PCT SOBO DAY 84 – A day in the clouds

Day 84

Start: Upper Kinney Lake, near mile marker 1604.6

Finish: Stealthsite, mile 1629.6

Miles driven: 25 miles

Last night the wind howled and battered my tent, shaking the doors and sending water onto the ground. The storm was intense! I could barely sleep because I was worried my tent would collapse and water would get in. I made sure my stakes were secure before the worst of the storm hit, so my tent held firm all night. However, I could hear the storm even through my earplugs, so I only got a few moments of sleep.

When I woke up in the morning, the sky was still gray. It was definitely going to rain today; I just needed to pack my things before that happened.

When I set off, I had a few minutes of dry weather before the rains started. I climbed past large rocks lined with bushy plants that had become more colorful with last night’s rain. For a second, I thought the rain might let up, but as it continued, the clouds grew darker.

I soon left the sand colored rocks and entered the land of what looked like red volcanic rock. I thought this had already happened! I climbed up, beginning my first climb of the day. The further I went, the more it started to rain. Soon I had to put on my raincoat and take out my umbrella. From below the edge, I kept my eyes on the trail and tried to stay warm.

The next few kilometers were a blur because the entire mountain was covered in cloud. Only when I reached the top and descended to the other side could I finally put away my umbrella. Without the pitter-patter of rain in my ears, I could hear another, fainter sound: bells. Suddenly, I saw a huge black shadow moving through the trees. There were cows up here! Sure enough, when I came down the mountain, I saw cows perched on the hillside and could hear them moving through the trees.

Now that the rain had stopped, I took the opportunity to have lunch while I could. I was freezing! The sun kept setting, so I was never able to fully warm up. But that didn’t matter much, because as soon as I started walking again it started to rain.

I walked for a few more hours through a cold, rainy fog. I’m sure there were wonderful views from where I was, but I couldn’t see them. The glimpses of the huge solid granite walls I could see blew me away. The canyon I was in was otherworldly! The gleaming white granite seemed to take me everywhere.

My goal for tonight was to get as far as I could so the next morning’s hike to Sonora Pass wouldn’t be so bad. I didn’t get as far as I originally wanted, but it was good enough. I found a spot near the water, set up camp, had dinner, and was fast asleep in no time.

And that’s a day in the life of a PCT SOBO hiker!

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