Day 136
Mile 2163 to 2190, 27 miles
Cost: Camped, free
Today was a big day with lots of climbing!
Zigzag left very quietly at dawn and KC, Ladiesman and I left together at a very relaxed 7:40am!
View from bed
Another view from bed
Ladiesman
We ran into Bushtit & Tomtit soon after setting off and all walked together for the morning.
I picked up 2 litres of water here
Noticed this little guy when I was picking brambles
Walking through a beautiful forest
We bumped into Smokey on a forest road with his lovely Trail Angel wife Karen. They offered us snacks and soft drinks and told us they would be further down the trail today with more magic 🙂
We climbed 1800 feet over 6 miles… 
Then dropped 2200 feet over 10 miles…
Then gained 3100 feet over 9 miles… 
Then we caught up with Zigzag and around 2pm we met Smokey and Karen near the Panther Creek campground and had a delicious lunch of cheese, crackers, strawberries, chips, beer and soft drink. We were there with Wally, Snow White, Bushtit & Tomtit. Thanks so much Smokey & Karen!!
Karen, Smokey, Wall-ee, Tomtit, Bushtit and Snow White
After lunch we started the last 9 mile climb which seemed to gain most of its elevation in the first 2 miles – it was so steep!
We made it to the campsite around 8:30pm so we were only walking in the dark for half an hour tonight – we’re getting better! It was a large campsite but there were already 4 or 5 tents set up when we arrived. We could see lights down behind the tents and went down to see if that was where the spring was. It was and Snow White, Wally, the Tits and a section hiker called Peaches were setting up camp there. The space was full so we filled up with water and headed back to the other side of the trail where we’d seen some flat ground. We noticed there was a bear canister next to the camp spot we were going to set up in but it was only once I’d gotten out my tent that I saw someone had also hung their food bag above the camp site, meaning my tent would be under their food bag… Not so ideal! (And a little rude I thought to put all your food next to a campsite not knowing if others will be coming along!)
We bushwhacked a little further and found 2 more semi-flat spots to set up camp. It was only a 27 mile day but it feels like 50!
followingthearrows 
Nice pics.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Susie 🙂
LikeLike
With those hills, I can understand it feeling like 50! Your days are pretty impressive as you’re almost walking the distance that Gerry and I rode bike last summer on the Camino – about 38 miles or so daily.
btw, your pictures are awesome.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi there, Hummingbird! It’s Alison, Shepherd’s friend. We met on the trail just below the Timberline Lodge and chatted about hiking in Japan. Shepherd told me about your blog, and I am enjoying reading about your experience on the PCT and elsewhere. Love your photos from today. They are just beautiful. Glad that you were finally able to make it out of Oregon. Good luck to you and KC with the rest of the trail. Did some rain finally arrive today?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Alison, it was great to meet you and thanks so much for the awesome trail magic too! KC and I are in Trout Lake trying to sit out the storm (otherwise we would be on goat rocks and the knife’s edge – not so good in a storm!) but the good news is that it rained here overnight and has been raining on and off with more rain expected overnight tonight… Hopefully this will help with the fires. If you ever have any questions about any of the walks, don’t hesitate to ask 🙂
LikeLike
So glad to hear that the rain finally arrived! Shepherd’s photos of Goat Rocks and Knife’s Edge made that area look fantastic. You definitely don’t want to miss the views there, so best to be safe and wait out the storm. I will definitely be contacting you in the future when we get to some of the amazing places you have been. Thanks for your offer to help. Looking forward to reading more about this final leg of the trip. Happy trails!
LikeLiked by 1 person