"Kids Out Wild" PCT Days #98-112
PCT Day #98
I’ve never seen Tristan pack up so fast! He says it was because he got a lot of sleep and the night and morning were warm. (“It saved me at least 15 minutes because I slept in my shorts and I didn’t have to pack my pajamas or my puffy!”) We might have set a speed record, at least for our team. It was the lure of knowing that Le Anne was on her way to pick us up and that the kids were going to get to play with cousins! We made it just under 5 miles in just under two hours (with a water filter stop).
The battle against the mosquitoes was real while we waited for Le Anne. Sierra put on everything she owned! Tristan was distracted listening to his book, didn’t react fast enough, and got at least 30 bites.
When Le Anne arrived, there was much rejoicing (she had giant homemade rice crispy treats). Now we zero for about five days, enjoy time with family, and watch the snow report to see which way is safe to head next! 4.8 miles today.
PCT Days #99–104
We had five blissful zero days in Battle Ground, playing with the Allens, Willmores, and Bennetts (Adam’s family). I also got to visit a dentist to get my crown glued back in place.
It was hard to get back on the trail! On Monday, we told Le Anne we would be ready to roll at 8 a.m., but we didn’t leave until 11:30 a.m. She patiently waited, allowing us to hijack her entire day yet again, and even made us a giant batch of her famous chocolate chip cookies!
We got to the trailhead at mile 2,198.4 and took off around 3 p.m., so excited to have our nephew Cole with us (and sad that Le Anne’s foot still isn’t healed enough to join us). The mosquitoes were unreal! We walked briskly to keep them at bay, and when that didn’t work, we stopped so some could put on bug nets and long sleeves and pants (all the while frantically swatting the vicious blood suckers off of ourselves and each other). We know June is a rough month for backpacking, especially during wet years like this one, because of the mosquitoes. But we must press on! Adam saw one critical comment on a Facebook post about PCT hikers attempting to flip-flop this year, something to the effect of “These hikers are going to flip over the Sierras just in time to hit gnat season in NorCal, the ticks in Oregon, and the mosquitoes in Washington.” That seems about right.
Before Kaia flew home from Colorado on Saturday, she and Gram (my mom’s mom) made a big batch of Gram’s famous cinnamon rolls and stuffed them into seven empty Pringle’s cans. It was a total success and brought much happiness to have such a treat on our first night out (some ate their portions much more quickly than others)! 7.4 miles today.
PCT Day #105
It was a cold morning! We managed to get out of camp around 7:30 a.m., moving as quickly as we could against the cold, misty wind.
Patches of snow soon became huge fields of snow, making navigating tricky. We passed Mosquito Creek, and it truly lived up to its name! We always filter water with our bug nets on lately. They protect your head well, but the mosquitoes can certainly bite through clothing if you don’t quickly put on multiple layers!
Tonight, we camped at the lovely Steamboat Lake. After dinner we were surprised to see a paddle board out in the water with an optimistic fisherman balanced on top. As far as we could tell, he didn’t catch anything, but it was fun to watch. Silly Ruby ate all her candy (Swedish fish and sour patch kids) that was supposed to last for six days all at once and threw up right before bed. She started feeling sick right after dinner, kept asking me if we could hit the SOS button on my Spot device, then had me hold her hand until her body had expelled every bit of red dye #40. No more Swedish fish for trail snacks from here on out! 16.1 miles today.
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