PCT: Day 56

So we thought we’d hiked through some serious wind before…we were so wrong.  From the minute we left camp until the next morning we were almost continuously blasted by wind.  We left camp early, quickly climbing out of our sheltered valley and into what was likely a 50mph head wind for the next few miles.  It was also probably only 40 degrees so it was completely miserable.  We spend two short breaks hiding behind the few bushes we can find for wind protection.  We eventually make it to the campsites we’d considered getting to last night.  The wind isn’t too terrible now, but  everyone there had a miserable night getting wind blasted.

The trail after the break climbs quickly back into the wind, but it’s not quite as bad as before.  We make it to a water source for lunch.  It’s windy, but we’re sheltered enough in a valley that it’s a pleasant break.  The next few miles go by quickly, and we take another break before the big climb that is supposed to lead to sheltered campsites.  We shelter in a wash during the break and enjoy only light winds while we rest.

Once back on the trail we realize the morning winds were a mere warm-up.  Winds have picked up and some of the gusts stop us in our tracks while others even slide us backwards through sandy trail.  Some gusts threaten, and succeed, to push us off trail.  Luckily the wind doesn’t seem to be blowing downhill so the risk of being blown off the mountain seems low. The wind gets worse as we continue to climb. We come around one corner which sounds like an airport runway with winds that had to have been blowing at least 60mph.  I now walk close behind Bat Boy as the wind threatens to blow him down a small slope into sagebrush.  A little further on, after the 2nd time I grab him as he gets blown sideways and almost off the trail, I give up on him wearing a pack.  It’s basically a sail on him, and he’s too freaked out to continue the way its going.  I calm him down and then take his pack for the last mile plus to get to camp. Blue Lizard and Rockhopper are further ahead, but are having just as miserable a time.

Once at camp we struggle to find a sheltered site.  Despite significant tree cover everything is getting buffeted by strong winds.  On top of that, the ground is mostly sand and there aren’t enough rocks around to keep our tent stakes in the ground.  After an hour and a half and failed attempts to set up at 3 sites we find a spot near General and Mando where we manage to get one tent setup.  We tie one end of the tent to a tree and get creative with rocks to hold stakes down.  We all pile in and eat snacks for dinner, too cold and tired to cook anything.  One end of the tent collapses several times throughout the night with Waterboy having to get up to fix it each time.