PCT 2007 Day 41
Day 41 / 5-5-07 Tarp
Sandy Jeep Rd. – Cedar Spring Trail
19.6 (2) miles; 162.3 (4) total miles; 1997.9 trip miles
Sunny with some clouds; cold in am, windy after dinner
NOTE: () indicates side trip
Last night was ridiculous! The wind was insane until well after midnight. It is blowing just like that now. It took all three of us to put it up. Ive grown tired of this tarp already.
We woke up late today since the cafe we were headed to didn’t open until 11 AM. It actually opened at 8. We had breakfast and headed out sometime after 6 AM. It was very cold this morning.
We traversed for sometime and then climbed Table Mountain’s Shoulder. We then skirted the lower slopes of Lookout Mountain, before descending to Pines-to-Palms Highway. We took a side trail to the Paradise Cafe where we hope to get lunch. We got there just after 10 and lunch wasn’t served until 11. We debated on waiting but finally decided to eat breakfast. I got the pancakes (2), with (2) eggs, (3) sausage links, and an English muffin. I ate it all and a piece of Wounded Knee’s toast.
We hung out and dried our gear out since there was a lot of condensation last night. While we did, we met The Waffle King, Ron Vaughn. It turns out I stayed at his house while on the AT just outside the NOC in N. Carolina. We all talked for a while then hit the trail. It was about 1 PM and it was hot. We, of course, had a climb. It wasn’t hard but just long. The views while climbing were incredible. We hiked through giant boulders, oaks, chaparral and pines. The combination was breathtaking. We passed two ladies on horses. One was deaf and she had a service dog with here. We chatted a bit then it was off to more climbing.
We climbed to the Saddle on the Desert Divide, then over Lion Peak. We caught a couple of hikers we met earlier coming back from the Paradise Cafe. We passed Ron in his sleeping bag on the side of the trail. He looked cold. It was just a short distance further to camp.
Once to the junction of the Cedar Spring Trail, we decided to stay at the junction instead of the 1 mile climb down to the spring we didn’t need water from. At the time it was calm and just cold. Now it’s cold and windy as hell. I’m in for another night of a noisy tarp 2′ over my head. Sweet dreams all.
Scatman 2011- The Tarp…..on this day I was ready to burn the thing. It almost brought me to tears. I had to apologize to Wounded Knee and U.B. and give myself a time out I was so frustrated and made with it. Luckily for me after that night I don’t believe I ever had much trouble but that night it was ridiculous. It seriously took all three of us to put it up. As luck would have it, it didn’t rain.
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Scatman
Get out there!
You can check out my Appalachian Trail or Continental Divide Trail journals too!
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