Day 99 - Summit Lake

Thursday July 23

When I start hiking in the morning, I rarely have a specific destination in mind. Rather, I know that I have to hike a minimum number of miles in order to make it to my next resupply without running out of food. For this section, I need to average 21.6 miles per day. I usually try to hike additional miles in the first several days so that on the last day there are fewer miles to hike to reach my destination. 

This morning I knew that the availability of water was going to be a determining factor. A reliable water source was 19.4 miles away, with the one after that another 9 miles. I planned to go to the first source at 19.4 miles. If I felt good and still had plenty of water to drink, I would go on to the next water source. If I was tired or didn't think I could hike another 9 miles, I would fill up and carry an extra 1.5 liters so I could dry camp. 

The trail this morning headed down the mountain and into the forest. There were very few views, and when I could see out, I saw more tree-covered hills. I got to Windigo pass at 11:30. Someone had left a cache of water! I only needed to fill my 16 oz bottle and had not used any of the other 2 liters I was carrying. This is what the cache looks like.

From here the trail climbed 1,400 feet. Halfway up was the trail to the first water source, but I was feeling good and decided to try to make it to Summit Lake. Once over the top, the trail dropped almost 2,000 feet. I arrived at the lake and found a campsite by 4. I had beans and rice for dinner, seasoned with "slap yo mama". It was yummy! I took this picture a few feet from my campsite.

I am camped at PCT mile 1896.1. I hiked 29.2 miles today. The elevation here is 5,462 feet.