When I woke to Leaky and Moonshine packing up and making breakfast I felt like I could have slept for at least three more hours. Not having the opportunity to catch up on lost sleep from the last section is really taking its toll on me mentally and physically, so tonight I’m going to try to be ready for bed by the time it gets dark.

Moonshine made coffee before we left camp and I tried a new combination of oats, Carnation Breakfast mix and granola. It was delicious! Then it was time to hit the trail and climb 3 miles up to Dicks Pass. I had the sneaking suspicion that I might get cell reception at the top which was definitely a motivator, and I was right.

I took a break at the top to send out my last blog post. When I was in Tahoe I had a chance to check emails and comments on my blog, but I simply didn’t have the mental capacity to respond to most of them. Sometimes it’s really hard to even digest the events of each day and in town the sensory overload often gets the better of me. I was particularly brain dead in Tahoe so please forgive the delay. I definitely needed some words of motivation and inspiration so thank you all so much!

Leaky and Moonshine soon caught up and took a break too. Leaky had carried extra water up which meant we could have another cup of coffee! Heaven. Then Fuller arrived on scene, beaming from ear to ear and looking like a new hiker after our chat yesterday. That absolutely made my day!


From the Pass it was 3 miles to the next water source, from there it was 4 miles until lunch, and from lunch it was 10 miles to the campsite. Sadly this is how my brain now operates on autopilot. I listened to Missy Higgins coming up the pass which has become my morning ritual. Then I rode the caffeine high to the water. Between water and lunch I was counting miles, getting upset at my new shoes which are not only a size too big (I think), but are too lightweight for rocky trails like the ones through Desolation Wilderness. I think the insoles Dirty Girl has forwarded to Sierra City will help, but it’s still a long way to go and my feet are hurting like the first few weeks. Not good!

The boys had stopped off trail in the shade for lunch with Mehap who I met in Yosemite and Noday who I only just met today. We did a little bartering of food over lunch. I swapped a drink mix that Chris gave me for a handful of starburst jelly beans, and a peanut butter and jelly bagel for a salami, cheese, avocado and coconut oil tortilla. I also swapped one Carnation Breakfast packet for two packets of oatmeal. I think I did well. When Fuller caught up we had a good reminiscing session about the early days of the trail. He also said he wanted to learn the Canadian National Anthem so he can sing it when we crosses the border. I gave them a rendition of the anthem I almost know better than my own after singing it at least 100 times during the torch relay across Canada in 2009/2010. I still need to learn the French version!


I had a decent lie down after lunch to let my food settle. I still feel ancy when I rest on the trail, but my only hurry is making the post office in Sierra City by Friday afternoon which I will do easily providing I walk 20 miles each day. The physical challenge of walking 20 miles a day from this point seems to be easy enough, it’s the mental challenge which is really starting to take its toll. The 10 miles after lunch were relatively flat and mainly through the forest where the only real obstacle was the number of trees fallen across the trail. I listened to music most of the way but started getting frustrated at the repetitiveness of the same music over and over.


Just when I was about to whip out the video for some mental relief I saw the boys by a lake. They had just been in for a quick dip which is exactly what I needed to spice up the afternoon, refresh and wake up from the afternoon slump. The water was quite warm and had the desired affect on my mood, but the last 4 miles were still a battle. Especially when the campsite we hoped to stay at didn’t really exist. Even worse, the one another mile up the trail wasn’t any better, but none of us had steam left to go any further so we made do. Even the mosquitos here are bad. I cooked from inside my tent but have hidden my food under some logs so hopefully no bears are in smelling distance. It’s the first night I’ve slept in my tent for a long time. Speaking of which it’s 21:45 and already dark, so goodnight from mile 1125, until tomorrow!

The night before a town stop is usually a restless one. It’s like Christmas Eve, when all you can think of are the goodies the following day will have in store. When my alarm went off at 4:30am I didn’t even hit snooze. I was prepared to sleep walk to make it into town as early as possible.

The trail was incredibly flat and I was at the 5 mile mark before I’d even considered filling up with water. My pack also felt considerably lighter with only a little bit of extra food left in comparison to 10 full days. I caught up with Carrot around 7:30am and by that stage had hiked close to 8 miles which meant I only had 6 to go. We stopped for a quick coffee break as I’d already had a Carnation breakfast and a few handfuls of granola before I left camp and I was out of my usual oatmeal.

