PCT: Day 132

Blue Lizard and I got up early for her to drive me back to trail at Olallie Lake. It was about a 3.5hr drive, and I was back on trail around 9:15am. This put me about 75 miles from Lost Lake where I’d meet everyone again in 3 days time. The first maybe 2 miles of trail was in a burn but then transitioned into dense live forests for the rest of the day. The trail surface was smooth and the hills weren’t steep so I thought I’d make great time. Unfortunately my calves both cramped up within about 5 minutes and I struggled to work them out. They finally relaxed after 3 miles and the rest of the day was easy going.

I ate lunch with a group of four section hikers which were about the only people I saw today. Two of them had hiked through the Lionshead fire closure and got caught by a ranger who took their permits. This closure has been a point of contention as 20 miles of trail is closed, but the shortest way around is a 150 mile road trip which starts and ends in remote areas. I was able to avoid it since I had local transportation, but there are hundreds of hikers coming that will have the same problem. It seems like the forest service is doing what they can to get it open, but it’s major complication in the meantime.

I didn’t see anyone the rest of the day and camped at the 25 mile mark. I’m not sure if it’s from coming off a few zeros with the family or just the continued loneliness of solo hiking, but I seriously consider whether I want to keep plowing along by myself or slow down and take more family time. The family time feels more important today than finishing the trail.