PCT 36 – Cottonwood Pass

Daily Miles: 19
Total Miles: 750

It was pretty chilly last night, but we all slept good. We got started on the trail wearing an extra layer since it was cold. We had a bit of a climb right away which helped to warm us up.

We passed by a spot with a view where a lot of hikers seemed to be hanging out. We realized they were all there because there was cell service available, so we joined them and took a break to check out emails and to make a few phone calls. We tried to make a reservation for a motel in the next trail town, but no one picked up the phone, so we just left a message.

The weather today was a mix of sun, clouds, warm and cold. We took off and put back on our wind shirts multiple times during the day. It seemed like as soon as we got too hot and took the layer off, a cold wind would come up and make us want to put our wind shirt right back on.

We had another nice day hanging out with MountainMan. Proton left on his own this morning to get in more miles because he wants to hike up Mount Whitney, so it was just the three of us. It seems like the day goes by really fast when we fill the time with random chatter. Sometimes we end up on such unlikely topics that it makes us laugh.

We ended a bit shy of our original goal for the day, because we wanted to make sure we had trees to hang in. Our spot next to a meadow was really windy when we arrived, but luckily it has died down. We are the only ones camped here, which is nice because the campsites have been really full lately. It is nice to be away from the crowds for the evening.

As we were finishing up dinner, we started to hear thunder in the distance, so we got our tarps up and secured the tie-outs with rocks to make sure they couldn’t be blown out in a storm. Then we quickly washed up while watching the sky darken and the lightening flash through the sky. Luckily we were done with chores as the rain started. In fact, it hailed for a bit, then became a mix of rain and sleet. The wind was really fierce and blew our tarps pretty good. Luckily the storm didn’t last long and it is now quiet again.

We are hopeful that the rain is done completely and that we will wake up to blue skies again tomorrow. We’ve walked in rain only once so far this trail, and we aren’t too keen to increase that number.