July 2

Distance today: 16.8 miles

Mile marker: 36.4

Today was a relatively easy day. We woke up after everyone else at our site and left camp right at 8am. At 10, we stopped for an early lunch. Jason stomached some potato mac surprise; not burnt, just not very good. Alex had mushroom garlic orzo, but spilled a little when relighting the stove. Our next stop was our cache at Hart’s Pass, so we gorged ourselves with anything we still had.

Faint clouds cooled the afternoon and made for a scenic hike out.

At Hart’s Pass, we were glad to see our food cache still there and untouched. We quickly sorted through and shoved everything into our bear cans. We peaked at the ledger, but there weren’t a lot of hikers who put their name after ours. But that’s not really our concern. If anything, fewer hikers means more trail to ourselves!

We pressed on, only another 5.8 miles to camp. It was a long, but very manageable climb. We were finally making headway south with new scenery.

Our friend from the UK was waiting at the campsite. Turns out this is his second time in the US, the first was to hike the Appalachian Trail a few years ago. Shortly after we reached camp, another hiker arrived who turned out to be another Georgia Tech alum. Small world!

Jason had tomato penne surprise for dinner and it was delightful! Alex had spaghetti which was equally delightful. The tomato-based foods are the favorite so far; they rehydrate well and get creamy when ready, not remaining watery.

Camp was by a very pretty spring where we filled up with water and got a quick rinse. But the water was very cold, melting from the snowpack just up the hill, so we could only tuck our feet in for a few seconds at a time.

Tomorrow should start off easy with a long descent, but the afternoon will be tough as we make up most of that elevation.