Day 107 (PNT 12)

Day 107 (PNT 12): 18 miles

I was ready to have a great day, until 30 seconds into my hitchhiking, a cop stopped and pulled over. She ran my ID and questioned me for 10 minutes without really seeming to care, comprehend, or listen to my responses. She then told me that I couldn’t hitchhike in Idaho and to start walking out of town. “Maybe somebody will stop and give you a ride.”

What I wanted to say was, “Lady, I’ve done this quite a bit over the last 2 years, people don’t give rides to strangers too often, and they really don’t if they aren’t asking for one. Also you’re asking me to walk 23 miles out of town on pavement without water access before hopping back on trail, and then when I get back to trail, there will not be water for 10 miles. I will get heat stroke before I get there.”

But instead I said, “okay thanks” and began my angry walk for the next 3 hours before a truck finally stopped and asked if I needed a ride. And he only stopped cause he thought I was on the PCT. The cops/sheriffs were also circling the block like every 10 minutes while I was walking to make sure I wasn’t hitching. It must’ve been quite the town scandal.

When I finally got back to trail, I timed it perfectly where I was starting the glorious 5,000 foot steep ass climb in the heat of the day. It was brutal. There was occasional shade but not much and no water the whole way up. I barely went 1 mph the whole way up and had to stop and take long breaks cause my clothes were soaked in sweat.

It was also super buggy the second half of the day which made sweating like crazy, being super hot, having to wear my headnet, and the never ending climb even better.

I was so tried at the end of the day that when I blew up my sleeping pad, my face stayed tingling for 10 minutes. Normally it lasts like 30 seconds and feels good, but this was something.

Song of the day: a certain popular song by NWA