August 5th, 2020
Mile 428.8 to Mile 447.4
I’m not sure what kind of transformation I’ve been through, but today I decided to take it easy by hiking 18 miles. At the beginning of this journey, I hiked 18 miles with Matt on Day 4 and it nearly killed me. My feet were sore, I was dead tired, my back ached, and I was grumpy. Today, those 18 miles felt pretty short (my feet still ached a little though).
To begin my lazy day, I slept in until almost 8am. After my cookie and sour patch watermelon fiasco yesterday, I started today off with some overnight oats with raspberries. I loaded up with water and began the monotonous trek through the forest.
The forest was kinda nice though. It was shady and involved no big climbs. There aren’t really any section hikers anymore, so the only people I pass are ones doing larger chunks of Washington or the whole trail.
Honestly, nothing really happened this morning. I just walked until I got to Bear Lake around 3pm. Bear Lake was super nice. It was a beautiful teal color and had a nice shallow sandy part that would have been perfect for wading in. I sat and ate some lunch while a couple nearby tried to catch fish.
I only had three more miles to go so I rolled out around 4pm. On the way I met an older man out walking. He had section hiked the trail and completed Washington, and will be working on Oregon this summer and next. We chatted about the trail and Blue Lake (where I was headed to camp). He gave me some tips on where to camp and we parted ways.
At Blue Lake, I found an open spot and set up camp. Apparently this lake is popular for weekend backpackers so they’re trying to control the campsites around it. You need to camp at a designated spot now. I got spot #12. The older man I met earlier was at spot #11.
After setting up my tent and hanging my food I went down to the lake for a swim. The older man showed me the perfect spot to hop in. It had a little rock shelf so I could get in and out without getting my feet muddy. I rinsed all the dirt out of my clothes and laid them out on a sunny rock to dry. Then I waded in to try to rinse some dirt off of myself. The water was perfect, not too cold but chilly enough to be refreshing. It was deep so I could actually swim out. It was exactly what I needed today. After I got out I sat out on the rock to dry out. I caught about an hour of sun before it set behind the hill. The sun on my face and drying body was so wonderful. I felt like I had created the perfect moment for myself. I soaked it up and promised to make more moments like this.
After my clothes had dried enough I put them on and climbed back up towards my campsite. I thanked the man for showing me his swim spot. Him and his friend offered to share dessert with me later but I didn’t want to come back down the hill so I politely declined. I just went back to my little camp and cooked some dinner. I also attempted to make a fire which actually wasn’t a total failure. Now I’m snug in bed ready for a full night’s sleep.
