Aug 5: Campsite above Blue Lake to Trout Lake Rd (PCT mile 2205.8 to 2229.2)

I woke up early feeling well rested and fully recovered from whatever ailed me yesterday.

My goal today is hike some 23 miles over mostly rolling hills, then one big one, to get to the Trout Lake Rd junction where I will hitch a ride down to the tiny city of Trout Lake.

The hike was mostly not that interesting- a few hidden ponds, lots of trees and few flowers. I did see this interesting mushroom

I pushed hard and made it to the road at about 4pm and was immediately picked up by a car!

I bought my resupply food in the small grocery store, ate dinner at the local cafe, and headed over to the church to camp in their lawn. There were a lot of PCT hikers hanging out at the store, and many will be camping there — too many for me!

I met an older couple hiking the trail and learned they have quite a bit of experience hiking and biking. The man is working on finishing his third PCT hike – he has already done the Appalachian Trail and the Continental Divide Trail three times. They’ve hiked many of the Camino de Santiago hikes ( I thought there was only one – it seems there are at least 12), plus they have crossed the US on a tandem bicycle three times!

We shared our experiences and observations as older hikers: hiking slower, taking breaks, seeking less crowded campsites, etc. We feel the trail is overused and not as respected as it should be: trash and TP left at/near campsites and plants trampled.

I guess I’m part of that overuse, but I do my best to pack out my trash and used TP, bury my poop well in remote areas and try not to crush the flora along the way.

Sorry for so few pictures but thanks for reading!