Time flew between chatting and hiking on the mostly flat trail and by about 11am I was 0.5 miles from the highway. I excitedly called UB to see where he was at, expecting he would waiting close by, but he told me he was at the Echo Lake Lodge where he’d dropped Wendy back at the trail head. The Lodge was less than 2 miles from the highway but it was a completely mental battle. Kinda like telling someone whose just crossed the finish line after running a marathon that they actually have two more miles to go. It broke me.

After 10 challenging days out in the wilderness I sobbed my way through the last two, realising just how much the 180 miles had taken a toll on me physically and mentally. When I finally reached the lodge I realised UB had texted me to say he’d come pick me up from the highway but I hadn’t seen it, so I was wandering around the parking lot when he pulled up, having run into Carrot who told him I’d headed up that way.

I was so relieved to see him and his puppy Bernard! He had brought beers, cookies and cupcakes for the hikers arriving at Echo Lake, so I grabbed some of the trail magic before we headed to the Post Office. I thought there was a package for me from Jimbo at the Echo Lake PO but they said they didn’t have anything. Then at the PO I discovered one of my packages was at the UPS depot and the other from Dirty Girl had been returned to her. The rumours of the Sth Lake Tahoe PO not being hiker friendly was close to the truth, but my resupply box, tent and gear were all there, phew!


We headed up to King’s Beach on the north side of the lake and I had to visit the Thrift Store to buy some cheap clothes so I could shower and clean every piece of clothing I’d been wearing for the past 10 days. The traffic was mayhem and the prices of the motels extortionate because of the July 4th weekend, but we at least managed to find a room near the lake. By the time we’d decided what to eat for lunch it was nearing dinner time, so we grabbed some sushi before heading down to the beach for sunset. We got kicked off the beach by a cop because it was private and dogs aren’t allowed, but the guy was really friendly and thankfully didn’t write us a ticket.

The next day was a full zero day, but after waking up around 10am I had so many things to do I barely rested the entire day. I needed to buy new shoes and a Steripen from the outfitters, lunch food, HEET and toiletries. Then I needed to spray down all of my clothing and gear with Permethrin that trail angel Jan had ordered me from Amazon (thank you SO very much!!). I was lucky I could hang my entire wardrobe out to dry on the balcony of the motel. Then it was time to figure out my food for the next five days. Ladybug had kindly sent me my resupply box and filled it with some additional surprises like Oreo cookies and Nutella!

I was up until 2am, trying to update my blog, opening an Instagram account (MukMukPCT) and applying to be an ambassador for Gossamer Gear (Carrot told me they give you a free backpack and like people who blog regularly). Unfortunately they rejected me (their loss I say), so I’ll be sticking with my ULA Catalyst which has seen me through the trail well, it’s just in need of a mega clean as it smells worse than me! The guys at ULA also exchanged my hip belt for free which really impressed me, and sent it to me on the trail within a week. Thanks again Chris!

Today I had a nervous belly heading back to the trail. UB still needs to figure out how he’s going to get back to the trail and when, and the memories of my 10 days solo were still too fresh in my mind. When we reached Echo Lake again my heart sank. It wasn’t until I ran into Spark, Leaky and Moonshine that I felt any comfort in hitting the trail again.

We had discussed trying to go around 10 miles as it was already close to 3pm. About half way I saw a familiar face coming south bound down the trail. It was Fuller who I’d shared a shot of Crown Royal with at the 1000 mile mark. I said a big hello and asked what he was doing. He told me he was quitting. I immediately threw my pack down and insisted we sit and talk. We both shared our woes, as I was feeling extremely unmotivated being back on the trail. I think some of the most important things to remember on the trail are: 1. You’re never alone in your struggles, 2. Everyone will have a day when they feel like quitting, 3. The trail will beat you down but always provides when it’s needed most, and 4. Never quit on a bad day.

Fuller was extremely appreciative of the talk and decided to continue heading north. This also helped to motivate me and gave me purpose for being on the trail at that time and place. The trail honestly does provide in weird and wonderful ways just at the right time. I still struggled through the last five miles to camp but was relieved to have the company of Leaky and Moonshine to cook dinner with and camp next to. We shared many a laugh, especially when they said they’re still wondering what I want from them, as this was the second night I chose to camp with them. I told them it was for their superior coffee, but honestly they’re great company, and a fresh breath of youthful air on the trail. I also get to act like an 18 year old again!

