2018.05.30 - Day #20 - Getting slow, getting fast

To PCT mile 406.6 (stats here).

Because of the tilted uneven ground I did not sleep that well. I really have not been executing with the wake up calls and I got going only about 6:20am. To my annouynce I noticed that there would have been plenty of space at the actual tent site. It was just hard to see in the darkness, especially as you don't want to direct the beam of your head lamp to other people during the night.

Late morning views.

I kept an early break at the campground after only 4 miles. After yesterdays surprise climb I expected that the whole of today would be just going down. Stupidly I did not check the elevation profile and few big climbs took a toll. Sometimes it is nice not to know what lies ahead, so that there is an element of a surprise, or that the coming hardness does not put your down too much. This time it was not nice as I had decided to skip a water source just before, and for the very first time, I was actually really low in water. In order not to run out completely, I took many mini breaks during the ascend.

When I got up the climb, I was pretty beat. It would have been only a short climb to the peak of Mt. Williams, but I decided not to do it. The views were nothing great, and you could see well enough from where I was. Water was in my mind. The descend was easy. At the bottom, I spotted a gentleman with his binoculars at the parking lot. Striving a conversation revealed that he was spotting speeders, not wildlife. He told me that lots of people use the road there to drive fast with their sport cars. Revealing my thirst to him made him to give me water, which was nice.

Pro-setup from a Triple Crown veteran.

From the adjacent picnic area, I joined a group of three other hikers. One of them was a canadian who had done PCT already 2 times in addition to the other two big hikes in America, CDT and AT. Lots of good conversation for him. He told me among other things that Hoka Stintson shoes might be a good option for me.

People getting ready to cowboy camp.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I kept going with the group that kept the conversation going, but I did not feel so chatty so kept it quiet most of the time. The group started slow, but picked up speed and eventually I had hard time following. We did good mileage, hitting about 28 miles. I do feel that this is a bit much for myself. I can do it but it means a full day of walking, without any longer breaks. At least, I don't think I enjoy mere walking that much that I would want to do more than 30.