Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Miles: 32.65
Elevation gain/loss: 5282’/6818′
I was up at 5:05am and out by 5:30am. Early on, I twisted my right ankle very hard. I was able to walk it off, but it took a bit out of me. Before the first water source, I passed by Cheez-It. He made a comment to me as we parted about how east coast hikers just can’t handle the heat and it wasn’t that hot, only in the mid-70s. This wormed into my brain. Based on my experience, it seemed much hotter than that, but I didn’t have cell service or a thermometer and so I didn’t have data to contradict what he said. In retrospect, I should have used my Garmin InReach to get a weather report, so I’d have the actual data and could stop thinking about it, but I didn’t think of it at the time. I struggled with getting really down on myself about not handling the heat well and that bled into my day.
I met One Mile and Watermelon at a water source a bit further along, and they were nice if quiet. We talked a bit about the trail, the weather, and other hikers, before I headed out as they rested and ate lunch.
It was a long day, and I stopped for the night at 7:45pm, cowboy camping next to the trail nearby a trail junction. I was glad to get a little bit further than I’d planned, adding up more miles to get me closer to Lake Roosevelt. It was very hot today but not quite as hot as yesterday. There was a bit more shade from the mountains, and all of the water sources were of decent quality and easy to find. That made for a smoother day than the day before.
Transcending Mountains 