Episode 18: The Sierra is a Venomous Snake (PCT 2017)

Episode 18: The Sierra is a Venomous Snake (PCT 2017)

I seriously just caught the first trout and it took me a second to get the hook out of his mouth so I felt bad because I wasn’t going to keep him he’s a little so I was just trying to give him a little you know bit of water and he got

Out of my hand so caught my first trout and I didn’t even get to take a picture with him so I’m going to do one more and see if I can get a picture with one this time yeah it just came upon this Lake on the

Side trail I think I have like point seven left until I hit the PCT again and then like one and a half miles to where I’m trying to camp tonight which is just right at the base of glim Pass so I can hit it early in the morning I have

Planned to make it all the way to Vermillion valley resort also known as DVR which I’m estimating is going to take hopefully seven days because that’s how much food I have it’s like 97 miles including this side trail but the thing is you’re limited on how far you can go

Each day because you don’t want to go up over a mountain pass after the heat of the day because the snow becomes very slushy and it gets very dangerous so you really camp at the base of the passes that you intend to go over the next day

Kind of like all of us did on Forester pass so otherwise we would not have been able to walk straight up Forester pass you know like Spider Man style so yeah but before this gets to slushy that I’m standing on I’m gonna keep going you know knowing the conditions of the

Sierras and stressing out about making it to Canada on time because it being slowed down in the snow in the conditions but I have to say you know even despite all of that and how dangerous it is out here and everything it’s like whenever I get back on the

Trail and a huff and puff for a few hours and then I look around I’m like you know feels like going home like it feels like home and looking around at these snow-covered mountains it just feels right we back and then so no regrets as far as not flip-flopping or anything like that

It just feels good to continue my Trek northbound and as long as I feel like it’s pretty safe to do so and that’s what I’m going to do I can’t cowboy can’t about a mile from the top of glim Pass and that’s where I’m heading this one

And I can’t last night with a fella from Australia his name is Martin and so luckily we’ll be going over this path together so it’s nice to have you know somebody to to go over with I guess I don’t know it’s comforting to know that somebody all know you fell if you fell

Or just to see what they do or to talk about like what the best way to go is you know it’s just two minds are better than one pretty Lake you want next to so cool to see these like ice covered and so blue and there’s the path leading to

The top of Glen path it’s what I’m on right now I had no more straight up oh it’s pretty steeper here but luckily the snow is hard because it’s morning Wow I just walked down that well we got over the pass and Martin asked me how I feel if he turned around

And went on back to town and of course you know I’m like dude if you don’t want to be doing this like you know it’s just it’s not I think that he’s like scared I think it’s just not as enjoyable as he was like it seems like so to be gone and

Be able to go swimming and stuff but he was like will you be okay and I was like absolutely but Wow props to you for you know doing the path again and Kearsarge again but anyway I guess he’s decided to flip-flop he was hoping there’d be less snow in the

Valley I was really hoping so too but I don’t know if it’s stupidity or pride or just enjoyment of the challenge but I’m gonna keep pressing on hoping that somebody will join me at the bottom of the nest next pass or maybe I’ll find reroute and airborne I’m not sure if

They I think they went ahead and did the past yesterday afternoon but maybe I’ll catch them but anyway here I go again on my own tough rock scramblin get next Roxy post hole next to glyph aids that head straight towards rocks gonna be a long

Day well from what I can tell I have to cross this water and go over there I think this is normally not necessarily full like this I’m not gonna live it’s pretty cold and kind of sucks and I’ve got another Lake outlet crossing get it lowered out see how the trout live in

Afar so cool situations like this make things take longer I’m going to walk on the side of the snowy Bank here and around because this goes straight down and now rockslide here and I might could squeeze between these two but I think that’s a good idea

So time for micro spikes and I fix I just crossed this is only half of it sterilized precarious one of them Sparkle bridge it says one person at a time on bridge Oh look Wow 800 right here is the trail my legs are shaking I was saying that

The water didn’t freak me out that bad but start to do a little bit and the passes or the scary part now I don’t know check out this one too I mean there’s just so much water all over the trail well I just got some white pork

And I tried to go like halfway across and it was just Bureau has her back but I’m going upstream to try to see if there you know a better place across I know these not one downstream if not I’ll tuck the camp on this side for the

