PCT 2007 - Day 128 - Shelter Cove Resort - Maiden Ski Hut

Day 128 7-31-07 Hut 5780′
Shelter Cove Resort – Maiden Ski Hut
5.95 (2) miles; 1919.25 (69.86) total miles; 3782.35 trip miles
90’s, sunny

Days camped alone 15
Deer count is 109
Marmot count is 53
Elk count is 23
Bear count is 7
Rattlesnake count is 6
Pika count is 4
Badger count is 1

Last night I slept well despite a personal issue that I will not go into. I did, however, wake up pretty stiff due to the hard ground. My right hip is still tight as a result. I forced myself to sleep in until 8:30 since I have all day to wait for the UPS man. I got up and kind a packed my bag and then went up to the camp store. Once there I ate breakfast, made some calls, and went through my need food box. I figured out how much food I needed to get to Sisters and packed my bag for real this time.

After that is was just sitting around and logistics. While I was on the phone with my Dad, I watched two young chipmunks wrestle with each other. It was funny to watch them flip each other and pin each other down. They played king of the hill, using a wooden block as a hill. I finally went and took a shower and did some laundry.

The afternoon brought more of the same, sitting around, emails, and eating. I had lunch and then went down to the lake at one point to soak my feet. When I came back, I saw Backtrack coming into the resort. Silver was already inside getting snacks. We hung out until around 5 PM when they left and I was still waiting for the UPS man. He finally came around 5:15 and I was out of there at 5:16. Okay, maybe it was a few minutes later but I didn’t waste any time.

I walked the 2 miles back to the trail and had planned on eating once I got there, but I wasn’t hungry. I hiked on and after 25 minutes I caught Silver and Backtrack. The three of us hiked on to the Maiden Ski Hut. On the way we passed South, Middle, and North Rosary Lakes which were beautiful. There was a great breeze so camping there would have been great. We all wanted to sleep in a shelter once on the trail so we pushed on. For a bit we thought we missed it, but finally we saw it and made a dash for it. Backtrack and I cooked while Silver just snacked. Soon after, it was off to bed. The shelter itself has a covered entry, wood stove, 3 tables (1 with a duck tape checkerboard), chair, utensils, pots, a loft, solar powered lights, and lots of benches. It’s one of the nicest I’ve been in.

Scatman 2011- Talk about a long day! I was so bored waiting around all day for UPS. Shelter Cove was just a black hole for both my wallet and my mind. It’s one thing to be hiking all day and have plenty of time to think but it’s completely different when you sit around the same place all day and think. It didn’t help that I had just had a heart to heart talk with my current girlfriend at the time last night. It was a conversation that should have taken place before I left but neither of us had the courage to start it. Now as a result we had to deal with our issues hundreds of miles apart on a phone.

Once I did get moving I was happy again. Well, I wasn’t thrilled about having to walk two miles on the road again but at least it was forward progress. The hiking that evening was quite pretty. It was nice to see Silver and Backtrack once again as it had been a while.

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Scatman

Get out there!