Day 3: Like Old Friends

Distance: 14.8

Location: Ferguson Camp (38.7 miles)

What an eventful day!  I slept had and woke up at 6:00 to the sound of drizzle on my tent.  I packed up quickly and was on trail.  The drizzle turned into an absolute downpour that lasted another four hours.  While it was terrible to hike in, all I could hear was the trees cheering.

That also meant that every mosquito woke up.  Since this trip started, I have struggled to take in calories.  I'm more thirsty than hungry.  The rain was an excuse not to eat.  I was barely moving, and I knew the reason why.  I needed to force myself to eat.  It was a struggle, but I choked down two Cliff bars.  That kicked in my hiker hunger. I would hike for an hour, get hungry, eat, and hike some more.  The miles were less of a struggle today 

I reached camp at 3:30.  Again my choices of where is camp are limited.  I'm either hiking 14.8 or 22+, so 14.8 it is 

A short while another hikes stopped to camp.  We started talking. We shared trails.  I told him I completed the PCT.  He said he sectioned hiked.

His gear was not the normal fare, however.  A section hiker is going to have gear you can buy at REI.  He had a cottage industry backpack.  He had an $700 zPacks tent.  So, I asked a loaded question.

"What is your base weight?"

"12.8 pounds."

"Mine is 13.8."

No section hiker was going to know that off the top of their head to the tenth of an ounce.

He asked what it was like hiking the PCT.  I was reluctant to tell him stories of that hike.  Who an I kidding, I told him some of the classics.

He said that in full disclosure, he attempted to hike the PCT this year, south bound, but discovered that he was really afraid of heights.  The views were awesome, but he didn't realize that he'd spend so much time just inches from falling.  He didn't believe at first that I finished it, but my stories were not something you just made up.  Without reception, I couldn't show him any pictures.

His name was Cooper, and we stayed up until the mosquitoes forced us to retire to our tents.  It was a good day.