Night and hopefully in the morning you know it’ll be down which are probably will well now that I’ve had a minute calm down after setting with friends but anyway I made it very hard across that Creek and I knew it was when I did it so like a pretty good wake-up call I

Got halfway across and steel my like senator yes as I look across it the flow is even stronger for the second half from the I knew if I went for that wouldn’t make it across the turnaround and luckily was strong enough to hold my leg

Get fold up like some brush and kind of cool so I’m an idiot for a couple reasons because well I should have looked at it and gone you know what they can wait for morning of him front court which is what I did now

Anyway and you know I told my mom that I wouldn’t do anything get alone so sorry mom but anyway so I mean if I’m going to do this here is I know that they’re risky and like I want to go straight here I want to keep going

Or even still but I’ve got to do it smart and you know it’s like I’m in this huge rush the hurry up and get through here is because I know that going slower killing my chances of finishing my third hike because eventually it’s going to snow in Washington and it’s going to be

Too late to go first so if I’m going to do the Vera’s stick to know whether I earned a little hike then I’ve got out at least before about it you know I can always slip up I have to make it so long but what I live my life there’s anything

That conditions way here and if this means that I don’t get to go over the next half tomorrow then Soviet Tom first cousin of that bad I could get there early efforts but again Courtney group of snore fellas just rolled up and they were like it doesn’t look that deep

And are also contemplating what to do but thinking in there again I can’t we want this done and wait again I’m some painful that they showed up they all have their unique personalities for sure so rooster guys Charlie because he wakes everybody up in the morning especially

One of the other guys but he is very chill and kind of like the glue that holds the group together to then dance or have Marcie McKenna Dan is just wide open he employs walks around blessing his like 80 rock music and it really does fit in personality and next in the

Group is mark so mark is oldest of the group and he is cessful his excellent news from Australia he’s definitely the quietest of the group but when he has something to say it’s usually pretty much least and last but not least his clutters so I would explain butters is

Kind of like the class clown like you good-hearted always taken in role laughing you know and that’s pretty much the guys they have been awesome and really just more than I could have asked for so while this is certainly not my favorite time of day to do a pass because it’s about noon

This one hasn’t been bad so far but because of the creeks definitely behind schedule so right uh I think this one is safe even plushies know which is good more time is spent looking for the trails and actually welcome on it liking try to find a better place across

This small stream we’ve been walking for about 12 hours here including very pretty tired you just want to get as close to Mathers past as possible so that we don’t have to go over the top of it and the slushy snow tomorrow go my shoes are Prison would be inside that really first

Walk on you gotta put your foot and desired spots we don’t slide down in it and don’t mix it flies and goes down a pole and sister in coulombs just unfolded now we’re heading up uphill to Mather pass which I’ve heard is sketchiest one to go over I wish it was

A little bit earlier now starting to get a little slushy but maybe we’ll make it up there before it gets too bad here we go holy smokes you’re going right in that Sal area Mather pass exactly got to the first part of the past here comes better even though it looks

Like we should be freezing cold burning up holy smokes we made it here we go down the other side came from up there where Mark is how was it how was what Rebecca pom yes trading for education yeah I think that’s the scariest one of it it is the

Scariest one I’ve done so far sniffles I’m so glad to have that pass done when the snow path hits rocks it gets bad because you can post hole near the rocks and just going from one surface to the other with spikes on you know it’s

Good in the snow but then when you put your spikes on rocks it feels a little more slick so there’s one part where I had to cross like a big boulder on like a little bitty crack and it went straight down the mountain you know basically fall to your death spot and

Luckily butters hung back and ended up I needed how like I was like I’m going to need you to come a little bit closer and give me your hand and he had to kind of like pull me over the rock you know as I kind of inched my

Way and pushed off um that was definitely the most sketchy pass I’ve done and just shows why it’s really important to have a group so I’m really glad that I ran into these guys because they make a great team and kind of practice the leave no man behind things

So very important for this section for sure really yeah it’s actually exciting I can’t wait to see a rattlesnake again So the fear is so far have been amazingly you you know you can almost compare it to like the beauty of like a venomous snake or a poisonous frog and the way that it’s so beautiful you know and you want to you want to touch it and

Hold it and if you don’t handle it right it’ll get kind of kind of the best way that I can describe this beer is you know it’s like yeah enjoy it but use caution You

Dixie continues through the PCT more confident than ever after successfully crossing Forester Pass, but the Sierra quickly brings her back down to earth.

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