Not everyday of hiking is equal (as you've most likely figured out by now). Today was up there in terms of enjoyment on the Trail. Though a bit longer miles wise, tomorrow will be fairly short because of the extra effort.
I woke up and was the most comfortable, in my sleeping bag, I've been in a long time. All despite having a flat sleeping pad...
The whole I patched last night wasn't the only one. But I couldn't find the other pin head sized holes till it was light out. I ended up making all the repairs during lunch.
I took my time packing up camp, relaxed and chatted for a while with Christopher, a thru hiker I'd met a couple days ago. Once on the trail, the snow quickly tapered off as I lost more and more elevation. This made me very happy. At this time, I was starting to get really tired of snow.
Kerrick Creek was today's first of many water crossings. Reports have said this is the hardest crossing on the PCT. At this point, I stopped trusting reports and chose to see the conditions for myself. Kerrick was no worse than any other crossings. In fact, 1/4 mile down stream there was a log Christopher found to cross on. Though the vertigo hit hard mid log, I and many others were able to cross without getting wet. Others found a crossing through the Creek that wasn't so bad, and was closer to the trail.
The last 10 miles of the day consisted of a VERY gradual uphill. 1500 feet in 10 miles make the trail seem as though it was flat. For the last 6 miles of the day the trail was little more than a stream. Water every which way I turned started to take a toll on my mind. I listened to some JRE podcast which helped pass the tough miles.
Camp and sunset were breathtaking.
