PCT day 6 - mile 91 to mile 112
"I tried to hike PCT in 2016 and I don't think I've enjoyed ten minutes of it" Salty.
Compared to the last few days, today seemed quite uneventful, but on the other hand I wish the majority of the hike will look like this. We started at 7am, initial plan was to hike 18 miles to Warner Springs and call it a day, but as we hiked several people told us that there is no point going there as the facilities were quite poor and the better option would be to do 10 miles and get a hitch to a town called Ranchita few miles of the trail, we also passed through the first hundred miles marker along the way! When we arrived at the crossing Mike the store owner at Ranchita was just dropping someone back to the trail, so we got hitch back with him.
We spend an hour chilling at his store, getting beer and sandwiches, I also kicked Tom's ass at a game of throwing huge washers into a hole (no idea what the games name was). Then Mike drove us back to trail and we hiked a beautiful 10 miles through some meadows, streams and oak trees - the landscape reminded me of the kind of we got in Europe and it was a pleasant change of scenery. There was also a place called Eagle Rock which has been described as 'the most accurately named rock' by someone who bothered to review it (and it actually is!).
We went through Warner Springs as there was nothing of interest there for us, and hiked another three miles into the camp placed next to a peaceful stream an under oak trees. We dipped our feet into the stream and had a chat with Salty, who picked the same spot to spend the night, he talked about his ultra running career and how he spend four years of his life in a military. Later on Juice Box and his girlfriend joined us for dinner, I had instant mashed potatoes with bacon tuna, Tom green curry he has been carrying for five days, Juice Box dry ramen and his girlfriend peanut butter on its own as the mice broke into their tent the other night and ate the bread. They been telling us and showing pictures of various creatures they met along they way while they been night hiking on PCT, including: toads, frogs, gophers, scorpions, ground squirrels (they build burrows under the ground), and of course mice.
It's 8pm, it's dark, crickets are chirping, I can hear the stream flowing nearby, Salty is video calling his 'gal', Juice Box and his girlfriend are whispering in their tent, and unidentified creature is making scratching noises somewhere in the trees. All is well in the world of hiking.
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