Day 134

Trail miles: 25.5

Total: 2250.4

We’re usually the first to get up and leave at a campsite, but when I rolled out of my tent at 5:15am, there were so many headlamps on in tents. And I didn’t realize it at the time, but a lot of people had already left, because when we crossed the highway where the Trout Lake shuttle was picking up, there were already 20 or so people waiting in line. Town would have been nice, but it felt good to skip the trouble and just keep marching along. The morning was mostly uphill. I took a break halfway up the second hill, which was 6.6 miles long. I was passed by Quadzilla on the second half of the hill. And I’ll probably never see him again! At the top, we were treated with heart stopping views of Mt Adams. And they lasted for a couple of hours! The group got pretty separated so we mostly took lunches at different spots. Lots of creek options today! The flies are biting again so I’m dressed in full mosquito protection while elevating my feet.

The next 10 miles were pretty much agony. Maybe I didn’t take enough breaks today. I came up to a big and fast river. Krista, Spare Change, and Brad were directions traffic on the other side, which wasn’t a good sign. I had to cross a few logs that made me so nervous. There was one point along the crossing where I just stood there for 30 seconds not knowing how to go forward or maybe I was too scared to take another step. I put one foot on the left log and my right foot on the right log and shuffled my way across. Then the next one I had to use my hands to grab the branches coming upward. I had to sit down to get my heart rate back down. Someone brought up the chance to do a 30 today, but that went out the window when we saw a lake to swim in. Plus Lifeguard and Raechel were behind picking berries, so we didn’t want to make them hike late. For the time being, we have to get to camp around 5:00pm to get sites. The bubble is huge right now! Lots of people pushed forward from the fires and now a ton of southbounders. The spring was so cold but satisfying to drink. I wasn’t able to soak my feet for longer than a minute.