129 Rain

Day 129

September 26

16.5 miles

PCT mile 2509.5

It started raining shortly after getting in my tent last night. When I woke up this morning it was still raining. I snoozed a bit and delayed my morning start, hoping for the rain to let up, but it didn't. So I packed up in the rain, keeping optimistic that the sun would come out in a few hours, it never did, it rained all day. It was a very wet slow-moving day. It seemed it took almost all day to go 10 miles. I hardly stopped to take a break because you'd just get cold if you stopped too long. Fifteen miles into my day, I met up with Testament, Gypsy, No Mayo, and Stomper, we were all on the same boat, as we had all camped together last night... at least I wasn't the only one going at what felt like a snail's pace it appeared we all were. At this point I had decided to go just over a mile to the next trail junction and call it a day, it was starting to get cold and I didn't want to continue on, having to set up camp in the dark.

The last mile was downhill, it was like a slip and slide of mud. It reminded me of the race I had done previously this year in Nicaragua, but for some reason I was not having fun like I had then. Shortly, before the trail junction I smelled fire! "I bet you that's Hornsby," I explained to Stomper. Once I sighted the smoke a short distance off the trail, I told Stomper, "let's go see if this is someone we know." Gypsy, No Mayo, and Testament had the same idea and were already there. It wasn't Hornsby, but some section hikers. About the same time we reached the fire the rain started to lighten and it eventually stopped. The section hikers welcomed us into the camp and shared their fire, we all immediately started drying items of clothing around the fire. "I'm staying here, " I proclaimed, as that was already my previous plan and the fire sealed the deal. Some of the others were planning to go on, but eventually everyone made the decision to camp here tonight. Not a hour later Hornsby showed up too, I thought he may had gotten in front of me last night as we didn't camp together, but that was not the case.

We set up a clothes line over the fire and hung all of our wet stuff to dry, and huddled around the fire to stay warm, until it was time for bed. It's amazing what a fire can do as a moral booster. 

This rain and the slow miles has me a bit worried. "If things continue this way, I may have to get off in Stehekin," I told No Mayo and Gypsy, worried that the weather would delay my anticipated finish day and I would have to call it quits sooner than I would ever like, in order to make my brothers wedding.

They tried to assure me I'd be fine and not to be so silly as to say something as ridiculous as that. I'm hoping and praying that weather will turn in our favor or at least the miles will be hiked despite the weather.

The highlight of the day...and the only picture taken today.