PCT Day 1 – The Hike

Today was certainly difficult! I left Cascade Locks around 9am and hiked until 4:30pm. I did 9.5 miles and climbed 3,000 feet.

The day started out so wonderful. I woke up at Kevin and Peggy’s house and had a delicious breakfast of hash browns, sausage, and eggs. Peggy and I talked for a good two hours and I drank two cups of coffee. To be honest, they are really living my dream. I would love to live so close to a trail community and hiking homes.

To say I’m incredibly bloated right now is an understatement. I feel like this since yesterday. No amount of stretching, farting, or pooping has been able to quell this sensation. I hope it’s nothing serious but man, it’s annoying. I know I’ve had this type of pain before, I just hope it goes away sooner rather than later. It feels like a stabbing pain in my right hip that comes and goes.

Speaking of aches and pains, my feet are full of blisters! Already! I tried bandaging them periodically throughout the day, but nothing I did made them feel better. I poured hydrogen peroxide on them and it burned like a motherfucker!

Now that I’ve complained a bit, here’s what went right today.

1) My pace was correct today. I stopped when I felt the need and even massaged my feet during lunch. Every place I stopped felt like the right place to be.

2) The vegetables in the couscous were so good! I couldn’t eat it all so I’ll save it for breakfast tomorrow morning. My dinner wasn’t the tastiest but it was edible!

3) I really enjoyed stopping to film and talking to myself. Surprisingly, it’s a bit comforting to do so. Especially when I was settling into camp. It will be nice to remember these memories.

4) Somehow I managed to close the bear can. It’s not completely closed, but I hope I don’t have night visitors. I leave my pot next to my can, so if something tries to touch it, I should wake up.

5) I watched a cartoon in bed curled up and I feel very relaxed. I might even fall asleep soon.

6) The scenery was so beautiful today! I feel like I’m walking through paradise and I haven’t gotten that far yet.

Trout Lake is 75 miles away. I can totally get there. I just have to put one foot in front of the other. One slow step at a time. Tomorrow should be better. It’s mostly downhill!

Some time later…

Peeing in the middle of the night sucks! My bladder was so full it was making the bloating worse, but now that I’ve bothered to get out of bed, I’m awake now. Life on the trails is tough, man. I never get up to urinate at home. Why do I develop the bladder of an 80-year-old person when I go camping? I feel much better though.

A moment later…..

Another pee break at 1:30am!? I think my body must be starting to adapt to the altitude. Urinating more is a sign that the body is producing more blood cells. I drank some more water when I laid down. I think my swelling is starting to become less painful. But the gas I’m expelling is absolutely diabolical. I hope that tomorrow morning the pain in my side will completely disappear. It’s been keeping me awake. I sleep on my side and not being able to find a comfortable position has been difficult.

Emotionally, this is the best I’ve ever felt camping alone. I feel some nerves of fear but it hasn’t been bad. I’m listening to Lord of the Rings. I’m alone so I don’t use headphones. The voice has been comforting. It feels like when I was a kid and I would get scared in the dark and go watch cartoons on the couch. The monsters couldn’t catch you if the TV was on. I just wish I could sleep more now.

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