of the first few feet of the log was wet from the water streaming past it. It only took one step onto the log to realise my mistake, and I slid right off the slippery thing and fell into the river. Both feet soaked. Fail. I made my way back to the others, who (as they should) made fun of my failed attempt. Fortunately we’d hike only 30 minutes further to get lunch, so I could dry out my shoes and socks.

We wanted to break near water, and found a spot near a big stream. At every source of water in the Sierras, its pretty much swarming with mosquito’s. But the place we picked today was an out-of-this-world nightmare. If you’d leave your bare skin unattended for a couple of seconds, several of the biting freaks would immediately be on you. When it’s already really hot out, putting on long (rain)pants, gloves and a bug-net is not comfortable. But it’s pretty much the only measure against the vicious creatures. All of us hike in shorts, because its just to hot to hike in long pants, and during hiking you are usually able to shed the majority of the mosquito’s. Still our legs are covered in bites. The mosquito’s at the lunch spot really affected my mood, and I just curled up in on my tyvek, completely covered, trying to catch up on some sleep, not really hungry for lunch. The others agreed this was probably the worst-mosquito-spot we’d taken a break on yet, and got ready to start on the afternoon miles. We had some 10 miles left, including another climb. I was the last one to leave, and irritated with the course of the day I put on a fast pace to get this day over with. During the real steep part of the climb, feeling pretty miserable, I caught up with Pops and Jukebox, who’d found a spot along the trail where there was AT&T-service. In my inbox I found an amazing and motivating message from my brother, which cut straight through my misery and for which I was very thankful. Thanks bro! After booking a room in a hostel in Mammoth I decided to press on, following Jukebox who’d left a little earlier. The heat was relentless, and my feet hurt, so unfortunately I kind of slipped back into my earlier somber state of mind. I passed a couple who asked me how it was going. I honestly answered them that I wasn’t really feeling it today, and slowed down to match their pace.
Cofffee-break and Pit-stop hiked the PCT last year, but had to skip the Sierra-Section due to the incredibly high snow-fall. This year they’d come back to finish the section. We chatted as we hiked over the rough part of the climb, and I felt my mood shift. They are great people, and it was good to get out of my own head, and share some stories. About a hour later I felt revived, and when they decided to take a break, I thanked them for lifting my spirits and hiked on. I caught up with Jukebox, and Pops turned out to be only a couple of minutes behind me. The last 1.2 miles we hiked together and we were all relieved to make it to a campsite where there were a bunch of other hikers gathered around a campfire, finishing up their dinners. The rest of the evening we shared stories with the others, and I was smiling again. I felt the day had officially turned around again and I was glad I made it through another rough day, and was now again enjoying myself. Many interesting and kind people together around a campfire made for a great way to end the day. Only a day and a half to Mammoth Lakes, and tomorrow we’ll be hitting the 900-mile marker. Nine-hundooooo Baby! Bring it on!

Bury me under crooked sidewalk,
that’s where we allegedly met
I knew that this would end when the lines were shown across your bed
I know that I’m not a smooth talker,
I know my eyes are the wrong colour
To see you open up your willing eyes and say: “Did you mean it? Cuz I didn’t hear it.”

What did you say as I walked out the door?
Whoah, did you want me back?
Whoah, did you want me?
What did you say as I walked out the door?
Whoah, did you want me back?

Anthem for the Unwanted – New Found Glory