Big Lake Youth Camp, July 31

Big Lake Youth Camp is where my 150 miles long tortures finally came to an end. One of our resupply packages got rejected at Ollalie Lake Resort and sent back home. They were no longer receiving packages which we didn't know. Ironically, it happened to be the package with my shoes in it. Because of that I had to hike 150 miles in flip-flops.








I tried to walk barefoot, but that didn't work either


I look pissed






Big Lake Youth Camp is a 7th Day Adventists summer camp - like summer camps we used to have in Soviet Union. Same idea. Not all the kids there were religious, but a lot of them were. They treated us like rock stars. It was an incredible treat after 150 miles of torture. I can't explain how great it felt to be there - good food, shower, clean laundry, a good night sleep, and good people.


Greg and Sandi with their adorable little girls


I took an hour long shower and used a bottle of shampoo, and my feet still looked awfully dirty.



This is what might happen if you walk in flip-flops for too long.

showing off my new shoes

------------------------------------------









MEETING THE FIRST NOBO

I thought I was doing something really hard here until I met our first nobo Scott Williamson on July 27th. He is well known among the hiking society for being the first person in history to ever yo-yo the PCT. Yo-yo hiker is someone who hikes from Mexico to Canada and back down to Mexico in one season. Scott started on May 22 and expects to be done by Nov. 5th. That makes 5,5 months. CRAZY!!! He is hiking the PCT 9th time. And get this, he is planning on hiking it again next year. Great guy.






NUMBERS

For those of you who are interested in numbers, I have good news. We only have 2000 more miles to go!!! :D So looking forward to it. Wooohooo!!!! Francis doesn't look too happy :)




That's crazy. That means we have 3 more months to go. We expect to be done by October 31.


Average mileage - our average mileage is 25, which means we have to hike at least 30 miles a day.

Hiking time - we hike from sun rise to sun set - that makes about 13 hours of hiking a day. Francis always wakes up before me, around 4:30-5 a.m., to make breakfast.

Base weight - I have had a very light pack so far, especially while I was walking in flip-flops. My pack is never more than 5 kg, mostly 2-3 kg. I must have the lightest pack on the trail. :)

Shoes - This is my second pair of shoes and size 39 already. My regular shoe size is 37. What many people don't know or expect, is that when you walk long distances, your feet will swell and get bigger. By the time I got out of Washington state, I already had hobbit feet. My hiking boots were no longer fitting me and I had to send them home.

Shower - so far, we have been able to take a shower in every 2-4 days.

Calories - I probably eat around 4000 calories a day. The nice thing about thru-hiking is that you can eat as much as you want without feeling guilty. So, for those of you who like to eat, PCT is the thing to do.