Section Hike on the Pacific Crest Trail – Day 2

August 2, 2021 – Day 2 began at a stealth campsite just short of Lake Valhalla. I hiked to another, not quite too stealthy, campsite just shy of Lake Janus.

It was a beautiful day of hiking. Although the air was smoky from distant forest fires, it gave the trail a luminescent glow. The haze also kept the temperature down and made it more pleasant. I do wish the air had been clear though. It is easier on the lungs and the photos on a crystal clear day, are stunning. 

I learned two very important lessons in the middle of the night. For the past two nights, I was putting my tent up without the rain fly on it. It has been very hot and this allows the airflow to cool me while sleeping. I got away with it the first night. Not so, on night number two! 

Around 2am, I felt plop, plop, plop…big raindrops on my face. It is surprising how fast you can wake up when you need to. My rain fly was easily accessible in a tent pocket above my head. I knew my headlamp was in the top pocket (brain) of my backpack. I fumbled in the dark, unzipping the pocket, and couldn’t find the headlamp among the many objects in the brain. After what seemed many minutes, I gave up, and tossed my rain fly on the outside of the tent. I somehow secured it correctly, in the dark, but not before part of my sleeping bag got wet. Lucky for me, my sleeping bag dried the next morning without any trouble.

Lesson learned! No more playing rain fly roulette! By the way, the headlamp was in the brain, where I thought it was. The headlamp now has a place of honor in the evening. It resides in a pocket opposite my glasses, when I get ready for bed.