PCT Day 31 – Benson Lake

F 1606

I slept well again last night. I am getting that old feeling back – the one I had when I returned from the PCT last year. The feeling that no matter where I laid my head, if I imagined myself on my air mattress in my quilt, I would feel safe, and I would sleep well.

Sleeping on the trail is weird. You are filthy. Your air mattress is permanently stained from your grime and body oils. Your quilt reeks of your sweat. Your air mattress deflates during the night so when you wake up, you are basically sleeping on the ground. And yet, at the end of the day, you yearn for your bed. And it accepts you just as you are and takes you through the terrors of long black night. Sure, you sometimes have to wear all your clothes to bed too, just to stay warm, but nothing’s perfect.

Good morning

Last night Bob and I camped on the banks of Falls Creek near Lake Wilma. Early in the hiking season there is no way to get across this river but by wading it. Crossing rivers is one of the most dangerous things hikers do. An unexpected hole or a slip has sent many hikers to their death. The river is not like that now. I can walk across on the higher stones in the creek bed.

If I wasn’t so obsessed with getting somewhere, I would love to fish these lakes. In the morning they look so inviting. I walk silently by Wilma Lake and then two smaller unnamed lakes.

For every picture perfect lake there are dozens that of lakes suffering in obscurity, covered in pollen, cluttered by fallen trees and surrounded by mud. They just need a mom. If you would like to adopt one of these lost lakes, call your local forestry service for more details.

A mystery has finally been solved. Ever wonder how the Keebler Elves manage to turn a tree into a cookie factory without killing the tree? First you need a dead or dying tree. Then you a second tree so close to the first that it grows around it. Then, you carefully carve out the dead tree and Wallah! You have a living hollow tree ready for the elves to move in with all their baking ovens!

I think I have a pretty good shot for “my morning coffee” and then this one pops out of nowhere. OMG!

Let’s Hike

The PCT is taking me canyon hopping today. It’s not as fun as it might sound. First, I am going to climb 500 feet out of Falls Creek Canyon to Tilde Canyon, then another 500 feet over the ridge and drop down 1000 feet to Stubblefield Canyon. After another 1000 feet up and down, I will be in Merrick Canyon. I will turn up Merrick Canyon until I pop out at the top end of the canyon, look around for fires and drop 1500 feet to Benson Lake.

If you got tired listening to that description, just think how tired you might be hiking it! Bob and I both agreed, that was some of the hardest 14 miles either of us had hiked.

It wasn’t all terrible though. In fact, when I stopped to look around, I found beauty everywhere.

Where there’s smoke

One of the nagging issues for the day is the Rodgers fire that has broken out in Yosemite. A couple hikers had to pack up their camp in the middle of the night when smoke from that fire blew over the ridge making it hard to breath. In this photo, you can see the smoke above the far ridge.

Bob and I watched this closely all day. We hope to camp at Benson Lake tonight, but smoke has been a problem there.

Lake Benson

The wind seems to be blowing more westerly today. The fire is southeast of us. We end up at Benson Lake and there is no smoke. If the wind does not shift, we should be OK. However, that means we may have to deal with it tomorrow. We will see.

In the mean time, Benson Lake is gorgeous. It is called the Riviera of the Sierras for its beautiful sand beach.

When we arrive, I go down to check out the beach. At the beach, I look down one way and see a woman getting out of the water in nothing but her panties. Whoops. I quickly go the other way. Later I think I might give it a try if the water is not too cold. It was. Here is the extent of my swim.

Bob and I are reassessing our goals for this section. We are already progressing like turtles, but we are not enjoying it as much as we could if we were just looking around more. I think we may do shorter miles the next few days so we get into Tuolomne Meadows in the morning instead of the late afternoon.

Another fire popped up in Yosemite, the Red Fire. We also heard a rumor today about a trail closure ahead because of that fire. That would change everything. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

• August 27
• Starting marker: 987.4
• Ending marker: 972.7
• Miles hiked today: 15
• Total PCT miles: 377
• Lowest tolerable water temp for swimming: 80 F