Day 78 – Thursday, Aug. 10

PCT Mile 1,203.4 to PCT Mile 1,229.5
Day Total: 26.1 Miles

We woke to a beautiful sunrise from high on the Sierra buttes. The trail had some waterless sections, so we had to calculate how much water to carry for the first time in a long time.

Today was hot. The trail was dry and dusty.

Still, somehow, there were a couple very small patches of snow.

We walked through delightful shady forested sections, and some hot, exposed rocky sections. We could look back and see the jagged Sierra buttes almost all day. There were some beautiful and interesting wildflowers. Apparently the flowers are blooming much later than normal because of the high snow levels.

We camped with some section hikers we had seen going the other direction two nights ago. There was another section hiker there, too, who had just started a week ago. He had blisters and rubs from his shoes and his pack, just like we did when we started.

Hearing him talk about his pains made me realize how far we've come in terms of comfort. I don't dread putting my pack or shoes on.