July 24th - Belden to Mile 1312

Woke up to a delicious breakfast prepared by the Braatens - scrambled eggs, home fried potatoes, cantaloupe and toast with blackberry jam. Yum! After enjoying a leisurely breakfast, we finished packign up. Brenda drove us back to the trailhead. We didn't it the trail until 9:30am.

We gained 4800 feet of elevation in 20 miles - so it was a lot of up, up, up. Fortunately the grade was relatively gently so it didn't feel too hard. there was also a lot of water along the trail which helped us deal with the heat. I have found stopping and completely soaking my shirt in the creek water helps keep me cool - kind of like an on-trail air conditioning.

Tom and I often think about the things we look forward to returning to when we finish the PCT. Today, I was dreaming of good-smelling soap (the Bath & Body Works handsoap specifically) and scented candles. I am getting tired of smelling dirty all the time! I am also looking forward to wearing different clothes. I've been wearing the same pair of pants and shirt for the last 75 some odd days. It's getting old.

~Tori