To PCT mile 2150.9 (stats here).
I slept relatively well after changing the tent site. It was windy when I woke up and I noticed my stuff was somewhat wet. The sleeping bag is water resistant so that has not been a problem so far, nor was it this time. I noticed that I had put my cowboy camp in place where there was a lot of goose shit, but better that than not sleeping at all.
I was not sure whether I should stay for another night at the PCT Days. The leg needs the rest but I most certainly would not want to spent another night in such a hullabaloo. I half decided to stay half a day and then leave, so I packed my stuff and headed for Ale House.
The Ale House did not open until 12 and also its backyard was closed. I therefore went for a public bench and had some breakfast while drying my stuff on the sun and writing the blog. There was another hiker doing the same. A sprinkler had gotten her during the night.
I switched the public bench to the Ale House once it got opened. There where lot of other hikers, but I managed to pretty much catch up with the blog. The owner of the place asked if people are headed to the PCT Days event area. As I was, she asked if I could advertise their Pizza Party, where they had free pizzas and sold beer 2 dollars a can. Of course I could that.
At the event, I bought a new rehydration bladder. The cleaning tablets the lady gave me did not work well enough. I also tested a new Zpack tent, Plexamid. It actually felt almost perfect, except that it was not freestanding and was quite expensive. But I have been quite jelous for people having Zpack tents. The fact that I am unsure about continuing because of my leg made me not to buy it at the moment.
I advertised the pizza party to quite many, and then headed back to the Ale House. An older Swedish hiker recognised my accent and we chatted while waiting for the pizzas. The pizzas were not that great, and there were so many hungry hikers that you needed to wait ages to get a slice. I soon withdrew from the party in order to update my blog and Instagram. That took irritatingly long time, and I ended up being in a static position long enough for my leg to hurt even more.
I got a message from a Finnish woman who I met earlier at a trail, and from a couple from Portland that gave me a ride just recently. I was planning already to leave but wanter to see them. At the event area, a grand raffle was going on, and people sat at the grass by hundreds. It was hard to spot people but I managed to find the couple. Steve and Noelle were absolutely great and we had a fun conversation. I am glad I met them. The Finnish hiker I could not find, though.
It was already past 6pm when I headed out of the town. Strangely, my ankle started to hurt in a whole new way. It felt like a mechanical pain in the joint. If I stepped sideways, I did not feel it. I did not want to stay in town, so I took couple of ibuprofeins, put the neopren compression sock on and started walking awkwardly.
Walking over the Bridge of Gods did not feel like that special event. I was glad that there were no other hikers and the traffic was low. The next morning or day it would be full of hikers. My precautions with the leg made the walking okay and it was not hurting that much. I only managed to hike 4 miles before it was completely dark and I resolved camping on the next possible spot. This happened to be a popular lake among weekend campers and it was full of kids. Luckily, I managed to find a remote spot away from the others. I was happy I got out of the town and was able to sleep with only the sound of rushing water from a nearby creek.
I slept relatively well after changing the tent site. It was windy when I woke up and I noticed my stuff was somewhat wet. The sleeping bag is water resistant so that has not been a problem so far, nor was it this time. I noticed that I had put my cowboy camp in place where there was a lot of goose shit, but better that than not sleeping at all.
I was not sure whether I should stay for another night at the PCT Days. The leg needs the rest but I most certainly would not want to spent another night in such a hullabaloo. I half decided to stay half a day and then leave, so I packed my stuff and headed for Ale House.
The Ale House did not open until 12 and also its backyard was closed. I therefore went for a public bench and had some breakfast while drying my stuff on the sun and writing the blog. There was another hiker doing the same. A sprinkler had gotten her during the night.
I switched the public bench to the Ale House once it got opened. There where lot of other hikers, but I managed to pretty much catch up with the blog. The owner of the place asked if people are headed to the PCT Days event area. As I was, she asked if I could advertise their Pizza Party, where they had free pizzas and sold beer 2 dollars a can. Of course I could that.
 |
| The tent I should have bought. Only 440 grams or so. |
At the event, I bought a new rehydration bladder. The cleaning tablets the lady gave me did not work well enough. I also tested a new Zpack tent, Plexamid. It actually felt almost perfect, except that it was not freestanding and was quite expensive. But I have been quite jelous for people having Zpack tents. The fact that I am unsure about continuing because of my leg made me not to buy it at the moment.
I advertised the pizza party to quite many, and then headed back to the Ale House. An older Swedish hiker recognised my accent and we chatted while waiting for the pizzas. The pizzas were not that great, and there were so many hungry hikers that you needed to wait ages to get a slice. I soon withdrew from the party in order to update my blog and Instagram. That took irritatingly long time, and I ended up being in a static position long enough for my leg to hurt even more.
 |
| The old shirt got retired, after serving superbly over 2100 miles. |
I got a message from a Finnish woman who I met earlier at a trail, and from a couple from Portland that gave me a ride just recently. I was planning already to leave but wanter to see them. At the event area, a grand raffle was going on, and people sat at the grass by hundreds. It was hard to spot people but I managed to find the couple. Steve and Noelle were absolutely great and we had a fun conversation. I am glad I met them. The Finnish hiker I could not find, though.
It was already past 6pm when I headed out of the town. Strangely, my ankle started to hurt in a whole new way. It felt like a mechanical pain in the joint. If I stepped sideways, I did not feel it. I did not want to stay in town, so I took couple of ibuprofeins, put the neopren compression sock on and started walking awkwardly.
 |
| An atheist can walk on the Bridge of Gods with a smile on his face. |
Walking over the Bridge of Gods did not feel like that special event. I was glad that there were no other hikers and the traffic was low. The next morning or day it would be full of hikers. My precautions with the leg made the walking okay and it was not hurting that much. I only managed to hike 4 miles before it was completely dark and I resolved camping on the next possible spot. This happened to be a popular lake among weekend campers and it was full of kids. Luckily, I managed to find a remote spot away from the others. I was happy I got out of the town and was able to sleep with only the sound of rushing water from a nearby creek.
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