Posted by Mile 1112.6 to 1140.9 (28 miles, 45km)
The mozzies were out in force again this morning. I was thinking it would be too cold for them but apparently not. I can pack most of my stuff from inside the tent but eventually it too must be broken down and put away. The attack was relentless. Worse was dropping dacks for number twos and having my backside and legs swarmed. Not much fun. My sympathies to all the ladies on trail. You put with a lot in this mozzie hell.
It was windy this morning. More windy than I can recall it has been. It wasn’t a cold wind and it wasn’t warm air either. There was enough about to make is rain pine cones for a while. Not the big, hard radiata pine cone most common back home; smaller, softer ones from Ponderosa I think.
The wind helped keep things cool during the day which was awesome. I don’t think I raised a sweat until after lunch.
Through the morning I came across quite a few crews of volunteers doing trail maintenance. I stopped to talk to a few and found out the work was in association with the Tahoe 100 coming up in a fortnight, a 100mile mountain run and the event licence makes it conditional that the organisers do trail maintenance. For the last few days the PCT and the Tahoe Rim Trail are one and the same. Any little bit of trail maintenance helps us all. Thank you crews!
There are still plenty of wild flowers out covering whole hillsides. I think moving north is like following the seasons. The desert bloomed early and now it’s the mountains turn after the snow melt. Everything is blooming and trying to reproduce in the short window of time before the snows return to bury the landscape. Some many flowers, their sweet scents filling the air.
Some great views over the blue waters of Lake Tahoe in a section where the PCT actually followed a ridge line. Typically the trail is off the side of hills on the contour. I love ridge top walking with the 360 degree views and this section is just stunning.
The trail was in great form today which enabled a few more miles. I was thinking 30 would be possible today. It would be if I wasn’t so soft. Right at the end of the day was a 2 hour climb and on reaching the top I was done. It was 5:45pm so plenty of daylight left, I just couldn’t be bothered pushing the extra 2 after the climb to click over 30. Actually I would have had to push an extra 3.9 as that is where the next camp is. Still 28 miles is a solid days work. 30 will come, just no today.
Mick Beckers 