I got a late start this morning, and took lots of breaks, so I hadn’t made it very far by lunchtime. The Oregon Skyline Trail actually runs on trails of other names, but it’s generally flat and sandy. I think the easier I know a day is going to be, the more I mess around.
I found a radio sitting in the middle of the trail so when I came to a horse camp a few miles later, I stopped to see if anyone there had lost it. They hadn’t but I left it with them since I’d just be getting farther away and they’d be there for another week if anyone came looking for it. They were hunters and I stood there for a while having a very interesting conversation about wildlife, the ethics of reintroducing predators to areas where they’d become extinct, and the effect that diminishing habitat has on their behaviors.
Because I wasted so much time, I had to finish hiking in the dark. I had four miles of night hiking in my 21.2 mile day. I made it back to the PCT to camp at a junction to Six Horse Springs, but I didn’t feel like taking the .4 mile steep downhill trail to get water at that point so I skipped cooking in favor of snacks and just drank the half liter of water I had left. I will definitely regret not getting water tonight when I have to do it in the cold tomorrow morning, but I’m tired.
I’m going to miss all these pretty photos but can’t wait to see you. 🙂