Saturday, July 16, 2022
Start: Chester
End: campsite in a small grove of live trees in the burn area, 1 mile south of Andesite Spring
Miles: 33.5
Elevation gain/loss: 6263’/5180′
I was up at 6am, after drowsing since 5am. I got a ride from Jonathan at the motel, leaving Chester at 8am. I was hiking by 8:15am. I passed by the PCT midpoint at 11:15am and there were at least a dozen hikers hanging out there.
During midday, I chatted with Stripes, a thru-hiker from Atlanta, finishing up his hike from last year. He might hike the LT later this year, and I offered trail magic if he did.
Around 4pm, I encountered the amazing trail magic NOBO hikers had been mentioning for hours. There was a team of 5 older adults with 4 cars that brought an amazing spread out onto a dirt back road trailhead. They had multiple tables, more than a dozen chairs, at least 3 huge coolers, and tons of food, soda, and beer. They had sandwiches, fruit, salad, chips, and dozens of baked goods, and that was at the end of a full day of feeding hikers! I greatly enjoyed their kindness and hospitality.
I pushed on after sunset to get in a few more miles, and found a campsite around 8:55pm. I have the site to myself, which is good because there’s only one flat campsite. It’s buggy, and so I got into my tent as soon as possible. I’m in a grove of living trees, and while I’ve heard falling branches in the distance, this spot seems decent.
Transcending Mountains 