I had wished I could make it to South Lake Tahoe for the 4th of July, but instead I am eating tuna casserole for dinner at a picnic table in front of the closed visitor centre on Hwy 88. Yogi’s notes say there are lots of mosquitos past this point so I figured it would be better to eat here and hike till dark again. I have to say I’m feeling a bit anxious being this close to civilisation, especially as it’s getting dark and I’m feeling very much on my own.

I did experience my own version of trail magic though when I was less than a mile from Carson Pass and I bumped into Francoise and Thomas who had been bird watching down by the lake. I walked with them back to their car chatting about the PCT and Vancouver Island where Francoise currently lives. They asked if I had enough food and despite me saying yes, Thomas brought out an entire watermelon from his car which he divided up. It was my first fresh fruit in almost 10 days and tasted spectacular!

Leading up to this encounter I was up on a ridge where I bumped into some day hikers and the girl who is riding her horse along the entire PCT. I was amazed at the organisation that goes around doing such a thing. Her brother meets her at each road crossing with the horse trailer, food etc. She said the desert section was hard with such little water but the snow crossings and steep sections in the Sierras were also challenging. I was honestly blown away.

I had phone signal on the ridge and managed to post another blog entry before the Andrews caught up to me from out of nowhere. They went into Bridgeport so I must have passed them at Sonora Pass. It was awesome to see such familiar faces again and fun to catch up on how their hike has been. As it was the 4th of July they had three packets of Pop Rocks which were meant to simulate fireworks in your mouth when you eat them. I took a video but we were all a little disappointed at the effect (obviously designed for kids aged under 30).

Going back to the start of the day, I woke up at 4:50am and broke camp just before 5:45am. I didn’t feel as tired as I had expected and polished off the first few miles easily until I reached the first water source. I planned to go to the following creek for breakfast but just before dipping back into the valley I got mobbed by mosquitos and found salvation in the most gorgeous group of rocks overlooking the entire valley. There was a breeze and a hiker heading south said the mosquitos down the trail were ‘thick’, so I opted to remain on my beautiful rock ledge.

I was determined to eat more today to avoid the slump I fell into yesterday afternoon. I had my usual oats, granola and coffee and felt really good when I hit the trail again at 9:30am. There was a waterless stretch for 8 miles coming up so I planned to stop and have an early lunch at the last source and bumped into Spark who had the exact same intentions. I lent him some of my Pristine drops to treat the water as there were many floaters and a large frog sitting just above the spot where we collected the water from.

I had two burritos with tortillas and dehydrated beans that UB had left over in Mammoth Lakes. I even had mild salsa to put on them so they tasted like ‘real’ food! Carrot caught up to us while we were eating and offered me some chocolate and flattened banana which was delicious. I let lunch settle and then headed off for the 12 miles to Carson Pass, mainly uphill. I had so much more energy than yesterday so food is really the key and something I need to pay closer attention to, especially lunches.

It wasn’t long after that I stopped at the top of the ridge to blog. After bumping into the Andrews we headed to the next water source, but I lost them soon afterwards as they went off to a lake to make dinner and I carried on to Hwy 88. I managed to cook, eat and clean my teeth just before dark and found the perfect place to camp just up the trail. I can hear the cars speeding by pretty loudly but I feel comfortable where I am now, and just had enough light to change and set up camp. I’m going to get up super early tomorrow and push to do 15 miles by about 1pm. Goodnight from mile 1078!

It’s 10pm, and after setting up camp at 7pm I expected to be well asleep by now. Just after I’d cooked dinner and brushed my teeth, two hikers called Spark and Carrot arrived. We got chatting and soon learned that Carrot and I are both avid bloggers and both know the wonderful Dirty Girl who has sent us amazing goodies along our travels! We talked blogs for hours. Carrot was super envious of my Suntactics solar panel as she isn’t able to keep her phone charged to write everyday on the trail, and was impressed with my set up.

As you do with all new hikers, we talked about the hikers we know in common, the date we started, and relived some of the most memorable moments of the trail. I thoroughly enjoy these social interactions, especially after a full day of hiking 23 miles solo.

