The sun had set by the time we got to Holcomb Creek, today's destination. The alpine glow was spectacular, lighting the broad valley with its sparse stand of tall Jeffrey Pines in those soft red and orange hues that sunsets provide. We pitched our tent, laid out our sleeping pads and then grabbed our 6 liters of empty water bottles and walked down to the flowing creek! to fill them. What luxury! A real creek. With real flow. The water was three feet wide and over six inches deep, flowing slowly downhill, clear and clean. This morning I filled those same bottles from Caribou Creek, about 10" wide and an inch and a half deep, barely moving.
With the water bottles filled I returned to our tent site, added Aqua Mira to each to kill any nasty bugs hiding in the water and then cooked dinner. As Sally was finishing her meal she said, "Wow!! We eat like kings and queens!" What was our dinner Sally was so pleased with? One package of Knorr Pasta Alfredo split between us, half a cup of Banana Cream Pudding each, a handful of peanuts and a piece of Beef Jerky. Can you see why I love hiking with this woman?!? She considers a simple meal a banquet and a luxury. But, she is right. It was a feast and we enjoyed every bite.
This morning, for second breakfast, we had what we both consider our absolute favorite meal. We cook scrambled eggs and cheese in a double boiler I fashion from our two pots, slice some cheddar cheese and roll them together in a tortilla shell for a breakfast burrito. Absolutely fantastic! And at about 350 calories each, a tremendous boost for the day's hiking.
We both find the fact that we have to eat two candy bars a day for calories an extreme luxury. We walk about 10-12 hours a day, which burns about 4000-6000 calories. To avoid weakness and excessive weight loss we have to consume 3500 to 4500 calories a day. The "good for you food" like Cream of Wheat, oatmeal, potatoes, beef jerky, tuna, rice, chicken and vegetables only go so far in supplying those calories. You need a few calorie packed punches during the day to meet the needs of the trail. Snickers is Sally's calorie loader of choice while I enjoy Balance Bars and Power Bars. It is such a joy to guilt-free munch down on a calorific chewy nougat covered in peanuts and chocolate, knowing even with this luxury we still are not getting all the calories requires to maintain weight.
While on the subject if luxury, allow me to discuss our sleeping system. Our tent, or cocoon as Sally calls it, is cozy for two. Once our two sleeping pads are inflated we place a fitted sheet over them for comfort and to hold them together, then on top goes our queen size down quilt I sewed 10 years ago. With our packs placed crossways at our heads we have a bed with "bolsters" of unimaginable comfort. Sally says she sleeps as well on the trail as she does in her bed at home. I can verify this statement as she never wakes during the night. I have pushed for throwing our bed away and just sleeping on our sleeping pads on the floor in our bedroom but she hasn't acquiesced. I always imagine all the extra floor space we would have, but I think she likes conventional furniture over practicality!
We split our day of hiking in two today. We hiked from 6:15am until about 11:30, then found a shaded level area to stretch out through the heat of the afternoon. A delicious lunch of peanut butter on Pilot Bread was followed by a long nap. About 3:00pm we began packing up and were back on the trail by 3:30, having avoided the heat of the day. The trail meandered through enormous Jeffrey Pines just below the crest of the ridge on the north side providing shade for the first hour and a half. Suddenly, the verdant trees turned to scorched skeletons as we entered the 49,000 acre Butler Burn of 2007. Thankfully, the trail traversed the south flank of the burned valley where many trees had survived the fire. It was now past 6 pm and the setting sun put a peaceful light on the area, making it beautiful despite the devastating burn.
We had made three plans before starting the PCT. We were not sure if we could do 8, 10 or 12 miles per day so made plans for each contingency. We have consistently been doing 10-12 mile days. Today was just short of 13, a very pleasing figure. Tomorrow will again be a 13 mile day to put us at water and a campsite.
Another aspect of the trip that has changed is the people we hike with. Most people are now past the break in phase and are trying to crank out 20 mile days to reach Canada on time. Whereas in the beginning we kept pace with people as they had to slow for injuries to heal, most now motor past us and are not seen again. Today was an exception. We hiked 7 miles Wednesday afternoon and 13 today, for 20 miles. Most of the people that passed us today did those 20 miles in one day, so they camped with us tonight. Tomorrow, they will set out on another 20 mile day, where we will stick to our 12, and so they will be moving further ahead each day. This includes Jeff and Meg, Tinkerbell, Sierra, Nicotine, Shaky Legs, Peanut and Dozen.
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