PCT 2007 Day 72 – Corral – Chicken Spring Lake

PCT 2007 Day 72

Day 72 / 6-5-07
Corral – Chicken Spring Lake
14.2 (.5) miles; 750.2 (15.2) total miles; 2599.9 trip miles
60’s, partly cloudy, windy, snow

Marmot count 5
Pika count 0

It is 5PM and it’s snowing here at 11,235′! (Okay the sun is out and it’s still spitting snow. The snow is driving in both ends of my tarp and I’m really wishing I had my tent).

We started late today, around 7:30 am. I slept okay but I was up a lot throughout the night. I think it was because I was concerned about drinking more water and dehydration at altitude. The hike was an easy one but being over 10,000′ for most of the day is tiring when your not used to it.

Our first pass was Mulkey Pass. It wasn’t a major one like the ones to come. We passed a few meadows and had lots of incredible views by this time in the day already. Next we passed the turn off for Lone Pine at Trail Pass Trail. We had lunch just beyond this point. The wind was really blowing at this time so we had to take cover in the rocks. Stick and Wing It passed us while we ate lunch but we passed them not too far down the trail when they stopped to take a nap. I reached Cottonwood Pass around 2:30 pm and it was just 6 for camp for the night. Once to camp, it was clear the wind was going to be an issue and that we might have bad weather. The wind was blowing one way, while the clouds were going the opposite. We searched all over the lake shore for a spot not too windy but alas it proved useless. Wounded Knee and I are next to each other while UB is in the protection of some trees.

They had to help me setup my tarp again and it’s getting thrashed in the wind. I cooked under my tarp and it was so nice to have a warm meal, considering how cold it is out now. My hands are freezing and I have gloves on. It’s going to be a long night since it’s now only 6:44 PM. I also wore my pants, socks, boxers, l/s shirt, down jacket and a beanie to bed.

When I first got to camp I had the pleasure of watching a very cute marmot eat his dinner. At one point we both saw/heard another marmot and looked in its direction. It was like we were connected. I was only 20′ away and he/she didn’t seem to mind one bit. It was nice to enjoy that moment.

Scatman 2011- The one thing I forgot to mention about this day is the fly over.  Not too far from camp I was in a wooded area and I had just put my camera away and I look up as something catches my eye.  It’s a fighter jet maybe 100′ feet above the trees.  The sound was deafen.  For some time afterwards I thought about what it would be like to live in a war zone.

From the weather we were experience in camp I knew it was going to be a tough night.  It’s probably the coldest I had been hiking since the snow storm in the Smokies I hiked through.  Little did I know this cold snap would last two more nights.  I did not have long johns or a thick long sleeve top.  I figured with the Sierra getting so little snow it wouldn’t be so cold.  I was wrong!