Today was my longest day on trail so far distance wise, with 42.5 miles but only about 5000 ft of elevation change in both directions.
I had set my alarm for 0530 but since I had also setup my tarp I was not on trail until 0615. I then hiked the short side trail from the lake back to the PCT.
The trail today provided a lot of nice views since most of the hiking was close to ridges. There was a lot of forest but enough open views.
For lunch my break was basically the time it took to lay out things to dry, do stretches, eat, and pack everything again.
The day did have one rather big climb that I did late in the day but it was nothing compared to some of the other climbs I have done.
The trail for most of the day headed more or less straight West which is not exactly the direction of Canada. It does seem like I will be going more northerly tomorrow.
I met a few other hikers today but most were going south. I did not really stop to talk with them as the miles I had planned would already make this a late day.
I arrived at camp at 2000 and only setup my bivy. The mosquitos are a real nuisance in the evening at camp. It is basically a race to finish all chores and get in my bivy as fast as possible. Luckily I often arrive so late that it is quickly bedtime anyway.
I do not sleep that well, neither in town nor on trail. But back home I often have trouble sleeping as well so no big difference.
Tomorrow I hope to get a hitch to Etna, I have 26 miles to the road and hope to be there before 14. I have heard that the hitch can be difficult but everyone still recommends going there. So I kinda have to go to see what all the fuss is about. I might arrive at the road earlier than expected as usually when I am hiking to a town I tend to hike faster.
I only plan to spend one night in Etna but plan to leave late in the day as that fits well with hitting Seiad Valley early in the morning.
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