Day 68 | mile 1301.1 - 1340.7 | 39.6 miles

Woke up to an amazing sunrise at 5. Everyone was still in their tents. I laid in my quilt for a bit trying to watch the sunrise, but really, snoozing.



Cheesy mashed potatoes at 5:30. Tea and muffin with Nutella. Slow start. Turns out Cheap Sunglasses (the guy who was neither seen nor heard when I camped at Squaw, and later met at Donner Ski Ranch) camped near me. I left 30-ish minutes after him at 6:30.



I caught up with him at 7:30. Asked about Tenderfoot and Fancy Pants. He said they were ahead. I put on some music and was off to the races.

I thought I saw Mt. Shasta, but Alex says that wasn’t it. Wasted a lot of battery trying to upload a stupid instagram story.

The longest sustained uphill section today was only 6 miles long. Pretty easy terrain. Not a lot of water on trail, however. I started the day with less than a liter and had to make it last for 27.3 miles. It was mildly uncomfortable toward the end. All the water was 0.3 miles off trail. And you know I’m allergic to non-PCT miles.

PCT midpoint marker was 22 miles from camp. I got there at 1:45. Shake It Out by Florence and the Machine was playing. I stopped to take some pictures and eat lunch. I had a tortilla with salmon and crackers, and a tortilla with Nutella and crackers. I was especially thirsty after the salmon. Thankfully I had saved a quarter of a liter for lunch.

When I got to Soldier Creek I took my pack off and drank a liter right away. Reapplied sunscreen, shook out my shoes. Man, my feet were so clean in the Sierra. All those creek crossings. Now they’re worse than they were in the desert.

Called Alex. He called back half an hour later. Then Lena called to tell me about Bay Area traffic and to make me feel better about being on the trail. So sweet of her!



Selby texted that she’s home tonight and I can call her. Yay! We chatted for 45 minutes. What a luxury!! We caught up on all the gossip, talked about cake and sprinkles, and made plans for December.

I was debating whether or not to go to Chester. Settled on not going after quenching my thirst. I was really craving salad and fresh fruit before then.



Camping 10 miles north of Hwy 36 at the north fork of Feather River. Baywatch is here! He asked me about Alex and his NHL app. Lasagna for dinner. I washed my feet because they were ridiculously dirty.

Falling asleep now.

P.S. I ran out of my zinc sunscreen and now I’m using Safeway brand chemical sunscreen. It stings and makes my eyes water. Ugh.