Day 130 Thielsen to Windigo Pass

Day 130 Thielsen to Windigo Pass
25.36 miles
From Thielsen Ridge (mile 1855.4, student 7331)
To Windigo Pass (mile 1879.8, elevation 5827)
Upload 2600
Descend 4165

Last night it was very windy. Someone had previously built rock walls around the tent site. I’m not sure how much they helped. I did a lot of morning chores in the store before leaving: eating, taking cold baths, bandaging feet. Yes, to alleviate some of the hot spot issues, I re-bandaged my feet this morning. Having that layer of tape seems to distribute the friction and keep me out of trouble.

Last night’s tent site on the ridge. I’m not sure if the rock walls helped much with the wind.

I think I can see the smoke rising from the hills from the Emigrant Fire in the distance.

It definitely looks like I can see the smoke from the Emigrant Fire in the distance.

I stopped at Thielsen Creek to get water. While I was there, I couldn’t help but appreciate the view.

Thielsen Creek and Mount Thielsen

I just reached the highest point for OR/WA at 7560 feet (around mile 1862). After California, it seems hard to believe the road doesn’t go higher in OR/WA. But I also know that it is quite a bit further north, so the trail may experience bad weather at lower elevations. And just because the trail isn’t that high doesn’t mean there won’t be a lot of climbing.

Highest point of OR/WA. Aside from the sign, it’s pretty nondescript.

I heard from friends and was happy to learn that an assistant troop Scoutmaster went on a backpacking trip. Ron and his 18-year-old son Ryan went to spend a few days in the Sierras. I’m always happy to hear from other people I know who put in a little effort. Both Ron and Ryan love the outdoors and are extremely competent. But going out alone still requires trust that they will be okay. They cannot depend on me or any other member of the troop to help them.

Given the amount of time I’ve spent alone on this path, I was thinking that being alone is not the same as being alone. But you have to be comfortable with yourself and where you are.

Passing an 800 marker for southbound hikers got me thinking about my hike. I’m in the last third, so I want to think of 800 miles as the home stretch. At 2,400 steps per mile, that’s just under 2 million steps. That way it didn’t seem so much like a home stretch. Oh ok. Here it goes. 1…2…3…4…

Seeing the 3000km marker makes me think about passing the 1000km marker just after Kelso Valley Rd. It seemed like a long way and a long time ago. Of course, it was both.

3000 km

Moving into fall, there aren’t as many flowers in bloom. But there are a wide variety of mushrooms, so I started taking photos of them and using the Seek app to identify them. To clarify, I identify them and trust the identification enough for the captions. I don’t trust them enough to try to eat anything.

Sculpted Puffball

When I first saw this fallen log from a distance, it looked like a creature sitting there.

From a distance, it looks like a creature sitting there.

Usually the people who write on the signs only use black. But I liked the colors and the message that keeps going around and around, like the PCT.

Endless message… kind of like what the PCT feels like

I am at mile 1872.6. When I crossed a ridge, I felt like I could actually see the smoke from the Emigrant Fire from beyond a couple of ridges. Furthermore, the air suddenly seemed to have a very sweet smell, like that of sweet incense. If anything, I was expecting a more generic wood smoke smell. The fire burns west of PCT miles 1890-1897.

I’m trying to get 25 miles today to get to the cache (water and battery) at Windigo Pass. I still have about 7 kilometers to go. My legs and feet have felt good all day. I’ll take a quick break before you guys start really complaining.

my campsite

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