PCT Day 5 Trail Notes: Oriflamme Canyon to Overlook of Cigarette Hills
High Point of the Day: Feeling good making miles, though I'm still having some lingering foot soreness
Low Point of the Day: Sweet snickerdoodles of hellish wind. Camp last night was great for scenery, but the wind was terrible, on top of which, we had camped on a granite slab, so I wasn't able to stake out my tent. It was a really long night.
- Section: A
- PCT Miles: 55.9 to 71.1
- Distance Walked Today*: 16.2
- Steps for the Day*: 39394
- Temperature (Perception): Cold this morning to great hiking temperature, wore my Melly for most of the day, but it was comfortable.
- Wind (Perception): Very windy this morning, calm midday, and a breeze during dinner
- Cloud Cover: Almost none.
- Precipitation: None
- Trail Surface: Well-graded to rocky in and sections, the last few miles were very narrow.
- Terrain: Chaparral and winding, rolling mountain hiking
⭐⭐⭐ Weather
⭐⭐ Difficulty
⭐⭐⭐ Physical Energy
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Scenery
⭐⭐⭐⭐Mental State
Number of photos for the day: 154
Total time-lapse sequences: Started another during sunset
Number of video clips: One per mile and at the beginning of the day
Overview:
- The hardest part of today was a descent to a dirt road section, and then the climb back up to the trail
- I've noticed that I need to work harder at stopping when my body tells me I need to
- Which also means taking longer midday breaks
Observations (wildlife, plants, views, etc.)
- Grabbed 3 liters of water at the tank, it had a faucet, which was nice, but still needed to be filtered
- Skipped past the water at Sunrise Trailhead, I had more than enough from the previous day, when I sgrabbed 4 liters at the Pioneer Picnic Grounds
People on the Trail:
- Started the day with Mike and Megan (who I played leap frog with for most of the day)
- Camped with Junior Ranger, Zodiac and his mom (Cynthia), Rapunzel, Cali, and Layla
Random Notes:
- Conceptually, I know the trail is graded for horses, but wow is it very narrow in a lot of places
Cheers & Jeers (Gear, Food, etc.):
Still not adjusting to the Hyperlite pack, the shoulder straps and hip belt aren't sitting quite right
What did I listen to?
- First few lessons from the Great Course: Language and the Mind
- A few more episodes of Impact (Convservation Photography podcast)
- Three episodes of Mtn. Meister
