Landers Meadow Campground to Bushcamp
26 miles
Mile 634.9
Up by 6, I filled my bottles at the spring before hitting the trail behind Mike and Spikes, leaving Swift, Sea Biscuit and Lady Bruce at camp.
My hiking clothes hadn’t dried overnight, so I tied them to my pack and set off in my base layers.
During the short dirt road walk back to the trail I was pleased to find my body feeling prime. I’ve been dealing with a minor cold for the last couple of days, but it’s been low key and manageable.
I was back on trail for a solid five minutes before I was forced to stop to peel off my base layers as the morning sun roasted me through the pines.
Feeling better, I proceeded down trail towards a water cache 8 miles down the mountain.
As I descended the mountain, sage brush and wildflowers replaced the pine trees and moss.
It was already terribly warm by the time I reached the water cache in the desert valley around 930. Mike, Spikes and I were joined by Sea Biscuit and Echo. After topping off my bottles and chugging a couple liters, I set off in pursuit of the next water cache some 16 miles ahead.
This portion of the day wasn’t my favorite. It involved walking up sandy hills accompanied by blazing heat and a complete absence of shade.
Walking in deep sand leached the life from my muscles. By the time I stumbled up to the next water cache I was beat. I found a speck of shade to squat in, but it came at a price, as I was forced to defend myself from a barrage of fire ants flanking my position.
Before long Mike and I were joined by Spikes and Sea Biscuit. Having already put in a respectable 22 miles, we considered camping at the cache, but ultimately decided to bang out the 4 mile, 1500 ft ascent.
It was rough, but didn’t take long. By 530 I was pitching my tent atop a mountain spoiled by sweeping views of the valley below shrouded by distant cascading peaks.
Chores completed, I grabbed my food bag to join Spikes, Sea Biscuit and Mike for dinner. Together we slammed calories while enjoying a fantastic sunset.
Sea Biscuit and I bonded over our pop tarts preferences, ultimately deciding that we should probably just be best buddies. He wants to tackle the AT with me after this, so we’ll see!
In summary, today was hot, sandy, steep, dry and hot…and I’m thankful for every second of it!
Cheers!