Started at 6:30 this morning. Getting a little better about rolling out of the sack. Hike today started with a slight downhill then turned into a mostly easy climb from 6k to 7.5k. I grabbed a couple liters at the water cache at 1848, I love these trail angels up here!

Fortunately, there is less burn up here and decent shade. Had a little huffying and puffing up a stiff grade. It was getting windy and I knew I was near the top of this bit of trail. When I finally popped out, there it was. Mt Thielson. Wow.

I was standing around taking pictures when a day hiker appears. He is going up the Mt Thielson trail which intersects the PCT here and offered to take a photo. I was like “You walked all this way to take my picture?” Well here it is, the Salty One fronting Mt Thielson.

Carried on hiking and crossed my first patch of snow. First thing to come to mind was that I should have brought some tang to mix in….but it was not to be. Nobody carries tang anymore. Pity that the science of orange powder has been overridden by Organic this and that.

Next stop was Thielson Creek at 1856 where I stopped and grabbed some water. There was a gal there northbounding from Ashland named Dark Horse. She is out to finish up the trail like me. She said her name came from always being the last one into camp after everyone had written her off (i.e. betting on the dark horse). Anyway, she packed and moved out while I was having some tasty Granola with Blueberries.

Munching away, here comes another full-on Northbounder named Tenderfoot. Turns out he hiked part of the PCT in 2017. I don’t recall meeting him, but the name rung a bell. He only got as far as Walker Pass then. He said his pack was way to heavy and he got some injuries. Well now he is back with a featherwieght pack and full of advice for anyone who would listen. Given that I was the only one there, that person would be me. I busied myself rearranging my pack because I’m carrying an extra set of shoes and the weight distribution is killing my lower back. He had some suggestions on how to pack which were useful, then a bunch of gear suggestions which were not. Dude just wouldn’t quit….so I did. Off I went up the hill.

Climbing away, I passed Dark Horse who was making some good progress. She is slow, but determined. Later Tenderfoot sailed by me, at a crushing pace. Good for him. Hope he makes it this time.
I’m hurting at this point. My pack, while pretty awesome all things considered, is killing my back. I got to thinking about it and I miss all the padding and stiffness of my old pack. Frankly, strapping into my old pack was like having an exoskeleton on. That pack is so stiff, I didn’t even need sholder straps, the thing just hung on my waist, transfering all the weight straight to my hips. This one on the other hand needs those shoulder straps tight. That combined with all the weight hitting my lower back is making me a little miserable. I’m pretty sure that once I dump the weight of my extra shoes, it should get a little better.

So I’m hurting and feeling a little wrung out. I knew I’d hit shelter cove on the weekend which means I’d likely not get a room and would have to tent it. I need a bed and some civilization! So I sent Alice a message on the InReach and she finally found me a place. I just need to get there in two days for a Saturday night stay. She is my Angel!

I camped at 1860. Supposedly this site was “awesome” according to guthook comments, but I found it to be just ok. There is a lot of smoke in the valleys so the views were truncated. The site is at 7600 feet and pretty close to the highest point in oregon for the PCT. Dark Horse showed up later and setup while I was turning in.