Day 76 – Tuesday, Aug. 8

PCT Mile 1,160.8 Peter Grubb Hut to PCT Mile 1,185.6
Day Total: 24.8 Miles

One day recently I wrote about the things I think about when I hike, and I realized one major oversight. I also spend some time every day thinking about my gear and scrutinizing each piece's value, trying to figure out if there's anything I can do without.

Weight is everything on the trail.

Some things are non-negotiable: backpack, tent, sleeping bag, headlamp. But others are personal choice.

Every day I think about ditching my Crocs, which were great for crossing creeks in the Sierras and are nice to wear without socks around camp to let my feet breathe. But are they worth carrying?

I debate that every day while I walk.

The other item I question daily is my Kindle. I like to read. In the desert, when it was too hot to hike during the middle of the day, it was often too hot to nap, too. So I read a lot. But since then, I spend all the daylight hours hiking and when we get to camp all I want is to eat and go to sleep.

I hardly ever read anymore.

Should I send the Kindle home? I haven't yet, in hopes that I'll read more. Maybe as the days get shorter into the fall I'll have more time in camp at the end of the day. Maybe I'll read more then.

 Hikers sometimes talk about their "luxury item," something non-essential that they're carrying for happiness sake. I guess my Kindle is my luxury item. One hiker we met, who has a tiny backpack, said his luxury item was his full-handled toothbrush (many hikers have half size or cut-off toothbrushes).

We had a lot of ups and downs today.

Little climbs that would last a mile or maybe two and then the same amount back down. Again and again.

The trail took us through some forested areas and some sunny, open ridges. It was exhausting and not particularly memorable.

Other than Moe and Toe, who we had camped with last night at the hut, we didn't see anyone all day.

I miss hiking with Caboose and Papa Bear, who we hiked with for the toughest section of the High Sierra. They're a couple days ahead of us now. Maybe we'll catch them. We'll see.

We camped with Moe and Toe near Bear Spring. We're all headed into Sierra City tomorrow, an old gold-mining town just a mile off the trail.