Day 178

Day 178 (pct 68): 27 miles + 2 bonus miles

Started off the morning with a breakfast burrito and a quick resupply. We then hung out by the lake with some other hikers. I forgot how calming it is to just sit by a lake and listen to the water and watch the boats go by. With that, it was tough to find motivation to go back hiking in mosquito hell. I downed a couple pints of ice cream and left there around 10:30.

The first 8 or so miles after the resort were really nice. It was shaded. There was a breeze. And there were no mosquitoes! That didn’t last. They got bad again and hammer and I took a lunch break in a ski shelter to get some reprieve. Thankfully I bought some deet today and loaded up on that before heading back out. It actually worked for a while. They were still around but not landing on me or biting my arms and legs. That, combined with my headnet made me feel invincible. Oh how I would be reminded of my mortality

About 7 miles before camp was a burn area with a good breeze and no mosquitoes so I took off my headnet. We went a few more miles and they came back so I put my headnet back on, but it wasn’t enough. They were savages again. The deet must’ve worn off and I didn’t want to reapply that close before bed so we spent the last few miles yelling, swatting, and intermittently running to try to deal with them. I caught a root and took a nice tumble while running. Thankfully I fell in slow motion and turned to my side so it wasn’t bad.

We ended up camping a few miles early cause they were so bad and we were just over it. Logically, they’ll be just as bad or maybe even worse in the morning so it wasn’t really beneficial but it sure does feel good now.

Quote of the day: After we got in our tents and were sheltered from the mosquitoes, hammer said “I feel so calm and peaceful now. It’s like Kendall Jenner just handed me a Pepsi”

Song of the day: sing about me I’m dying-Kendrick Lamar