Day 30 – 9/23/19

25.4 miles / 640 total

I don’t know what it is about town lately, but I just can’t fall asleep. I have no problem on trail, and never a problem at home. My theory is all the junk food I’m stuffing in my face in town is spiking my blood sugar and keeping me up.

Anyway, I’m sadly still not very well rested. I got breakfast at the cafe in town, but didn’t really have the appetite for it. I only ate half. Bad hiker.

I was waiting at the post office when it opened at 9:30 and picked up my box. I wished I’d asked the hotel to send my box there, or just bought in town so I wouldn’t have had to wait. By the time I finished sorting my food and repacking, I didn’t get walking until 10:15, meaning I missed out on 4 hours of precious daylight. Damn this tight schedule I’m on! I can even enjoy a leisurely morning in town without worrying about what it’s doing to my daily mileage.

Water is scare from here to the end of the ODT. I took 5 liters with me from town, which feels heavy again along with my replenished food.

Shortly out of town I diverted off the road to get to Crack in the Ground, which is exactly what it sounds like, and followed it for a mile or so. Dan and I visited this fun little geologic spot a couple of years ago, so I knew what to expect and didn’t linger too long, but it’s neat to see. There were even a handful of day hikers near the parking lot.

Next up was Green Mountain Lookout, which was very confusing to me when I first saw it. It looks nothing like any other fire lookout I’ve seen, very modern and new looking.

The lookout of duty came out to the deck and shouted down to ask if I was a PCT hiker. I am not making this up.

He offered to let me come up into the lookout, so of course I did! He said the lookout was built by the BLM in 2010, and he believes it’s the only one like it. When I asked about the absence of a bed, he pointed to the building down on the ground: a 2 bedroom apartment! What a cushy lookout position!

I was tired today and the afternoon felt long as I skirted lava flows on primitive road. I would’ve very much liked to stop earlier, but…schedule. So I trudged on until 7:00, ending with a couple miles of cross country. Only 60 miles left.