Day ?

Holy hell it's hot.

The leaves and branches slapping me with every step mix with the thick layer of sweat to form an itchy, claustrophobic skin around me. 

Here, along grider creek, the valley seems to be suffocating me in any way that it can. The heat radiating from its dusty walls, the post-fire understory explosion, and its general narrowness and remoteness. I kept dunking my hat in every creek to avoid passing out. It went on like this for 12 miles. 

I cursed myself for sleeping in until 8am this morning and cursed the trail for being in such an unpleasant place. The river itself was wild and beautiful, but the trail seemed to only taunt me with it rather than hike along it.

Alas, the PCT does not let you skip ahead or drive past these sorts of sections. If the entire PCT was meant to be only the best and most pristine mountains, you'd have to fly past the rest of it. The PCT allows you to see it all.

And that's what made the first 8 miles of today so special.

The striking white and orange rocks against the bright green meadows full of wildflowers. The cool mountain breeze and easy downhill stride.

Today was yet another example of how each day on the PCT is both the best and the worst. It's a never ending rollercoaster that fulfills the saying that a truly complete day brings laughter, tears, and everything in between. A day on the PCT is a day fully lived.

Grider Creek bridge