PCT: Grider Creek Campground to Buckhorn Spring

Stats:  HARD

My legs are kaput!  Done.  Tapped out.   Hawkeye had a fantasy that we could hike a twenty miler to Paradise Lake, and he could have, but I could not.  Nope.   Not today.  Not even when he put my food bag in his pack. It may be only 4 pm, but I am finished.   

We are camped at an idyllic spot though, and we will finally get a sunset view too.  Deer graze in the meadow and follow us around waiting to eat the dirt where we pee. Per eaters,  sort of like zombies, but cuter.   Today was the day of deer.   They were everywhere and not at all afraid of us.  We had something they wanted, and they were determined to stalk us until they got it.  

We walked up Grider Creek on a trail that was high above the water, except when we crossed the four bridges that traverse it.  At the last bridge, I went for a swim while butterflies  fluttered all around.   It was like a butterfly exhibit.  There were orange ones, tiny blue ones and big black ones with a bright dot on their wings.  Here’s one of the orange ones on my pack.   The day was still going well at this point.  

Then we entered some seriously overgrown trail with many blowdowns.   MANY!  An Austrian couple, Anna and Lucas, just joined us at camp and she says she counted 142 blowdowns and that did not include the stepovers, just the climb overs.    One climb over was huge, up to my chest and no where to go around or climb under.  My legs were so weak, Hawkeye had to push my derrière to get me up and over.  Often, there was a steep fall waiting for you if you happened to misstep. We did not.   The path, at times was completely covered in brush that you kind of swam through.  I was NOT loving the hike, not today. It was not pretty either.  Just mostly burned forest and, and at this lower elevation, the flowers were done blooming. .    My knee is throbbing right now and I have a bum rash.  It was a hot and sweaty day.  

We did have lots of trailside chats: a couple of Texans, a man from the Netherlands, two Danes, Quizzard from Sacramento, a young German man named Sweetheart, a couple from South Africa and a few others.  Anything to stop hiking!  Anything!   Lol!  I won’t forget today.   

I’m too tired to take a proper sunset photo.  

Goodnight!