Day 5 (20 miles)

there are days that define a trip. this was one of those days. the day began with a climb up to and across devils peak. there was snow and in places it was in steep exposed sections. i was happy to have my ice axe with me for a possible self arrest if necessary. this axe has saved my butt once before at muir pass in the sierras.

i did make it across okay but the energy used to stay calm and focused was not trivial. when you are traveling by yourself you need to keep you eyes and ears open for everything all the time. the descent down from the peak was also snowy and tiring, but i eventually made it to the next water source. water will be at a premium today given the desert climate that i am entering.

as i entered the south crater lake area i began to notice more and more trees that looked like they might have been hit by lightning. minutes later the entire forest was found to be scorched. from the look of the carbon on the trees it appeared to have just happened, maybe weeks ago. a burned forest is at once haunting and invigorating. amidst the blackened gnarled hemlocks there were already new signs of life sprouting up. it is at these times you realize that natural fire is a good thing, although we rarely see it portrayed as such by the media.

the deeper i got into the burn area the more i became worried that the next water source at jack spring, might have been destroyed or made impossible to find.

luckily the fires progress ended a few hundred feet from the spur trail leading to the spring. very lucky for me as it would be 15 miles to the next water, and i was dry.

finding the spring was not easy. the spur trail was very tough to find in places due to the fact that the terrain allowed for many false trails to appear. the spring was a very welcome find. the coldest cleanest water ever

i filled up my resevoirs and headed back to the pct. or so i thought. soon i realized that i was lost, the spur trail nowhere to be found. thinking i could figure it out i pushed forward to what i thought was a familiar land mark. no luck so i pushed forward again. still no luck and even more lost. the sun is getting ready to set and nerves are starting to fray.

thanks to the person that invented the map and compass. with some climbing i was able to get a little perspective in the failing light and was able to get back to the trail by nightfall.

i pitched my tent and fell into a deep sleep, having been exhausted by the days events.