Day 60: Wednesday, July 3

Tenting on the saddle near Elephant's Back (PCT mi 1077.0), walked 29.4 miles today

Got out by 7 and within a mile ran into Goldilocks and Frosty breaking camp, I had first seen them yesterday but walked with them all morning and got to know them a bit. Spied a trail-magic cooler at the road crossing at Ebbett's Pass, but all that was left in it was 3 Coors ... 7:45 was just too early for that. Walked the morning in 7.5-mile chunks, it included some absolutely beautiful desert-like scenery, with green scrubby prairies and huge red rock formations all around. Got to a creek at 12:15 and could barely keep my eyes open eating my snacks, so I pitched my tent in the shade and took a medium siesta, 1-2:30.

Resumed walking at 3 and didn't see anyone else the rest of the day. Storms rolled in around 4 but there was never much rain, only thunder that naturally hit its peak right as I was covering a completely exposed ridge section where the next-tallest thing besides me was the knee-high brush. Lived to tell about it. Hiked until about 9:20, only had to turn my headlamp on for the last 5 minutes or so. The last climb took me through two terrifying snow slopes, one of which I went over, the second one I scrambled down and around on solid ground. Didn't need to try my hand at glissading for the first time on this trip at 9pm utterly alone.

Was in an unusual amount of discomfort today from three sources: my feet, which are suffering from the lack of cushion of real socks; my entire undercarriage, which has been chafing ever since I started wearing long pants; and my stomach, which immediately started to feel twisted when I ate an apple yesterday and really didn't get fully corrected for 24 hours. That resupply from the Bridgeport General Store, which cost an exorbitant $40, is completely gone now, I've eaten all of it. Only one meal's worth of muesli and some PB and probably stale tortillas are left to get me to Echo Lake tomorrow. 17 miles ...