PCT Day 2: The human equivalent of burnt toast

I wish I were one of those Disney princesses who magically wake up with the sun and then go and kick ass, but I’m not. However, if it’s for a hike or a big adventure, I’ll jump right in like a morning cake. So as soon as the sun started to peek over the mountains, I deflated my and my sleeping boyfriend’s sleeping pad and packed everything into my backpack as quickly as humanly possible. Unfortunately I had to get some blistering done this morning, but I sat along the trail and gave words of encouragement to my fellow hikers going up and over the mountain as they passed by. Most of them played doctor this morning too!

Around 10 in the morning, the heat hits us in full force and our umbrellas go up. It was a big debate whether we should bring our umbrellas or not, but on days like today, where the only possible shade is a knee-high bush, I’ll bring five umbrellas and maybe an air conditioner.

As the sun has fun turning us into the human equivalent of burnt toast, I can’t help but marvel at how absolutely stunning the desert is, especially the wildflowers! Flowers are truly my favorite thing on the planet. At home, I buy flowers once a week to feed my eyes. All my painting notebooks are filled to the brim with different flowers based on photos that my friends have sent me because they also know that the way to my heart is flowers.

While we had high hopes of filling today’s day with some big miles, unfortunately the intense heat slowed us down a bit, so we decided to camp around 5:30pm and take care of our bodies with some stretching and relaxation. This also gave me plenty of time to paint!

When I decided to take on this “paint once a day” project, I knew it would be quite a challenge. Mainly because I could only imagine how exhausted I would feel at the end of each day after walking from sunrise to sunset. However, I don’t want this hike to be all about thinking about the next campsite or the next stop in town. I really want to enjoy every step of the way, because at the end of the day the trail really is the destination and I have finally made it.

We had the perfect spot on the mountainside with a beautiful sunset view. We also made a new friend! His name is Roman (hi Roman!) and he had the same Durston backpack as Conner, so they got a little interested in that along with the tents and trekking poles. Although I felt more intense today because of the heat, I was still impressed by the beauty of the trail. We haven’t even covered 50 miles and the PCT has already exceeded my expectations. I wonder how I could improve the trail even on a tough day like today.

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