I broke camp around 6:30am and was determined to reach Wolf Creek 8 miles away before taking a break. My Aussie followers will know that Wolf Creek is the name of a movie thriller set in outback Australia. Don’t see it if you’re planning a trip to Oz, I can’t even bare to watch it. I listened to two Missy Higgins albums and some random tunes to pass the time this morning as my mind was ticking over the miles and I needed a distraction.

I was super hungry by the time I got to the creek and almost out of water. Now that we’re at a lower elevation I’ve had to start treating water again with my Pristine drops which takes 5 minutes to mix and 15 until the water is safe to drink. Between water purification, drying out my sleep gear and making breakfast, I spent two hours at Wolf Creek. It was 11:30am by the time I hit the trail again and the temperature was scorching!

I passed a couple of south bound day hikers with a beautiful Golden Retriever and after chatting for a minute they said I was the most articulate PCT hiker they had come across. They said when they asked some of the others about how many miles they were averaging they were met with incomprehensible blank stares, like they hadn’t spoken to or seen another person in months. This made me laugh, I’m a lot more chatty after food so they got me at a good time!

I came across another day hiker ahead of me who kept looking behind him and generally didn’t give out a good vibe. I think I’ve been freaked out by a story Rufiki told me about a day hiker that stalked her. She now carries capsicum spray which I think is a real shame. I can tell you I wouldn’t want to try and mess with a female thru hiker who is at the peak of their physical strength carrying two sharp hiking poles. I decided not to converse with the guy and just said a quick hello when he let me walk past. I got a little stunned when I stopped to take a photo further down the trail and realised he was still close behind me. I thought I could either try to out walk him or stop at the next water source and let him go by. I went with the latter option which was perfect as he disappeared off into the distance and I took the opportunity of jumping into the small rock pool under a waterfall to cool off which felt incredible!

After the swim the trail climbed up towards Ebbetts Pass and Highway 4. This is when the storm clouds started blowing in. I should have known! Now I was trying to out walk the storm. I made it to the highway and on the other side I got excited when I saw coolers with PCT hikers written on it. Sadly they were empty, only just, according to the hiker log as Orbit who gave me the cookie yesterday had snagged the last beer. Good trail karma for her!

As I was about to make myself a very late lunch the thunder started getting louder and the rain started coming down. I went to lower ground after an older hiker Otter came back down the trail for shelter. Once I’d eaten I hit the trail again in the rain. Jug passed me again too and said the lightning was at least 9 miles away – far enough for me. I must have left lunch until too late because I became so tired I almost considered taking a nap at 5pm. I still had four miles to go to the campsite I was aiming for but I simply had no energy. I ate a couple of bars and stripped off my rain gear which was too hot, then gave it my all to make it those last few miles. The scenery was exquisite, I felt like I was walking through a scene in Shrek with wild flowers, rolling hills and jagged peaks in the background.

I felt so much better after food and seemed to wake up when my new hiking company arrived this evening. I need to do 20+ miles again tomorrow which will take me to Carson Pass. I hear the mosquitos are bad between there and Echo Lake which makes me a little nervous about reliving some of the horrors of the earlier parts of this never ending section!

After an extremely windy, noisy, but dry night, I woke up at 5:30am to prepare for the final push over Sonora Pass. The wind was so bad last night it shredded Filthy’s tent and I woke up to see both of them cowboy camping on the other side of the trail.

I had done the majority of climbing the night before but there was a lot of snow covering the trail which meant the miles were slow going. All I could think about was trail magic and pancakes in 6 miles down at the highway.

When I got on the other side of the ridge I finally got phone reception for the first time in days and had a message from UB that he’d gone home for some R&R after hurting his back in the last section. I called him straight away to find out what had happened and to see when he’d be heading back to the trail. He was in good spirits, sounding relaxed and happy which made me relieved, and said he’ll meet me when I get to Tahoe on Friday to show me around his former home!

When I finally got down to the highway I was worried they may have already stopped making pancakes, but worse than that there wasn’t any trail magic at all. Apparently the Wolverines had left two days before. My heart sank but I bumped into Blast, Slack and Orbit and she offered me a white chocolate chip cookie that she’d picked up in Bridgeport as a condolence. Blast told me I could get cell reception at the top of the hill across the highway so I headed up there, made coffee, and spent the next three hours updating the blog. The signal wasn’t great so it took a long time to upload all the videos.

