August 12.
Got woken up at night by the sound of trains running right next to where we camped. Eventually woken up properly and went back to Shelter Cove to shit in a bathroom and maybe try to get breakfast.
Pidgin was back there too. He had camped with some of the other sobos that were there at a spot not too far from where we had stayed. Watermelon aka Kosche (?) the Japanese was also there at the hiker hut. The kid showed up! Turns out he hadn’t been ahead after all. He had only done 33 and stayed at one of the earlier lakes when I did the 40. He had stayed the previous night at Rosary Lakes and gotten in to Shelter Cove that morning.
Got two bagels and a veggie burger for lunch again. A bunch of nobos showed up and we hung out with them for a while.
D, worm, and mouse came back to the hiker tent. They’d probably smoked and hung out there before coming back for lunch. We all hung out and talked for ages. Worm got a hiker beer fund going and everyone, even me, chipped in to buy beer. They ended up buying 4 12 packs which they promptly consumed. The nobos were a fun group, just a group of friends who had hiked the AT before and met up to hike this thing.
Columbus and Bluebeard showed up, followed by Salty and Potter! It was great seeing them all though having them show up made me procrastinate leaving even more. I had planned to leave early. In fact, I only went back to Shelter Cove to use the bathroom but got vortexed by all the people. I said it was because I was waiting for it to get cooler but really I was just enjoying all the conversations and even the drinking and smoking.
Eventually I managed to rip myself away from them though since I knew I needed to get some miles in for the day. I hiked along the railroad tracks back to the trail. It was kinda sketchy and I probably should have stuck to the road. Got back on the PCT and hiked. Long climb out of Shelter Cove but ended up with some nice views of diamond peak and Odell Lake below. Had to hoof it so I powerhiked for a while. I realized that my right shoe had totally blown out on the side and tried to order a new pair when I got service at a peak. Unfortunately they would be delivered the 14th which is the day I’m supposed to be at Mazama which is pushing it. So I’m going to keep hiking on these barely shoes and hope they hold out.
Met a nobo while getting water named fetus who had a dog with him. I’d heard about him from the nobos at shelter Cove and we talked for a bit. He was so stoked to be hiking that it made me happy to be doing the same thing. He also let me know of a campsite on a little peninsula at the lake I was planning on camping at. Unfortunately this would prove to be a bad suggestion.
I kept hiking realizing it was getting late and I needed to pick up the pace to make it to camp early. I hiked through buggy ponds and finally made it to Summit Lake. There were three different tentsites, one at the north shore, one on the west, and one on the south. Fetus said there was going to be a meteor shower that night and that the best views would be north northeast so to go to the peninsula site which would have great views. I passed the first two sites to try to make it to that one. Along the way I passed and actually stopped at a great little site with fire ring and easy water access. Because I’m an idiot and wanted 17 miles and to camp at the peninsula, I kept hiking down to the next site. By the time I made it there it was dark and everyone camping there was already in their tents. Not wanting to set up next to them in the dark, I backtracked and had dinner in the dark while I figured out what to do. I got real frazzled trying to find a spot and kept wandering around in the dark trying to decided whether or lot to cowboy camp or find a spot to set up my tent. I got so frazzled I ended up backtracking to that goddamn first site i passed up. .7 of a mile back. I had to walk in the dark on a dirt road that criss crossed the trail and that I’d walked past an hour earlier. I was kinda sketched out but could also see the stars, including a few shooting stars. I was able to find the original tentsite, thank fuck, and set up. Now it’s stupid late and I’m exhausted and riled up and want to sleep in but can’t because I need to hike 34 miles with 5k of gain tomorrow. Goddamnit. Oh well, what the hell.
Plants Outside 