PCT 15 – Guffy Campground

Daily Miles: 21
Total Miles: 364

Despite hammocking right next to the train tracks, we actually slept really good. The night was fairly warm, but when we woke up, our sleeping quilts and hammocks were pretty damp from condensation. We packed up anyways and were on the trail by 6:15.

Probably 90% of the walk today was uphill as we climbed about 5,200 feet over the course of 21 miles. As soon as the sun came out, it got pretty warm and the first half of the day was spent walking in an exposed area. Whenever we found a bit of shade we would stop for a quick break.

There was more poison oak along the trail and even some poodle dog bush. We took a recommended alternate for about four miles to avoid an area that was said to have a lot of the poodle dog bush.

We stopped for lunch on the side of a jeep road where we had a bit of shade. We set out our sleeping quilts, under quilts and hammocks to dry while we ate. Thanks to the intense sun, our stuff was toasty dry very quickly.

After lunch we finally started to enter treed area again. We came across a rattle snake who was below the trail. He decided to slither across the trail and up the hill. We did all this very slowly while we waited in the sun for him to get out of the way. We were willing him to hurry up because it was hot in the sun.

As we got higher in the pine forest, the temperatures cooled and a cold wind started up. For our final hour of walking, we were wearing our windshirts because we were getting cold.

We got to camp around 6:00 where it was super windy. We managed to find a spot down the slope from the camping area, slightly protected from the wind. It is definitely going to be a cold night!

It was definitely a long and hard day of hiking. SweetPea really struggled today with the heat, the climb and the extra water to carry. The miles came pretty slow. In the after we both put on our headphones and listened to some music to help distract us from the climbing. This certainly made the time go faster.

We are now tucked into our hammocks and ready to sleep. We are looking forward to having just a 5 mile day tomorrow into Wrightwood. We are hoping to be able to get a shower and do some laundry. We are definitely feeling pretty dirty and dusty.