Day 3: 8/8/20
Start time: 6:25 A.M.
Finish time: 7:00 P.M
Total time: 12 hours 35 minutes
Mile Marker: 70.7
Miles Hiked Today: 23.4
Today I had a stop at Red Meadows resort for lunch in my sights. I hiked most of the 12 miles there without stopping. I got a double cheeseburger with potato salad and a Dr. Pepper as soon as I got there. Had I known they meant a pound of potato salad, I would have gotten the regular cheeseburger instead of the double.
I ended up hanging out there for two hours while I waited for my body to finish turning my massive lunch from regret into fuel. At this point hiker hunger has not yet struck. I've actually been struggling to finish my food allotments. I ended up dropping all of my Gatorade bars in their secret because of COVID but not so secret hiker box.
While I was there I chatted with a hiker named Dave who I passed earlier on the trail and accidentally startled. He said it was unusual for him to get passed, so he thought I was a bear at first. I can see how that's the case as he is the only person I've seen with a smaller pack than mine.
Reds is the classic hiker "town suck". They had showers, laundry, food, and cabins. If I weren't committed to a schedule it's the exact type of place a pop in would turn into an overnight for me. Related note; what was I thinking with this schedule?
The hike in was ugly and hot but mostly downhill. The hike out was uglier, hotter, and all uphill. Doing so with a sack of potatoes in my stomach was even worse. However I felt more pity for the poor souls who had ordered large milkshakes and hadn't yet realized their strategic error.
The sun was absolutely brutal all day and a solid chunk of the trail had no tree cover. I'm hiking in a sun hoody with a hat and sunglasses, but I could still feel my face getting burned. My knees and oddly my calves were getting roasted too. Thankfully I have plenty of sunscreen, but boy was it miserable.