Day 135 Sore feet and Hinton Creek

Day 135 Sunday 9-07 Sore feet and Hinton Creek
20.51 miles
From the trail camp just before Island Lake (mile 1947.7, elevation 5387)
To Hinton Creek (mile 1967.2, elevation 6300)
Upload 3130
Descend 2219

I slept well at night. I had breakfast before leaving camp and got going around 6:50. This morning it was quite cold. I didn’t take off my gloves and my hands were cold.

In the first two kilometers, I saw at least 6 small lakes/ponds. I thought about collecting water, but yesterday’s lake was so shallow and silty that it was difficult to get good water without fearing it would slow down my filter too much. So I bypassed them, hoping for a better place.

Around 8:20, I found a nice stream to filter the water. So I’ve filtered, camel, hydrated lunch and mixed electrolyte drink. My water is full and I’m ready to walk for a while.

southern sister

single mountain

I felt great until about mile 14. Then I felt like my right shoe was too tight, putting pressure on the top of my foot. I hadn’t tried it very tight, but I still loosened it a little more. It still hurt for the next two kilometers.

I examined it further and determined that I had pain in a tendon on the top of my foot, which is used to lift the toes. I could walk virtually pain-free if I landed on my toe instead of my heel. That meant small steps, which reduced my speed drastically.

At mile 20, I entered a sheltered campsite with water nearby. I hope resting your foot overnight helps you feel better. But if not, I have extra food for a couple of days, especially if it rains a lot the next few days. If my foot continues to hurt like this, I won’t be able to cover the miles needed to complete the entire PCT.

I set up my tent with the idea of ​​spending the next day in it. So everything was ready when it started to rain this afternoon. I was also prepared when it started to hail. I am dry and happy in my tent. I have eaten some food and am now rehydrating dinner.

After dinner, the rain stopped and the sun came out again. I fetched 4 liters of water from the stream on the other side of the meadow, so I have over 6 liters here in my tent. I also took care of all my other “outside the store” tasks. Now I’m curled up in my sleeping bag.

Late afternoon from near my campsite.

Meadow near my campsite

PCT crossing meadow after rain.

Collecting water from the stream that crosses the meadow

Just after sunset

My store site

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