Woke up at 3:00 once again to be out of camp just after 4:00 am. Found a nice rhythm to start with.
Funny thing happened... when I stopped to take a leak, I encountered a SWARM of mosquitos. I was forced out of shear fear to stop mid flow and run for the next mile or so. I was very surprised to see that many before sunrise.
It was a long, but beautiful climb to the top of Selden Pass. My goal was 10 by 10... I achieved an 8 by 8. The last mile was very difficult, mainly because I hadn't stopped to take a break and eat. My brother sent me some Quest Bars, which I eat at the top of each pass. That helped for going down.
I made it to the pass by 10am. With only 5 miles to go, I hustled through the already warm snow, to come to the Bear Creek Ford.
This ford is supposed to be the most difficult on the PCT. My legs were tired so going through the Creek on the actual trail was out of the question. Downstream I make an attempt, only to nearly get taken out by the deep swift current 5 feet from the other shore.
Carefully I took a few minutes to backtrack. Moving at a couple feet per minute until I can regain my footing. I was definitely shaken.
After I gather myself, I down a bit further downstream to find a much better place to cross.
About a mile from camp, there is another tricky crossing that took me some time to figure out. Having learned my lesson from the last ford, I took my time rather than rushing.
Arrived at camp around 12:30 pm, and quickly setup my tent to get away from the mosquitos. Made some lunch and promptly took a 3 hour nap.
Really relax for the remainder of the evening and go lights out by 8:00pm.
