Trail Day 37: Tentsite (mile 587.3) to Landers Meadow (mile 608.9)

21.6 PCT miles

I started out the morning by walking through yet another burn area. The fire must have been pretty extensive because it took 5 miles of the trail to exit it. Everything had been burned and there didn't seem to be any pockets of vegetation that escaped the fire as you sometimes see in the other burn areas. There were also quite a few large poodle dog bushes growing along the trail. I forgot to be on the look out for them in the burn area until I almost brushed up against one. The grey, overcast skies didn't help my mood.

So crispy and dreary.

Haha! I almost got you this time. You know you need to pay attention in burn areas.

The scenery became really pretty after I exited the burn area. There was a combination of small pines and oaks, plus plenty of other grasses or green vegetation surrounding it. It was a pleasure to walk through. Additionally, sometimes the vegetation would open up and the trail would lead through a grassy meadow.

Finally! Living trees.

Meadow section.

My favorite type of vegetation to walk through.

Beautiful!

Right around lunch time I got to the 600 mile marker. What surprised me is that right before it was a random house. I was in a pretty remote area and didn't expect to see something like that. There was a sign that read “Casa de Oso.”

Kind of hard to see, but "600" written with stones.

After I left the 600 mile marker I headed into an area dominated by pine trees. I thought I saw a rain drop. It had been cold (almost too cold) and overcast all day,  so I just assumed it was mist at first. As I watched the dirt I eventually saw rain drops hit.

The pine forest getting larger.

PCT marker.

I waited to see if it was going to fizzle out, but it only got stronger, so I got to test out my new ultralight rain gear, my Outdoor Research Helium II as well as my ULA backpack rain cover. I didn't feel the need right away to break out the rain kilt. As I went higher in elevation, and deeper into the pine forest, the rain picked up enough that I eventually got out the ULA rain kilt as well.

The rain played with my emotions a bit. I was pretty cold and walking somehow seemed much harder. I also felt incredibly hungry. I could have devoured my whole food bag. Unfortunately,  I accidentally packed a little light on food this week so I had to ration my snacks. I was walking through beautiful pine forest,which I usually enjoy, but I wasn't happy.

Eventually the rain cleared up. It was amazing what that did to my mood. I felt better, I wasn't as hungry anymore, and my legs weren't as tired. I was actually able to enjoy my surroundings.

My surroundings had gotten amazing. The pine trees were now taller and much more abundant. The views overlooking the forest were amazing and there were plenty of large granite boulders.

When I finally picked my head up, this is what I saw.

I took my time, enjoying the surroundings as I headed to Landers Meadow where the was a campground and spring. This spring was the last reliable water source for about 35 miles. Usually it is 42 miles, but there is a seasonal spring flowing along the way.

Landers Spring.

Landers Meadow.

I set up my tent in the campground area and went to join some fellow campers, who had started a campfire in one of the campfire pits, for dinner. It was the 3 hikers I had been seeing the past few days. In addition to Sunshine, the guys she was travelling with were named Taco and Jared. Another hiker named Dan was tending to the fire. I ate my meager dinner, chatted with the others and went back to my tent to finish setting up camp.

It had started to get cold once the sun had faded, so I went into my tent to journal while covered by a sleeping bag. At one point I heard Sunshine's voice outside my tent asking my name.  She told me that people had just driven up with trail magic.

That was unexpected. Not only was it almost dark, but to get to the campground you needed to take rutted, dirt, forest roads. These trail angels (and former PCT hikers named Sweet Pea and Beardo) had driven up there somehow in a Honda Element.

I walked towards the car and there was pizza, sodas, and cookies.  I don't know what I said as a reaction to seeing all that food, but I know everyone laughed. We sat around and chatted with the trail angels (while chowing down) until it got too dark and cold. Knowing I was slightly low on food in my food bag I grabbed two more cookies for the next two days.