More Lakes and a Real Sandwich!

Starting Trail Mile 1103.4, hiking south.  Elevation 8336 ft.

I'm realizing that I have a major discrepancy regarding the miles I hike each day.  I use two devices: One is an app on my phone called Guthooks.  It has each section of the PCT and shows the places I may find water, camp sites, and other hiker-related information.  It uses the GPS on my phone and also has an elevation view, which helps me plan my days based on the amount of climbing I have ahead of me.  It indicates what trail mile I am at.  I also have a Garmin inReach GPS tracking device.  It updates every 10 minutes and Marv can follow from his phone or computer to see where I am on the trail.  It has an SOS feature which calls search and rescue immediately were I to have a problem.  It also tracks each step I take and gives trip info as I go.  At the end of each day, I write my miles in my journal.  My inReach always tells me I've traveled 2-3 more miles a day than the Guthooks app does (according to trail miles traveled).  Very curious.  I'm not sure which to rely on.
I've quit setting my alarm because I seem to always wake between 4:30 and 5:00 am.  This morning my eyes don't pop open until 6:00, however.  But I feel like I got a good sleep.  As I begin hiking again, I pass even more alpine lakes; Suzie Lake, Heather Lake, Lake Aloha.  Between lakes, I cross flats and sloping meadows crammed with wildflowers up to my waist and even shoulders at times.  The fragrance is almost overwhelming!

Suzie Lake

 

So nice to have stepping stones over a creek.  Heather Lake outlet.

I pass Mike (the guy I hiked Dick's Pass with).  He waves as I go by.  Later, just as I'm finishing my breakfast break, Mike catches up with me and we hike together for the rest of the morning.  He was planning on going to Echo Lake and then turning back to retrace his steps to where his wife will pick him up.  However, he too, has discovered he is not as fast as he thought he'd be.  Therefore, he will leave me at Tamarack Lake, stay the night and turn back.  I hike on, to Echo Lake.  As I circle the lake, I pass many cabins.  There are both summer and winter sports here.  The lake and the area in general are beautiful.  I'm hiking well, even though it is a day of those ankle twisting rock trails.

Trail follows Heather Lake shoreline.

Heather Lake

Begging Marmot, not a bit afraid of me.

Granite rising up in all directions.

Lake Aloha is huge and goes on and on!

More Lake Aloha.

Me by Lake Aloha.

I arrive at Echo Lake Chalet to find a small store of hiker food and snacks as well as a most excellent deli.  I order a turkey sandwich loaded with lettuce, tomato, sprouts, avocado etc.  It is about 4 inches high and delicious!  Even with hiker-hunger, I can't eat the whole thing.  I save half for my dinner later on the trail.  As I stuff myself, I visit with other hikers, most of them still traveling north.  They are from all over the U.S. as well as at least a dozen hikers from other countries.  I resupply with water and snacks to get me to my next zero.  I still have plenty of meals in my pack.  I stupidly forget coffee, sugar and dry milk, which I've desperately been missing the last few days.

Upper and Lower Echo Lake

Best turkey sandwich (on fresh sour dough bread) ever!

Granite stairway to heaven.

I leave Echo Lake and immediately start climbing.  There is no camping allowed for at least the next 5 miles, so I need to get a move on to make camp before dark.  A mile or so from my destination, I'm overtaken by a young college guy named "Fancy Feast". (He got his name from being a wilderness chef for a wilderness adventure company)  We start talking and find we are both heading for the same camp site.  I do my best to stay up with him during a very steep climb to that destination.  When we arrive, we meet "Chunk," a very skinny Mexican kid setting up his tent.  He greets us with a big smile and tells us that he'll start a fire while we get set up.  Chunk is a thru hiker, who is struggling with severe weight loss from hiking.  He starts a fire, heats a flat rock and starts making quesadillas.  What a genius idea!  We sit around the fire exchanging trail stories, trail and equipment information, as well as personal sharing.  Both boys are super nice and interesting.  We snack and enjoy the fire.  I end up staying up much later than I usually do, but very much enjoy the evening.
I finally tear myself away from  the fire before it is completely dark, so that I can at least get a sponge bath in the creek below our camp.  This is another treat for my sweaty, stinky body.  I also notice I have good cell service for the first time in a couple of days, so I crawl in my tent and give Marv a call before settling in for the night.  According to my GPS, I've hiked a little over 18 miles today.  Considering there was a lot of rocky trail with steep climbing and descending, I feel pretty good about the day.

Our camp as the morning sun finds us.  Red arrow points to Chunk's tent.  Blue arrow points to Fancy Feast, who "cowboy camps" in the open without a tent. They are both still sleeping when I hit the trail.