May 2, 2008 Pacific Crest Trail

Destination: Saddle, 2 miles above Chariot Canyon
Miles: 17

Adrian: Today was a good day. We started at 7:17 a.m. and the weather was perfect. The trail began at an elevation of 5,440 feet and went as low as 3,860 feet and we are camped at 4,200 feet. The temp is a comfortable 55 F.

In camp the night before, we learned from Esoteric Ninja that our next water source was dry. We then heard our second water source had a dead rat floating in it. Because of this, we were now looking at a 10-mile waterless stretch to Sunrise Trailhead. It had great water and we took a long break from 1 p.m. to 3:55 p.m. before setting off for another 6 miles until sunset. A great plan that yielded great mileage and a great campsite. We are dry camping tonight which means we have no water nearby. The next source is only 4 miles away, thankfully.

I'm feeling better each day. The only thing that hurts are my feet. After 10 miles or so, they begin to hurt from the ankles down. It must be from all the abuse and little conditioning. I'm lucky with just that and have taken no Advil other than for a small headache that I'm pretty sure was a symptom of dehydration. I've since corrected that situation.

Tomorrow we descend into and traverse Scissors Crossing. We start with a 4-mile waterless stretch followed by a 13-mile dry section. After that it gets worse, but that's a story for tomorrow.

Kirsten is hiking strong and asserts her opinion when she wants to, most of the time regarding strategy. I'm glad she does because our miles are fine and we are starting to feel stronger. I'm just a bit worried about her blisters. We treat them aggressively so they never get worse, so hopefully her feet will toughen up soon. Until then, walk good.

Kirsten: Before I get started, I have to ask Adrian ... What part of the foot is located above the ankle (see comment from Adrian above)?

Ok, enough razing. Adrian described most of the details of day. The miles came easier for me today and it seems like I may be getting the hang of this after all. Nothing too funny to report today, which means we didn't do anything stupid. There was a coyote skeleton laying in the middle of the trail, which was a little creepy.

Our (aka my) strategy of walking until noon and then breaking until after 3 p.m. seemed to work. We were rested and hiked plenty of miles later in the day. I'm confident Adrian feels the same way and we'll use the same schedule as we hike through the desert. If anything, we will start earlier to avoid the sun and warm temps.