Friday, September 24, 2021

PCT Day 6: White Fish Horse Camp

 Day 6: 26 miles

    Last night we went to sleep without being able to see the view from our tentsite but this morning the clouds had parted and we could see all the beautiful surrounding mountain peaks! What a way to wake up :) I wish I took a picture...

    We had 10 miles to walk to get to the next water source. Luckily, the early morning miles were  in cool temps and I didn't need to drink much water. When we reached the side trail down to the spring I realized we were in for a bit of a detour and sadly it was all downhill. Because we usually have so many miles to complete on any given day, detouring off trail for water isn't my favourite. The trail down to the spring went on and on and I had a bit of a tantrum realizing I had to hike all the way back up. I probably just needed a snack. When we got back up to our packs there were a couple of other hikers there that we had never met before. Turns out The Boston Mule and Rotisserie were also LASH's (long ass section hikers) and had hiked long sections of the trail in years past just like us. We also saw Happy and Lucky (who had travelled all the way from the Czech Republic to do the PCT). We had been leap frogging with them for a couple days now. 

    The day was really heating up and we were pretty excited to see a full water cache 6 miles later. All of our new trail friends were stopping for lunch here too. As Peter and I packed up to leave, Happy and Lucky asked us if we were going to the White Fish horse camp. We said we had never heard of it and then they told us there was trail magic there. The words "trail magic" really piqued our interest and we quickly got the beta on this camp. Turns out the camp hosts Jim and Gerri are amazing and offer PCT hikers soda, sometimes food, a charging station, and a free place to camp. I think it also cut off 2 miles of trail which would get us into Shelter Cove a bit earlier the next day! Needless to say, we were sold! 



Happy, Lucky, Rotisserie, & The Boston Mule

    The 11 mile hike to camp was pretty hot and exposed and the trail was very sandy. We had to stop every hour to dump the sand out of our shoes. But, let me tell you, every sandy step was worth this detour! As we walked into the camp Jim and Gerri greeted us from their golf cart. They asked if we were PCT hikers and got us settled at the picnic table by their RV. They offered us a soda and an apple and gave us the run down on the camp ground. They also informed us of a lake that was a short 7 minute walk from camp. They said they were making burgers for dinner and asked if we wanted to join. We of course didn't hesitate and said YES!! It was so nice to sit down and get to know everyone a little bit better. Jim and Gerri have been the hosts at this camp for many years now and had so many PCT hiker stories. This truly was a magical day and one of the most memorable of the trip. After dinner, Peter and I went down to the lake for a swim. Can't think of a better way to cap off an amazing day. 






Marathon and Pole Vault

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