Day 3 - A Day of Contrasts

July 14

Start Mile 1107.44

End Mile 1118.59

Miles Walked 11.15

We hit the trail right at 8 am which wasn't really that difficult since we had camped just a few feet away. Unfortunately within minutes it had disappeared again, lost in the footprints going this way and that, and after a long exhaustive climb we had these amazing views of a lake to our right and water rushing headlong down a granite slab. It would have been exhilarating had we not been lost. I spoke it through with Marvin and we both agreed it would be best to reverse course and drop back down to where we felt the trail should be. After  about 25-30 minutes we had returned to where we had lost the trail and magically it reappeared!! It is not difficult to lose the trail in conditions like we have been enduring, and sometimes it is safer to work away from the defined trail due to the snow conditions. Marvin and I both agreed this is not what we were expecting, especially in the South Lake Tahoe area, as it can be hazardous to ones health! We estimated that we had lost about 2 hours in total but now we felt confident we were on our way.

The trail led us around a lake and right at the beginning we encountered two young women and their dog and they provided us with some invaluable information which was when we got to the end of the lake there would be a snow bridge, off to our right, which would save us the need to wade the creek where the lake fed into the beginnings of the river. We met a young couple who had just crossed the bridge and they warned us to be careful as there was already a hole in the bridge. We assessed the situation and felt confident we would be able to get to the other side and we were soon over the bridge and on our way. Marvin and I believe the bridge will not last longer than another day and were glad to have made a successful crossing. 

The start to the day had set us back and we were hoping to make better mileage than the first two days. The morning was turning out to be very frustrating as the trail played hide and seek with us. When undertaking the many challenges presented by the PCT there are  many factors that come into play, with the most obvious being able to locate the trail in the snow and then staying on or close to it when you have found. The other major hurdle to overcome is the heat which is dry and makes you constantly thirsty, and its almost  impossible to placate this thirst. Please do not take this as whining but you have to be here to believe the conditions we are having to endure. I have no idea how much money the years version of Walking People out of Poverty has raised, but if you are reading this blog I would urge you to open up your hearts, minds and wallets, and to please make a donation so that we are able to provide funding to those people this walk is being undertaken on behalf of , and those less fortunate who are looking to work their way out of poverty. I would also ask that you consider the inherent dangers that I and Marvin are undertaking on a daily basis during this journey.

 I mentioned the weather which has been incredible, every day has been in the mid 20's and the sun positively glows against the Alberta blue skies that we have been experiencing, Combine that with the heat and countless snow fields we have been encountering and you will get a sense of what we are having to endure. I would apologize if I'm repeating myself but I'm trying to portray an accurate representation of life in the high country!

By late morning we had managed to hit our stride and were moving confidently along the trail when we came to a crystal clear creek that was about twenty feet wide that we had to cross. Marvin did not hesitate and waded straight in and across the 20 feet or so in width. The water had been just about up to the knee so wasn't too bad. I promptly followed suit and short while later we stopped at a beautiful waterfall  where we refilled our water bottles, but not before running the water through our Sawyer water purification system for safety reasons. As it was lunchtime we decided to take our shoes and socks off to allow them to dry,and had a peanut butter wrap which was very tasty.

The afternoon was magnificent and once we got rolling we managed to reach our campsite by 5-15 pm. The day was certainly one of contrasts with the afternoon being so much more pleasant than the early morning slog through the snow, mud and water, whereas the afternoon had been spent wandering through a magnificent forest in the high country. We had pitched our camp at Richardson Lake which was very pretty and warm to boot! As we were preparing dinner several hikers wandered into camp and immediately won our admiration, as they had started out at 7-17 am that morning and travelled from Echo Lake Summit which had been our starting point 3 days and 26 miles ago. You have to admire the tenacity of these young people as they show no fear, although I'm not sure that's a good thing, as I do believe you have to respect the country we are traveling through. Needless to say Marvin and I were duly impressed.

Wanderer.