Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
PCT 2002 - September 10th
Day 140: Tuesday 10th September Blowout Mountain – Dandy Creek
Again I left well before “Sumara” and team in the morning. At my first stop I was
overtaken by brothers, Peter and Asher, from Seattle, who were walking with Bennett. I
caught up with them again when we all stopped for an early lunch at Sheets Pass Creek.
Peter and 16 year-old Asher had started from Campo in June and were walking 30
miles/day. Peter was walking with one sandal (Bennett’s) due to a blister on one heel.
Bennett, from Florida, had started at Walker Pass with a friend and his daughter. The
friend had succumbed to altitude sickness in the High Sierras and his daughter had also
dropped out. After reaching Canada, he intended to go back and complete the PCT
walking south from Walker Pass to Campo. He was a lecturer in anti-terrorism for the
US military, so was fortunate to get time off work at present. We were joined by
“Satellite” who had just had two weeks off the trail with a leg injury. He was still
hobbling and seemed foolhardy in trying to return to 30-mile days. He had been born in
Holland, spent much of his childhood at Reigate in England, but was now working in
Berkley, California.
Today was the first hot day for some time and about 50ºF higher than a couple of
days ago and I got hot and sweaty walking as the trail went through a lot of felled areas.
I stripped off to dry when I stopped for my second lunch. I was passed by “Scooter” and
“Cosue”, but caught up with them in the early evening at the Weather Station. Jacqui,
who ran the weather station provided thru-hikers with water from her 600ft well and
claimed it was the best on the PCT. She didn’t have much to do looking after the weather
station as it was now largely automated so she liked to chat to the hikers. She had lived
in Spain, Greece and Russia and did freelance work as a Russian translator as well as
doing some writing. “Slim Tim” who I hadn’t seen for a long time turned up as I was
leaving.
I carried on for another 75 minutes and ended up camping on a rather stony patch of
ground beside Dandy Creek.
It had been a hilly day, through heavily logged and managed terrain, giving plenty of
views and the semi-open regenerating forest provided plenty of huckleberries, wild
strawberries and salmonberries to supplement the diet and slow me down.
Day 140: 19.1 miles 8.29 hours Camp: Dandy Creek
Again I left well before “Sumara” and team in the morning. At my first stop I was
overtaken by brothers, Peter and Asher, from Seattle, who were walking with Bennett. I
caught up with them again when we all stopped for an early lunch at Sheets Pass Creek.
Peter and 16 year-old Asher had started from Campo in June and were walking 30
miles/day. Peter was walking with one sandal (Bennett’s) due to a blister on one heel.
Bennett, from Florida, had started at Walker Pass with a friend and his daughter. The
friend had succumbed to altitude sickness in the High Sierras and his daughter had also
dropped out. After reaching Canada, he intended to go back and complete the PCT
walking south from Walker Pass to Campo. He was a lecturer in anti-terrorism for the
US military, so was fortunate to get time off work at present. We were joined by
“Satellite” who had just had two weeks off the trail with a leg injury. He was still
hobbling and seemed foolhardy in trying to return to 30-mile days. He had been born in
Holland, spent much of his childhood at Reigate in England, but was now working in
Berkley, California.
Today was the first hot day for some time and about 50ºF higher than a couple of
days ago and I got hot and sweaty walking as the trail went through a lot of felled areas.
I stripped off to dry when I stopped for my second lunch. I was passed by “Scooter” and
“Cosue”, but caught up with them in the early evening at the Weather Station. Jacqui,
who ran the weather station provided thru-hikers with water from her 600ft well and
claimed it was the best on the PCT. She didn’t have much to do looking after the weather
station as it was now largely automated so she liked to chat to the hikers. She had lived
in Spain, Greece and Russia and did freelance work as a Russian translator as well as
doing some writing. “Slim Tim” who I hadn’t seen for a long time turned up as I was
leaving.
I carried on for another 75 minutes and ended up camping on a rather stony patch of
ground beside Dandy Creek.
It had been a hilly day, through heavily logged and managed terrain, giving plenty of
views and the semi-open regenerating forest provided plenty of huckleberries, wild
strawberries and salmonberries to supplement the diet and slow me down.
Day 140: 19.1 miles 8.29 hours Camp: Dandy Creek
Peter, Asher and Bennett
Satellite
Trail round
Snowshoe Butte
Snowshoe Butte
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