PCT 2015 Day 133: Trail Magic

• Start: 2,349.7
• End: 2,377.6
• Miles: 27.9
• Camp: Stampede Pass

The inhabitants of Camp Urich awoke this morning to misty meadows. We, and Stargazer, were the only ones with dryish tents having pitched in the woods, whilst those close to the meadow or in clearings were covered in dew. The hike up the hillside was chilly and damp, and we moved in and out of the cloud for over an hour. We stopped by a small spring as the sunshine was just appearing through breaks in the cloud and I knew the weather would improve during the rest of the day.

The descent through the forest to the next spring was uneventful, and we collected water hoping to get to the road and sunshine before sitting to filter. Just as we approached the road we saw a simple wooden sign: “Magic”. Not Phil’s Dad had brought a trailer and had set up gazebos with tea and hot dogs and fruit. We met Legolas, who is southbounding this section, and Peter Pan and Bigfoot heading north.

It was hard to leave Not Phil’s Dad’s oasis, but we had ten miles to hike over the hill to Stampede Pass where the maps showed space for tents. When we got there there was a fairly large road and a sloping ditch on one side of it. We hiked up a nearby dirt road which looked never-used and camped in the middle of it, tucked away from the primary road. We took water from Lizard Lake which felt warm compared to my freezing hands. I was glad to get into my sleeping bag tonight.