9/5/17 – Hidden Views
Day 134
Miles: 2,511.96 to 2,532.77
Total miles hiked: 1,891.73
I woke up several times during the night and every time the strong scent of smoke hit me. When I looked outside, I could see the haze raising from the valley and when we the daylight broke I immediately knew views were doomed for the day. The smoke was everywhere, concealing everything except the most nearby things.
It was hard to breathe in the morning. The air quality improved in the afternoon but from the views we still saw very little. I was bummed about it, especially in the late afternoon when after climbing a steep 3,000 hill, we entered open alpine basin and all were outlines of the rugged mountains that guard it.
It was still pretty there and I wish we could camp by one of the streams. But miles are everything on a thru-hike and we said bye to the peaceful alpine world and rushed the last 5 miles to camp. Still we didn’t beat the crowds. The official sites by Vista Creek were packed. And so we ended up on this overflow spot nearby which was on a slope and it took all my extra layers to even my pad so I don’t roll off it. I was glad the night was warm and I didn’t need them tonight.
Another day, another race tomorrow. I think we are climbing over 5,000 feet again. My legs hate me right now. 🙂