It was boiling hot again, and just as I was questioning the end of the heat wave the storm clouds started rolling in. I figured I should pack up and hit the trail before the rain came, and it was a good idea I did. It started hailing but quickly eased into a dull rain. After walking in my rain jacket for about 15 minutes my back started stinging. I don’t know what caused it, but it felt like I’d been stung by a jellyfish. I ripped off all my top layers and wet my whole back with rain drops from my pack cover. The sensation luckily went away after that, so too did the storm, or so I thought.

After walking back into the rain clouds the trail turned into a slushy river which made clambering down the rocky sections extremely slippery. I thought the storm would blow over quickly like the day before, but this one stuck around for at least 3 hours.

Heading towards the 15 mile mark I was starting to run out of steam and started moving extremely slow. I was starving and very much in the need of dinner, but I was trying to reach the next water source and camp site to cook. When I got there a hiker named Jug, who had almost stumbled upon me pooping in the woods, was there setting up camp. I joined him for dinner as he was building a fire and I was relieved to have someone new to chat to. He started the trail on April 13 and has taken more zero days than me, which I hardly thought possible. I was keen to camp near the fire but I pushed on as I need to make 20 miles each day to reach Tahoe before the PO closes on Friday.

Just as I was about to leave three new PCT’ers passed us. I’ve met so many new faces over this last section I’m really struggling with names. About 30 minutes down the trail I needed to take another emergency bathroom break. It may have been some bad water I’ve drunk cause my stomach has been a little temperamental the last couple of days. When I was squatting in the bushes I felt like I could hear people but couldn’t see anyone ahead of me or coming up behind me on the trail. When I continued on I realised that the trail basically switched back on itself and the three hikers that passed me earlier were stopped eating dinner, over looking the bushes where I’d just taken a squat. None of them said anything but the awkward silence said it all. I guess that’s all part of through hiking!

I was determined to make 20 miles even though it was dark and I was struggling to see the trail or any campsites ahead. Thanks to Guthook’s app I found a really nice flat spot just after 9:30pm, with a fire pit and lots of trees to hang my wet clothes on. I set the alarm for 5:30am, ready for another 20+ mile day tomorrow!

Today was my favourite day of this section, mainly due to the commeradary between the group of hikers I’ve been leapfrogging the last few days, and because we reached the big 1000 mile milestone! I didn’t set my alarm because I’d got to camp so late last night and because I knew there would be huge mosquito swarms no matter what. I was surprised at how well I handled them this morning. I was all covered up with my head net on and had swarms buzzing and landing all over me as I calmly packed up my sleeping bag and got ready to break camp.

Moonshine and Leaky were both sitting in one tent and asked if I wanted to join them for some relief. Initially I refused the offer, then realised I could actually enjoy breakfast if I did. I had to run in circles and then dive under the mesh to get inside with the least amount of mozzies on me. I did pretty well considering we were squeezing three people into a one man tent. It was good fun sharing a pot of coffee and having the time to get to know them. I’m so impressed that they’re just out of high school doing the trail. They were impressed that I hadn’t really done any backpacking before.

It was hard to leave the sanctity of the tent but the day was getting on and I knew I had many miles ahead of me. It felt like the hottest day of the heat wave so far. I had to walk in long sleeves and my head net and was sweating and overheating like never before, but it was the only way to keep the mosquitos at bay.

Six miles down the trail I saw the stones that signified 1000 trail miles on the PCT. I shouted with joy even though I was on my own, and when I discovered this part of the trail was free of mosquitos, I decided to set up some trail magic and wait for some other hikers to come through. The trail magic consisted of a big bag of Reece’s Pieces and gummy bears I’d been carrying since Mammoth. The first hiker to roll through was Fuller. He was ecstatic to receive chocolate on arrival and have someone to take his picture. In return he offered me a shot of Crown Royal and took my picture. Moonshine and Leaky arrived next, followed by Sexy Legs, Verde, Delaware Dave and Skip. It was so much more enjoyable to celebrate the milestone with others!

Less than half a mile along we crossed over a creek and everyone decided to stop and have lunch and continue the celebrations! I had a swim in the icy cold water which felt incredible. I’ve swum three times in the last three days because of the intense heat, and each time I’ve enjoyed hiking so much more afterwards.

