Lionheart - Pacific Crest Trail Journal - 2013
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Lion Heart
City: Ukiah
State: CA
Begins: Apr 25, 2013
Direction: Northbound
Daily Summary
Date: Wed, May 1st, 2013
Start: Scissors Crossing
End: Barrel Springs
Daily Distance: 23
Trip Distance: 101.4
Journal Stats
Entry Visits: 813
Journal Visits: 187,551
Guestbook Views: 9,995
Guestbook Entrys: 150
View: 1
2
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looking back to where I was yesterday
101 Miles
Passed 100 milesAnts everywhere on the trail
Chili dog trail magic
You remember that light moment I was talking about? Today it was at 543 am as I climbed out of Scissors Crossing. I started the climb at 5 am with a half moon still in the sky. It's a 23 mile waterless stretch to Barrel Springs. There is the 3rd gate water cache in the middle but generally it's good to try to go without using it. I was carrying 5.5 liters, my max capacity, with the hope of not having to make the near one mile off trail trek to get water.
I made good miles, 13 to 3rd gate by 1045 am as I was buoyed by messages from friends. The afternoon was long and hot but I was in good spirits taking about 5 hours to do the last 10 miles. At one point I met a baby rattlesnake on the trail which I nearly stepped on because I was messing with my bloody nose. I gently encouraged it off the trail as was soon on my way again.
As I neared Barrel Springs which sits at trail mile 101, I met the PCT legend Billy Goat. He was headed to his cave 5 miles up the trail. Billy Goat, has logged something like 48,000 hiked miles. Barrel Springs had the ultimate trail magic upon arrival. Chili dogs, salad, cake, cookies, drinks and of course beer. The only requirement? Sign their guestbook. Amazing angels in this world!
p.s.
If you questioned my sanity before, you will definitely now....While stumbling along the trail I started saying the following to myself:
Feel the rhythm
Feel the rhyme
Get on up
It's bobsled time
Laugh it up!
The trail is often full of rocks and sometimes you can step through them gracefully and sometimes you cant. Every time I would start to loose my rhythm I would start saying that phrase. At first I thought it was so silly and brought some good laughs and then I realized its brilliance. This little ditty was used in the movie Cool Runnings, the story about the Jamaican bobsled team. Yes, a bobsled team where there is no snow :) And I'm hiking where few venture.
