This morning I had hoped to get up early, but my efforts were futile. Plus realistically it didn’t make much sense to hike out before daylight. The snow is slow going enough on its own. I certainly don’t need to make it even slower by walking in the dark. I’m glad I continued on last night though and got more miles in. That was definitely worth it, even if it was slow going.
It was dang cold this morning! My shoes were frozen solid.
When I left camp this morning I was so glad to have the seal skin waterproof socks. They were a tiny bit damp but still so much more comfortable than anything else. Walking for 14 hours in snow and slush would be brutal without these. I don’t know how I ever did it in the past! I could never go back now. This morning when I began to walk I was able to continue following footprints through the snow. And this section of the trail was more forested so there were fewer areas where the prints disappeared.
Entering the obsidian falls area.
It was a slow start to the day but I was definitely moving faster than last night. It’s just hard only being able to manage 2 MPH when I’m pushing so hard and exerting myself so much more. That’s the great irony of snow travel I suppose. Unfortunately when I was about 5-6 miles into the day the footprints I’d been following veered off course. I actually passed by the obvious site where the hikers had camped last night or the night before. Then they must have turned off the PCT to bag a peak or something! Because the prints just veered into the woods and up a steep hillside.
Sections of snow such as this tended to have a lot more drifts and deeper portions.
It was a bummer to be back to postholing again. And this next section of trail had a lot of open areas, which typically have deeper drifted snow. For a couple of miles I was primarily walking through snow that went up just below my knee. It almost went over my seal skin socks! Which are super tall. Those areas were tedious and I had to try hard to be patient. Luckily the trail would switch up and give me a break fairly often. It’s funny how 4-6 inches of snow can become such a luxury. Even 6-8 inches doesn’t seem so bad these days!
It was a slow going but stunning start to the day.
The morning dragged into the afternoon. Which then bled into the early evening then too. Those first 15 miles of the day might as well have been a marathon! It was disheartening to move so slow. But at least I knew that eventually I would be dropping down below 6,000 feet and conditions would improve to some degree. And around 22 miles into the day I’d be going past the junction for Elk Lake. Which is closer to 5,000 feet! And I’ll be staying down around that elevation for the next 20 miles after that. Which should hopefully mean an easier section of trail.
Obsidian falls.
The day somehow went by kind of quickly even though the hiking for so tedious. And as I dropped further down in elevation the conditions did improve dramatically. It was a relief to get into sections of trail that had 4 inches of snow or less. That has become incredibly easy to walk along. Especially with the bit of melting that has gone on already.
It’s funny that it’s hot enough to just hike in my shorts and sun hoodie, but I need the tall waterproof socks for the snow.
Honestly though, today started to get me pretty worried about the snows status. I was hopeful that things would be melting out quicker than this. Today got me thinking that maybe the snow melt is going to take even longer than I’d initially thought. And I could be trudging through snow for most of the remainder of Oregon. At least I’m able to make it about 30 miles a day regardless. But these 30s are taking as long and hitting as hard as 40 mile days. This is going to get exhausting really soon.
I really liked this section of the trail. The snow compliments the mountains very well.
I’m the only footprints in the snow now! After a few miles this morning all other prints disappeared.
By around 4-5PM I had dropped down far enough to enjoy much less snow accumulation. I was finally back to moving closer to 3MPH as well. Which was a huge relief! I’ll be passing the junction for Elk Lake in the early evening, and it would be great to get there before it gets dark. It looks like Sprinter is going to walk in and meet me by the trailhead with some resupply. Saving me a mile or so walk both ways to get out to the parking area. Because I’m moving a little bit slower, I’ll need a bit more food to get me through tomorrow evening. It’s so ridiculously nice to Sprinter to help me out like this.
A mountain lion print in the snow.
Eventually as I got closer to the junction for Elk Lake, the conditions became fantastic. The snow was almost entirely done and I was flying along. It felt so good to move! And even better to be going about 3.5 MPH on some nice pine covered trail. This section was absolutely lovely.
The burnt sections of trail have been some of the best in terms of snow melt.
I wound up getting to the trail junction right as Sprinter walked up. He brought me a bunch of food and drinks which was so amazing. Some stuff for now, and some stuff to take with me. I sat there on a rock and stuffed my face with some delicious food. Then drank some caffeine to get me through the rest of the evening. Because the trail conditions have improved so dramatically, I’m hoping to crush more miles tonight.
What an exceptional way to end of the day. The sun setting over this epic mountain.
Another glorious sunset on the PCT.
It would be wonderful to take advantage of the snow free trail. It appears that I’ll be well below 6,000 feet for the next 20 miles. So all of my hiking this evening should be clear trail! And then I get to enjoy more snow free trail tomorrow morning before I go up above 6,000 feet again. So I took down a bunch of food and drinks and got ready to have a long rest of the night.
An easy way to know that Sprinter is around!
Once I finished up and said goodbye to Sprinter I just continued along the trail. I’d be enjoying a primarily flat and downhill section for the next hour or so. Then toward the end of my night I would be starting a super gradual climb. All in all it seemed like it would be shaping up to be a pretty great evening. It’s funny how certain trail conditions can make you so grateful for other trail conditions. All of the snow has made it so that a regular section of trail is a massive blessing. The hiking just seems so nice and easy in comparison.
Bear tracks in the snow. I’ve been seeing tracks constantly.
Right around the time that I said goodbye to Sprinter it had already gotten dark. So I spent the rest of the evening walking by headlamp. I really didn’t mind though. That’s just my daily routine, truly. I was well fed and well caffeinated and those next few hours went by really quickly. It had taken 10 hours to do the first 22 miles of the day. So it was quite funny to do another 12 miles so quickly. Because I felt so energized I just decided to keep on going until around 10:30-11PM. Which secured me a little more than 34 miles for the day. Not too shabby considering the current snow conditions.
Once I finally did stop I got set up quickly. I really wanted to get the seal skin socks off. I guess I probably should have taken them off earlier this evening when I got out of the snow. But my shoes were soaking wet so the socks helped to keep me warm. After I got all situated I took off the wet layers and got comfortable. It’s great being able to hike in snow all day long and still end the day nice and warm. That’s been a real blessing.
My first blister of the year! And it’s on my leg thanks to the seal skin socks.
I didn’t spend much time setting up at camp. I just ate something and then put my electronics on to charge. Then set up my stove to do a hot mocha in the morning. After I did my stretching I just rolled over and tried to call it a night. This morning when I woke up my shoes were so frozen that they were almost impossible to get on my feet. I’m really hoping that that is not the case tomorrow morning!
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