I carried on ahead of the pack after my swim but only made it three miles before I got so tired I had to stop and take a nap. I think it was a mixture of hunger and heat but I fell asleep almost straight away and only woke up when a couple of hikers walked past. When I did wake up it was a lot colder, and there were grey skies rolling in. I could see rain off in the distance and could hear the rumblings of thunder so I got my rain gear and pack cover ready for the onslaught while I made a cup of coffee to pep me up.

When it started raining the temperature dropped so much it felt wonderful, and although the trail turned into a river in some sections, I honestly wanted it to continue. I was a little nervous that it might make the mosquitos worse which was justified, however after using one of Twice’s magical deet wipes I was in the clear.

The last water source 10 miles before the Highway at Sonora Pass was at mile 1007. The entire group we’ve been leapfrogging with this section stopped to fill up and make dinner, and Fuller who was the first to arrive had already made a fire. It felt a bit like school camp again with everyone sharing stories and reminiscing over the last 1000 miles. We all shared bits and pieces of food, I gave away tea and parmesan cheese in return for some extra tuna and more deet. Some of the group decided to camp there, but I wanted to push on and get as close to Sonora Pass as possible.

(The PCT sign writer must have experienced dyslexia the day he made the sign above.)

I’m camped at mile 1012, very close to the top of the pass and only 6 miles from the highway where we’re all hoping the rumours of ‘epic’ trail magic are true. The walk up the pass was my absolute favourite with well graded switch backs and stunning views on all sides. The mosquitos didn’t bother following me up here either which made the climb even more enjoyable.

I’m camped close to Filthy and the dude whose name I don’t remember. They pitched tents because there were huge grey clouds above us which made me nervous at first but I can now see stars so hopefully the wind will push them away. It’s so much colder tonight which is a relief but I just hope the weather holds while we’re so close to the top of the pass!

It’s amazing what a difference venting and sharing a common nuisance can make. Despite a lot of moaning and groaning today was actually a lot of fun, solely because I could share my woes with those who understand. When I asked the first hiker I passed on the trail how he was doing this morning, he said he was miserable and pissed off. I asked if it was from the mosquitos and he said yes. At least I’m not the only one. When my alarm went off at 5am I wasn’t sure if I should stay in the safety of my bivvy or make a run for it in hope of some respite further down the trail.

I left camp just after 6am. My food was safe but tiny ants had snuck through the small holes in my OP sack and I had to shake off my food before putting it back into my pack. I tried starting the day with a positive attitude, determined not to let mosquitos ruin one of the most beautiful sections of the trail.

The day started with a few dicey river crossings, one over a very slippery log. I hummed the song from the scene in Dirty Dancing as I crossed, and made it safely to the other side. I bumped into a few hikers I haven’t seen for a while like Filthy and his friend whose name I always forget, Twice and Katie. I also chatted with a new hiker Mehap while I rested for my coffee and oats around 10:30am.

I leapfrogged with Twice and Katie a few times and the social interactions definitely improved my mood. Everyone is struggling with the heat, climbs and horrendous mosquitos and it really makes a difference to feel like you’re not alone in this living hell. When we all arrived at one river crossing that required either serious wet feet or taking your shoes off, I decided to strip down and have a quick swim and was joined by Katie and Delaware Dave who I also met today for the first time. It was a great decision as we were just about to go up our second 1000 foot climb for the day and it was scorching hot!

The descents have been a lot more painful than the uphill because they’re so steep and it feels like my knees are going to snap. This last climb was seriously pointless, 1000 feet up with no view just to go down again on the other side. Humph.

I was given four magical deet wipes by Twice and used one at around 4:45pm. It has worked a charm, mosquitos haven’t come anywhere near me. It worked so well I just stopped to make dinner and I’m sitting here freely in a t-shirt without being bothered. Bliss!

I’m planning to walk until dark again and hopefully get another 5 miles in to make it a 20 mile day.

3 hours and 7 miles later…

Oh my goodness. My intentions of walking until dark and then finding the first place to camp kept me walking until 10pm. Honestly in the 3 hours I walked 90% of the trail was either washed out or just boggy mud. I was in complete shock as there was literary nowhere to camp that wasn’t either next to a swamp or in completely mosquito infested forest.

