Day 3: Riding the Storm Out

Starting Point: Hawk Mountain Campsite (7.4)

Ending Point: Gooch Mountain Shelter (15.8)

Total Miles: 8.4 miles

Steps: 23,622

Achievements: Crammed Like a Stale Sardine

The news on trail was that the weather coming had become more severe and with lower temperatures.  That weather was expected about 2 p.m.  Instead of hiking ten miles, we decided to stop early at the Gooch Mountain Shelter.  This disrupted stuff, but not in a bad way.  I have plenty of food.  I need to do a better job eating.

So, the race to the shelter was on.  However, there were three 500-foot climbs to overcome.  My quads are exhausted, and there is little spring in my step on inclines.  I had to clear out of my mind how I used to crush this like it was nothing on the PCT.  It wasn't true.  My up-game sucked on day 3 of the PCT, too.

It took awhile, but based on what I saw, my Presbyterian friend, Crow, will never climb all this in a day.  I never got to say goodbye, but that is the way of the trail.

I made it to the shelter at exactly 2 p.m., just as the rain started.  Jason and Wally were there to greet me.  I was early enough, to get a bottom spot on the floor for the night.

The shelter was lifted off the ground.  People set up there to stay out of the rain.  Once I was settled in, I was with my people.  20 dirty, stinky dudes, shoulder-to-shoulder, riding the storm out.

Well, my pack with its patches gives me some street cred.  This ain't my first rodeo.  Stories were shared.

As the sun came to set and the rain poured and the temperature dropped, we huddled for warmth and tried to sleep.

The hiker next to me, a big guy named Jolly (for obvious reasons) wouldn't stap talking. I opened my pack and offered him some melatonin.  It worked like a charm.  He passed out in less than five minutes.  Some one on the upper floor asked how I got him to sleep so fast.  "I'm a dad.  There are tricks you learn."

While stopping early is the smart thing to do, it puts a jump in the plan.  My next resupply point is at Neels Gap at 31.2.  However, to camp beyond 26.2 requires a bear canister, and I don't have one.  Wally has offered to jam his full, but Jason doesn't have one either.  We either have another short day tomorrow, or try to muscle a 14-plus marathon, including climbing up Blood Mountain.  The trouble is that there are 20+ trying for those limited spots.

The race is on!