PCT Day 37 – Mount Williamson
13.0 miles, near 389.2
• My sleeping pad deflated overnight, which is very concerning. I’ve only used it for a week. It’s gonna be hard to find the leak without a bathtub or lake so I can dunk it and look for the air bubbles.
• We hiked a little before hitting some major snow. We followed the tracks in front of us, which mostly followed the trail and sometimes cut straight up.
• A hiker we camped with last night didn’t have micro spikes with her for this section, so she ended up turning back. I think she or anyone could have done it without, but it’s a tough decision, hard to know what it will be like the whole way. Just need to go slow and really make sure of your step.
• Realized after the fact, but we didn’t drop our packs before summiting. The Baden-Powell peak is only a couple hundred feet off trail, but I think most smart people drop the weight and summit for a picture before returning to the trail, but we were too excited to even think of that.
• It was really the best weather we could ask for on top, clear in all directions, maybe just a few small clouds. I noticed it get a lot cloudier as we descended the ridge.
• Our friend Claira packed out cheddar and sour cream chips, which she shared. I’m gonna get my own bag next town stop.
• We could see a glimpse of the Sierra range in the distance and windmills near tehachapi (a good few weeks of hiking away)
• The one perk of the trail crossing hwy 2 so many times is there’s usually a parking lot with trash cans, so we can dump our trash instead of continuing to carry it out. Gotta stay ultralight.
• Our last challenge of the day was hiking straight up and back down a section near Mt Williamson. There was a gorgeous overlook before we headed down. We prepared a “bibimbap” hiker meal, a spicy sesame Korean rice dish. It was so good, I need to try cooking it when we’re back home.