I felt so good after my tuna casserole, and I learned my lesson this time and waited half an hour after I ate to start walking. There was a huge river crossing right off the bat which was a nuisance because there were hundreds of mosquitos and because I didn’t want to get my feet wet AGAIN, I opted to take my shoes off. Luckily I had my head net on because it was completely covered with misquitos. The trail after that just got worse and worse, and just when I was about l sleep right on the trail in the swamp I saw two tents up on the left. It was Moonshine and Leaky, two young guys just out of high school. There was a flat spot right next to them so I just got set up and zipped up before the mosquitos could feast on me. I’m terribly hungry but hope I can just fall asleep and get ready to make a huge run for it out of this marsh tomorrow morning!

Tonight I tried to out walk the mosquitos, but I didn’t realise how long it takes to get dark after sunset, so after a 23.7 mile day I almost collapsed. There’s also an official heat wave until Tuesday which means the mozzies are up early and party on until late in the evening. I’m scared I’m going to have a mental breakdown because of them, and stupidly I didn’t buy extra deet in Tuolumne Meadows, big mistake!!! I may have to hitch into Bridgeport just to get more deet, lame!

This morning was one of my worst on the trail. I left camp at 6:30am and walked through mosquito infested meadows and forest for 3 hours. I was carrying an extra litre of water because Halfmile said there was none for 8 miles, but my pack started to hurt so badly that I emptied it out after about 5 miles. If I didn’t have my iPod I really don’t know how I would have made it through that section. I was not coping well.

I stopped twice for about 30 seconds to stretch and pee until I finally came across a spot on some sunny rocks where I could rest and have breakfast without the bugs. I was so relieved to find peace and have the opportunity to lie down. Maggie, a girl I had passed earlier, caught up to me and we both got comfortable and hung out there for a while until the sun got too hot to sit in.

Just as we were leaving, another hiker called Sexy Legs came by. I hadn’t met him before but soon discovered he started the trail on the same day as me, April 15. It’s amazing our paths haven’t crossed before as our schedule has been so similar. He had seen UB in Tuolumne Meadows a couple of days ago and was hiking with his friend whose family had just joined them. He was doing short miles to keep the same pace as them but was keen to break away to do bigger miles. I told him about my and UB’s situation and said these things happen, especially when you have different hiking paces.

I left Sexy Legs at a rather large river crossing where he watched how I was going to get across. I used some fancy foot work on two logs and a host of stones and got across quite eloquently. Literally two minutes down the trail there was another river crossing, which I didn’t handle with as much grace as the previous one.

With soaking wet feet I started to climb the first mountain of the day. I actually felt really good all the way up. Before the trail went down again it evened out through a meadow with a beautiful lake and sandy shore. I stared at the lake for about a minute contemplating a swim. I decided if my feet were going to be wet, I may as well cool off the rest of me. The water was super cold as it got deeper so I only had a quick dip and then dried up on the sand. I was going to have lunch there until I started getting attacked my moths and these tiny biting flies that you can’t shoo away. Why must beauty come with bugs?

I had lunch in a beautiful spot next to a large stream and dried out my shoes, insoles and socks. I treated myself to two tortillas with peanut butter and lots of water with electrolytes before continuing on. What I should have done was cross the stream BEFORE I dried out my shoes, because yes, I got both feet completely wet again. Grrr.

With wet feet AGAIN I started the climb up Benson Pass. On the way up I passed a ranger who said it’s the most challenging pass because of the mileage going up. Not exactly what I was hoping to hear. She was the one who also told me about the heat wave and that the mosquitos weren’t any better on the other side of the pass. The climb was long but not difficult, and there was a strong breeze on top which reduced the number of mozzies enough for me to make dinner up there. I don’t know if it was the food or the fact I walked immediately after eating, but my stomach was not happy on the way down the mountain. I ended up taking an emergency toilet break half way down, having to fan my backside with my pee rag to keep the mosquitos away. Horrible.

The day went downhill from here, literally and metaphorically. I bumped into Sexy Legs again who had set up camp and was dressed in his head net. I was determined not to rest until the mosquitos were gone. This saw me walking for another 2.5 hours, down some very steep switchbacks and through forest infested with the little pests. I thought I was going to lose it a few times but finally around 9pm it was dark enough for most of them to have gone and I was out of the forest on some flat rocky ground.

