Day 102 ~ miles 1664.5 - 1684.6
Lots of people ask us why we want to hike all day, every day for months. Today I really had to ask myself the same. It was one of the most difficult and hot days on the trail, and every mile seemed like a chore.
We woke up early to a parade of hikers passing our tent that had stayed the night in Seiad Valley. We didn't hesitate for as long as usual before letting the air out of our luxurious inflatable sleeping pads. The mosquitos served as motivation to pack up and start walking quickly.
The ascent was relentless. By 7am we were drenched with sweat and already taking a break. Fortunately, we weren't in it alone. Other equally miserable hikers joined us at all of our breaks; luckily we were all able to laugh and joke about our peril. Two brothers, Bomber and Siesta, had secretly carried out sodas and placed them in a cold spring...incredibly satisfying, and amazing that they would haul all that weight up the mountain!
An extra long lunchbreak was in order, and close to 10 other hikers had the same idea, so we all ate together near a spring. As we ate, the day grew hotter, and we faced yet another climb from the spring. It was a steep one. and it was so ridiculously hot that we had to stop and recuperate in the shade after hiking only about a mile.
It was a shorter mileage day than we anticipated. Hoping for a good night of rest, tomorrow's a new day! Oh yeah...we now have less than 1000 miles to go, AND we'll cross the Oregon border tomorrow!
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