Oregon PCT FKT Attempt Days 7-9

Day 7 – OR PCT Mile 192.1

I was feeling pretty good today. The weight of my bag is becoming much more manageable, I am getting into a good routine, and the weather isn’t quite as hot. I managed to do bigger day than normal. The trail went past Mt. Theilson this morning which had beautiful views. There were patches of snow still. I had a 16 mile water carry. I also crossed the OR PCT high point, which is not as impressive as you’d think for a high point. It is nestled in the trees and relatively flat. This evening was another nice mountain with a few snow patches. There were also some blowdowns today, but nothing compared to the blowdown hell of the last 3 days. As I was hiking, I leapfrogged with 5 thruhikers today which was nice. It’s been quite lonely out here so far.

Day 8 – OR PCT Mile 219.9

This morning I woke up to an amazing sunrise. I was camped high on a ridge above a lake. When I started hiking though, it was mosquito hell! They were so bad all morning. I do not regret bringing my head bug net, as I have been using it quite often. When I got up towards Diamond Peak, I had 5+ miles of snow with patches of trail occasionally. It definitely slowed me down. I fell over a few times. There were also blow downs again today. This evening I walked into Shelter Cove to charge my phone and power bank a bit. I brought a 20,000 mAh power bank, but it’s not enough. I am charging my phone (which is 2 years old), Garmin Fenix GPS watch, Garmin InReach Mini satellite beacon, and headlamp. Luckily, you are allowed to stop and charge on an unsupported FKT at public sockets! I had fun chatting with PCT thruhikers while I was charging for an hour. I jealously watched the thruhikers enjoy beer and pizza while I drank my water. The unsupported FKT rules don’t allow me to buy or accept anything along the way — I have to rely on what I carried!

The trail is somewhere under these down trees and snow…

Day 9 – OR PCT Mile 253.2

Last night was my only night so far sleeping near others. I feel bad—I showed up at 9:45 pm and left at 5:45 am. They were in their tent that entire time and did not seem to be PCT thruhikers, so they probably weren’t used to such late arrivals. It was at a lake not too far from Shelter Cove. I tried to be quiet, but I’m sure they did not appreciate my schedule. My feet hurt a bit this morning from 5 blisters (on my little toes and heels). At lunch I went for a swim. The lake temp was perfect for me—cool not cold. I was only in there for about 5 minutes, but I think it helped my legs and feet a lot. After I sun dried, I redid some of the blister tape and headed back out. My feet felt much better the rest of the day. Between the lake and the Three Sisters wilderness area there was a big burn area that wasn’t burnt during our 2018 PCT thruhike. This burn area was probably the worst burnt area I’ve ever seen—there was almost nothing left. I walked on only about 3 small patches of snow today, so that made me happy. The blowdowns were manageable, but they definitely increased in the Three Sisters wilderness area.