It’s 10:30pm now and I’m SO tired my head aches. Let’s see what adventures tomorrow will bring!

Today was a loooong day! I had the alarm set for 5am, ready to jump out of the bivvy, make breakfast and break camp well before the mosquitos woke up. Apparently their 7am wake up call must be a myth or someone set the alarm early, because there they were at 5am, buzzing outside my mesh window.

I did my best getting ready with my head net on and was all packed and ready to go when I realised my phone wasn’t in my pocket, and had to be stuffed away in my sleeping bag and bivvy sack. This meant tearing apart my entire pack and unravelling my whole sleep system to get it. Not happy. I had a pop tart on the go for breakfast and a few handfuls of trail mix.

In the first two miles of the trail I had about four tricky river crossings. With 45 pounds on your back your balance and ability to take large steps is very much reduced. I produced some pretty epic moves to get safely across the first three, then all my hard work came unstuck on the fourth when a branch I was walking across sank and my whole right foot got soaked. I was actually surprised I didn’t fall in completely, pack and all.

I ended up getting both feet drenched by the time I reached the other side and trudged on unhappily with wet feet. As the trail started to climb down some large rocky steps I couldn’t take the weight of my pack anymore and threw it on the ground. I emptied all of my water bar a 1/2 litre bottle, which I tried attaching to the front of my pack. The difference was remarkable! I felt so much lighter, and for at least 30 minutes felt like I was speeding down the trail.

As the grade became flat in the lower valley meadows, so did my energy levels. I realised I hadn’t eaten anything substantial since breakfast the day before, so as soon as I found a mosquito free spot, I stopped for coffee and second breakfast. It was a beautiful spot sitting on a group of large rocks with a little shady tree sticking out. I started thinking about how far I still have to go on the trail, and just after a couple I’ve leapfrogged with for a while went by and said hello, I suddenly got teary.

As you often do after a good cry, I felt a lot better. When I hit the trail again I was powering along. A few south bound JMT’ers even said I was motoring. I met one couple who were amazed at how decked out I was with my sheep skin straps, solar panel, knee braces and colourful gaiters (I found my missing one!), and asked if they could take a photo!

I had about 12 miles to reach Tuolumne Meadows and made it there around
1pm, just in time for lunch. I didn’t want to get sucked into buying too much at the store so I made a list of what I needed before I went in: more deet (which was given to me by Handstand the hiker as he was ending his hike there), a Gatorade bottle and a new pair of socks as all of my Dry Max are wearing out and I was starting to get hot spots on the padding of my feet. I also bought a hamburger and fries (why not eh?).

I ran into Apache and Burrito Grande who were just heading back out to the trail. Everyone I run into either asks where UB is, or says they saw him a couple of days earlier. I’m still getting used to him not being around. I felt a little lost in Tuolumne amongst the fever of hikers so I hit the trail again as soon as I was done eating. I was soooo sluggish heading back out, plus my pack felt about 5 pounds heavier.

A thunder storm was looming just to the right of the trail for the first hour. It was blue sky on the left, and huge grey storm clouds to the right (the photo is taken looking back in the opposite direction). I could hear and feel the thunder it was so close, but luckily the trail led me safely away back into the blue skies. At around 4pm after having my entire body abused by mosquitos when I went to the bathroom, I found a flat windy area with no mozzies, and was so exhausted I pulled out my sleeping mat and fell asleep right next to the trail.

About an hour later a girl I met earlier called Rafiki and the two Swiss boys (clothed this time), came along. We all sat down and chatted for about half an hour. I don’t think I’ve ever done that on the trail. We were all headed to the same campsite at Glen Aulin at mile 948, and had under 3 miles to get there so we just took our time. Sadly the mosquitos were/are horrendous here! I experienced the challenge of cooking and eating in my head net which I can barely see out of in the daylight, and even worse as it got dark. The Swiss boys had gone all out in their resupply and offered us chips and mango! Such a delicacy!

I’m zipped up in my bivvy deciding if I should get up early tomorrow and try to escape the mosquitos as quickly as possible. The boys went for a swim tonight which was tempting, especially tomorrow morning, but we’ll see how bad the swarms of mosquitos are. I also just realised I made a bad choice of location to set up camp as I’m getting wafting smells from the drop toilets 50 feet away, and considering how bad it smells inside this bivvy, that’s saying a lot!