In the previous days I had a small, very small storm and then several days of heat with little water. Now, on the 36th day of my journey I walked about 30 km with only 2 liters of water among burnt and open forests, the sun sometimes came out and shone, but fortunately it spent a lot of time hiding behind the clouds so the lack of water didn’t hurt too much. When I finally reached a water source, I filtered 2 litres of it, then put my mattress under a tree and boom!! Bombs starting to explode in the sky, flashes from all sides and only a little rain. I could eat without getting wet but in the meantime hail started to fall and the cold came. I decided to walk, and 2 or 3 km later I stop under a tree where there was a boy going north. “I don’t know if I should camp here or if I should keep walking, is that way too exposed?”, he asked. “Ah, you have a few kilometers of good forest and then 30 km where much of it is burnt forest but without much altitude. I’ll walk more, I’m getting cold”, I said. “Look, you’re going to climb up and be exposed for a long time, watch out!”, he said. We bade each other farewell with clenched fists (as we all do on the trail), wished each other good luck, and then we walked in opposite directions. I started to climb and really spent a lot of time exposed on the top of the mountain. When I reached the top I thought I would be going back down, but no, though luckily soon after the thunderstorm stopped, and the rain went with it, and at the same time, what beautiful light illuminated the landscape! On one side blue sky, on the other side a cloud so dark that it looked like it was going to burst the sky.
And it did burst, at 3 am, and there I was camped alone under a small tree, with flashes of lightning and rain that had returned with a vengeance. It was like that until 5, and for the first time I thought: I’m here alone at night, if a fire starts where will I run?! I was not afraid, but I was near to being, I put some good music in my ears and a bit more rest to get through it.
In the morning the sun shone, so I put on my wet shoes and socks and started walking. At lunch I put the tent out to dry, I sat on my mattress and… guess what? The thunderstorm party began again! Three or four hours of this, and the worst thing was the cold. I like lightning, (as long as it doesn’t start a fire), the power of nature is brutal, but the cold was too much, and once again I stopped feeling my hands and feet. Fortunately, at 4 In the afternoon, I came to a mountain hut that serves as a shelter for skiers. There were already 4 people there and a fire was already burning in the hearth, so warm, so good, that 15 minutes later I could feel my hands again, though it took another 10 or 15 minutes for me to be able to take off my shoes & socks, as I was without strength. By 5 o’clock there were already just over 20 of us, including a family of 10. The sun came up, 2 girls headed north, 2 guys (1 of who wants to do the PCT in 60 days) headed south, and I came out and thought “I’m going to walk another 10 or 15 km”. But the little toe on my left foot said that if I go on he would fall off. It was purple, and it still hurts today (I’m on the 49 th day). I slept inside the cabin on the floor. I started walking at 5.30 am in the rain, but a few hours later the sun came out and stayed until sunset, and the next day I arrived in Ashland and stayed in a hostel for 2 nights. I was afraid there would be lots of confusion but this hostel seemed like a house, it was so quiet that I started to feel alive again. I made a mushroom, pineapple and banana pizza, and it was divine!
Day 36 (50,4 km) – Storm; Day 37 (43,6 km) – More storm and cold; Day 38 (59,4 km) – Rainy and sunny; Day 39 (12,4 km) – Village time, resting & eating; Day 40 (0 km) – Alive again.
– I am travelling with Iati Seguros, if you buy any of its insurance through any link on my blog you get 5% discount.
– All the pictures with Samsung Galaxy S10.
This as all the other articles on this site are translated by my good friend Devo Forbes!!
