Day 29 : Walupt Lake Junction

Start – Walupt Lake Junction (1515 m)
Finish – High Camp Trail Junction (1850 m)
Daily Distance – 34 km
Ascent – 980 m
Descent – 640 m

The view from my tent this evening is on the spectacular Mount Adams glacier. So it is perhaps a surprising sentiment, but I have nothing much to say about today.

I pitched camp at 16:30, still a 10-hour walking day, because mountain view camping spots aren’t to be passed up. Towering some 500 metres above my perch, the glacier dominates the skyline and appears almost golden in the evening light.

Despite being located only 4 miles from a trailhead, this camping spot appears unpopular, even with it being a weekend, so I am once again alone this evening. Alone, but not lonely, though. Serious PCT hikers have strode purposefully by every hour or so, with many only stopping at 19:30 or so. Just enough time to make camp and eat before hikers midnight (21:00).

Tomorrow will be a shorter day. I have only 23km and under 300m ascent to the road junction for Trout Lake and the next town stop. With buses departing for town at 08:30, 12:30 and 16:30, I need to decide which to aim for. 08:30 is impossible, but with an early enough start, the midday bus could be feasible. That would enable another 4 hours of feeding. I am tempted. My food supplies are all but depleted, and my hiker hunger has kicked in, so I am obsessing about pizza, burgers, fresh vegetables, and also milk for some reason. Anything with calories and if at all possible, a vitamin or two.

It will necessitate leaving camp in the dawn twilight of 06:00. Although it may just be worth the attempt.