20th June 2015
Mileage 20.5
Glen Aulin camp (948.5) to Smedberg Lake (969)
I set off alone. Teflon had some stomach problems and would hike at whatever pace her body allowed. KC caught sight of me after about 10 miles and we stayed together for the remainder of the day.
Brightly painted meadows, crystal clear mountain streams and fresh mountain lakes characterised the day. Both KC and I suffered. Our bodies simply lacked energy. Since Lone Pine KC has lost a lot of weight. The hip belt on my backpack will not go any smaller. It was easy for us to think that we had covered the highest and toughest passes.
The first climb wiped us out so much we lunched next to an unnamed lake and slept for 30 minutes. We both needed the sleep. The late afternoon saw us climb the last of the 10000 feet passes (we hope), Benson Pass. We didn’t linger, instead we descended completely exhausted to Smedberg Lake to allow the waiting Mosquitos to feast. They were horrific, but the views of the lake and surrounding mountains during the evening sun made the camp worth the suffering.
No sign of Teflon, Hummingbird, Mr or Mrs Smith. We shall have to hike a shorter day in the hope they will catch up, I hope they are all ok. Sorry for the short post, I’m exhausted.
Next : Day 66 Hike Naked Day
The Best information about the Pacific Crest Trail:
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The optimist is right. You will have your momentum back at the Sonora Pass. Onward!
I hope this is the case
Yeah, the trail in northern Yosemite is RIDICULOUSLY steep. Despite the scenery, I don’t have fond memories of that stretch.
Oh I have fond memories, I guess my expectations were not matched by the trail
I feel you man. Last year, we hit the wall right after leaving Tuolumne. It felt like we had no energy for days after that. By the time we got to Sonora Pass, all was right again. Just keep your head up and walking. BTW, we camped at Bugberg Lake too. That was the worst day of mosquitos on the entire trail. I bet I ate 20 of them for dinner. The Optimist
Glad to know its a common feeling, since then I’ve found out almost every other hiker struggled