Stats
19.6 miles
2,129' elevation gain
8.0 hours hiking
2.45 hiking mph
Photos
Link to all photos from Day 8.
Journal Entry
italics = original journal text
regular = added during transcription
3rd bloody nose in 3 days. My nose had been dry since the first couple of days on trail. I ended up getting very brief nose bleeds in my left nostril each evening for 4 days.
Got a fairly late start this morning. Took my time packing up & getting ready inside my tent b/c the bugs were still bad outside.
Hiked out at 9:30. The day actually went by fairly quickly despite being a pretty bleak & boring landscape for the first 10 miles.
Once on the slopes of Thielsen, the views got better & the trail climbed back up above 7,000'. Got to the creek at about 5 and ate dinner. Saw Kibbles & Bits and Sprout at the creek (met both earlier today). The bugs were actually mellow there. This was an amazing setting. The combination of the scenery and cold creek water (first source for 26 miles) made for an idyllic moment. I wish I would've taken more pictures.
There was a water cache (strategically placed stashes of water, usually maintained by past hikers who know where water is needed most) @ mile 9 today (mile 18 of 26 dry) which was awesome. Got to chug some & even had some fruit loops.
About 1/2 mile before I got to the cache (before I knew it was there), I passed a woman hiking the opposite direction wearing only her hiking hiking underwear and sports bra, carrying only a full water bladder. This confused me, but made sense after I got to the cache.
Another dry stretch after the creek today. This only 16 miles. After that, water is plentiful until Shelter Cove.
I cannot wait to see Kylie (Sheriff too). It'll be nice having an extra day to make 3 full days with them. It's going to be hard to get back on trail.
My right heel started to get a little sensitive and rough. Once I was in my tent for the night, I inspected closer and noticed a small crease on the back edge of my insole. I simply cut out the small section with my Swiss knife.
Surprise water cache.
Such relief!
Up close views of Mt. Thielsen (9,184') from its west ridge.
Northwest ridge.
Looking up from the bottom of steep rockfall slopes.
Thielsen Creek, looking up towards the summit.
Gear modification.
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