19 April 2021
Caribou Creek to Deep Creek Bridge
PCT Mile 275.0 to 298.5

Our water bottles froze again last night….

But I was warm and slept great! ‘Cause pants!

Nonetheless, it was not a temperature in which to linger once out of my sleeping bag, so I packed up quickly and hit the trail, agreeing to meet Goose in about 3.5 miles at a road crossing.

I started hiking in all my clothes but gradually I shed layers.

At the turnoff for the Cougar Crest Trail, I had breakfast.

Goose caught up with me just moments after I sat down at our meeting spot, and we chilled for a bit before heading out.

We chatted with another hiker, Bounce, who has been hiking for 3 weeks, and he said he wanted to hit 300 miles today. Go Bounce!

The day was already getting warm as the sun climbed and we descended.

The trail was a bit of a tease today. It got sooo hot while we followed Holcomb Creek for miles without descending to it. We dreamed of a dip in it.

And then finally we crossed it and had our chance.

Refreshed, we returned to a trail that now crossed Holcomb Creek several times.

We were both pretty tired the last few miles as we climbed from Holcomb Creek over to Deep Creek.

When we finally got to the bridge, we descended below it to get water and there were great places to camp so we decided not to head over to Splinter’s Cabin nearby. There are 5 other hikers here, including Bounce!

Bounce is heading on this evening — just 1.5 miles until he gets his 300!

Today’s Hike-U:

Desire
Nothing creates want
Of a clear, cold, swimming hole,
Like hot desert sun