Wednesday, August 7, 2019
The rain let up before I awoke so I was able to break down camp without getting soaked.
I planned on only doing 6.1 miles to the Tillotson Camp but I got there before noon! I was hiking strong but the next shelter was 8.4 miles away. Quite the dilemma. If I stayed at Tillotson, I’d be one day behind schedule (which was fine if I needed the rest) but if I continued on, I’d be set up to get to town as planned. I felt strong so I went for it. I’m glad I did.
The terrain got a little easier after the morning so I could make up time when it was relatively flat. Then came the rain. It didn’t slow me down too much until the end. I was already a sweaty mess so I never even put on my rain jacket. I listened to music for the first time and it helped keep me moving.
The rain let up for a while near the late afternoon but then came down pretty good when I got to Devil’s Gulch. It’s one of the more famous parts of the trail, a deep, narrow gorge filled with huge boulders that you had to climb. There was no easy way through it and, with the rain, very treacherous. It was the only time I felt in danger up to that point. Big, slippery boulders with 6 to 8-foot drops between them. If you slipped, you were going to get hurt.
I had gone 14 miles and had a half-mile to go. I had no choice but to try. I made it but it was sketchy and not much fun. I was genuinely nervous. If it was dry, it would've been fun. But it wasn't.
I was able to get a few photos of this iconic section but my hands were too pruned from sweat and rain and my phone’s screen was constantly damp but that's it.
I finally got to Spruce Legend Camp around 6:00 p.m., about two hours sooner than I expected. The rain stopped again when I arrived so I had a chance to set up my tent, cook dinner, and attend to the usual camp chores. The camp had a covered picnic table area which was a nice feature.
The rain started up again with a vengeance around 8:00 p.m. I was already in my tent by this time so I hunkered down for the night. At 14.5 miles, it was my biggest mileage day yet. I was now back on schedule and could take it easy the next day. Which is exactly what I did.