Thirty

Surrounded by pine-trees, I found myself surprised it had been a pretty cold night. My feet felt better than they did yesterday, so hopes were high that I could make good progress again today. The first section was real boring. Still secluded in the pine forests without views, the trail just cruised up and down several mountain sides. I resorted to listening to a bunch of podcasts. When I reached one of the higher points of the day, I took some time to chill on the ridge and got the views I’d been wanting for.

The trail dipped back below tree-line, and with the sun shining brutally all day, the temperatures trapped by the vegetation and beneath the canopy got tropically hot. It was real humid too, so I was sweating like crazy.
I learned that in terms of food-resupply I made a small mistake. I miscalculated for an extra 10 or 15 miles I needed to hike to get to Sierra City. This basically means that I don’t have enough food, or will have to ration a fair bit. Which sucks. I was having lunch when a hiker named Mach5 passed me. I explained her my predicament. She was kind enough to give me a couple of bars, which I was very thankful for. She then shared some possibly helpful intel about the following stretch. About 16 miles from here was Donner Pass Ski-Ranch, a Ski-resort. Until 2100 there’d be the possibility to get food and drinks in the restaurant. If I could manage to get there in time, it would mean I’d be able to get an extra (hot) meal. This would certainly sort out my food issue. Minor detail; I’d already hiked 14 miles, and it was past 1400. I’d have to start crushing real hard to make it in time, and I would hike my first 30-miler on the PCT. I decided to see how I felt a couple hours down the line, and make up my mind later.

Around 1530 I hiked over a ridge, ready to start another descent when I heard somebody call out: “Hey Flat Earth!”. It was Photo-op! I caught up with him, as he was making a phone-call. Apparently the rest of the bubble was not far ahead. When I learned that all of them were aiming to get to the Donner Ski-Ranch I knew I could not stay behind. Guess I was going I’d be hitting my first thirty today.
After passing Photo-op I caught up with Rocket too. Soon we started the grind up the final climb of the day, a 3.5 miles pretty steep uphill. Then the trail would wind down towards Donner Pass. And the highly anticipated hot meal. The climb up was brutal but beautiful. It wouldn’t be for long before Mach5, Bird-man and Snow-White came into sight.Around 1800 we reached the top, but the joy of getting to the summit was not long-lived. There were still another 7.5 miles to go the Ranch, and the restaurant closed at 2100. There would be hardly any time to linger during the descent.

The trail wound down over a wide ridge with views on either sides. As the sun was slowly setting it was an amazing scene. I’d done almost 23 miles already however, and at this stage my feet started hurting again. No time to complain or slow down, good food awaited! After catching my breath at the top I fueled up on some bars and sweet & spicy trail-mix, and followed in the other hikers’ footsteps. The views stayed pretty sweet for quite some time.

The final 5 miles were a real pain. My feet hurt like crazy, and I felt every sharp rock sting through the soles of my shoes. I gritted my teeth and just kept pushing, telling myself the reward would be worth it. Of course the last stretch of the descent would consist of super rocky terrain, with plenty of loose rock and sidestepping of small boulders. After a long and tiresome stretch the ideal formula for breaking ankles. I stopped listening to my podcast because very tired, I knew I had to keep my focus. And then, after a gnarly 30 miles, we were there! Around 2020 we sank down onto the pick-nick tables on the veranda, where a live-act was playing delicate acoustic guitar tunes. All of us quickly ordered our food and drinks and I was finally able to unwind. Relaxation set in.After eating so much food I almost burst, we got ready to get back on trail. It would be another 0.5 miles to the first campsite. After the intermezzo of food and chill, my feet didn’t hurt any more, and it was fun to do short bit of night-hiking with the group. Well-fed now, everybody’s mood was high, and we were joking as we climbed the hillside-ridge alongside the motorway. As everyone was looking for a decent tent-site on a rocky ridge, I decided to pitch my tent in a tiny patch of pine-forest. Another hiker had already set up camp there too, his light shining through the mesh of hist tent. As I laid out my tyvek-sheet I somehow managed to crash my side into a tree-stump I hadn’t noticed. It hit a sensitive spot just below my rib-cage, and I almost collapsed from the pain. I clenched my fists and slung a couple of foul words into the atmosphere, wondering why after such a rough day, this had to happen. After catching my breath I started pounding my tent pegs into the ground. That’s when I noticed; less than a couple inches away from where my hand had just been to stick a peg in the soil, lay coiled up, a real thick green snake! In horror I backed away, terrified to my core and once again swearing loudly. The guy camped a couple of yards away from me must have thought that I was out there losing my mind… I figured the universe had given me 2 signs in a time-frame of 3 minutes that this might not be the place for me to camp… Plus the snake was showing no intentions to move. Warily I packed up my stuff and left. The others were now set-up along the ridge only a minutes walk away. They were kind to show me another empty site nearby. Gladly I pitched my tent, not caring it was on a slant, and utterly exhausted was finally ready for bed. It was 2300 and properly wrecked I was happy to call it a day. My first 30-mile day.

Wake me up inside
Tell me there’s a reason
To take another step
To get up off my knees
And follow this path of most resistance
And wherever it takes us, whatever it faces and wherever it leads….