July 06, 2008 Pacific Crest Trail

Destination: West Walker River Trail
Miles: 20

Adrian:
Just a few minutes before camping, we hit the 1000-mile marker! We took a bit of time to hug and take pictures of the little mile marker made of small stones. It's been a remarkable trip so far with some of hardest, most demanding hiking and such beautiful landscape. From the desert to the mountains, the variety of ecosystems and geography have been more than I expected. I hope that the next 1000 miles are as good as the last.

Today was tiring and the miles came slow. I think section I may be one of the hardest.

We ran into Tattoo Joe and Scott Williamson this morning after our morning 1,000-foot climb. These guys are trying to beat the 79-day speed record Tattoo Joe holds. They are unsupported, which means no one can help them in any way. Amazing guys, really humble elite athletes.

The canyons are getting deeper and rockier. The soles of our feet are swollen and tender by the last few hours of the day as if they've been well beaten by a meat tenderizer.

The mosquitoes are hell right now.

This is tough work.

Kirsten:
I've been thinking a lot about volcanic rock these past few days. It's my happy thought.

I'm not a big geology buff and I normally don't spend my days thinking about rocks. But times have changed and now we're in mosquito country. So what does volcanic rock have to do with those little bloodsuckers? Everything.

You see, volcanic rock is porous. Porous rock doesn't hold water.

The trail over the past 400 miles or so has wound its way through the High Sierras, which is loaded to the hilt with granite. Granite - and I'm simplifying here - holds water. Where there's water there are mosquitoes. This leaves me daydreaming about volcanic rock, which we should reach in a couple of days.