Distance hiked today: 25.8 miles / 41.5 km.
I "slept in" a bit this morning until 6:10am. It's nice to have a slower start now that the Oregon Challenge chaos is done.
The trail was lined with berries - blackberries, huckleberries, saskatoons, and the odd yellow raspberry or thimbleberry. These are really gonna slow me down… I was stopping to pick a few as I go, keeping my eye on the bushes to find easily accessible ones to grab.
We're in the tail end of the heat wave, and Cascade Locks is the lowest point on the PCT at 170ft above sea level, so it is hot and humid. Like a jungle. The greenery is so thick, and I saw multiple slugs chillin' along the trail. My clothes are drenched as usual, this time a mix of sweat and humidity.
We took breaks by nice rivers, and had dinner at one before walking up a hill to camp. There was some trail magic left in buckets on the trail but it had already been cleaned out. I picked up some leftover ice cubes for my insulin.
It's crazy that I can get over 25 miles in while feeling like I took my time. It's a whole 10+ miles less than we were doing in Oregon some days which is a huge difference. Once again, having pushed the limits makes anything less seem easier. Or "less crazy" at least, because it's still not easy.
Total trail mileage: 2186.7 miles / 3518.4 km