We woke up in a sand box on the side of Mt. Gleason road and broke camp quickly. Far Out was taking a bit longer than us to get ready so we headed out first. We were passed by Darwin and Fenna as we started out and later met wit a couple other hikers who were going the wrong way. Someone had given them bad directions which we tried to correct and they walked with us up the road. Mt. Gleason road pretty much summits mount Gleason so the walk was steep and a general pain in the ass. The road does, however, go thru the center of the station fire damage which was really humbling to see.
Josh and I both had to go to the bathroom but there wasn't anywhere to go without getting an ass full of poodle dog bush so we weren't really sure what to do. Our route merged with a dirt road and on top of a hill we could see a port-a-potty next to a helipad and thanked our lucky stars. We crossed into an asbestos area to use that toilet and figured we'd deal with the most pressing issues first - poop now - cancer later.
We finally dropped down into Messenger Flats campground and ate before heading on toward North Fork ranger station. Josh and I wanted to take the trail near the end of the poodle dog bush detour but decided agains it when we saw a 'closed' sign on the trail. We ended up taking the road all the way to the ranger station.
As we neared our destination we walked thru a blooming canyon lined with these bushes with yellow flowers that smell amazing. As we entered the rangers station campground we saw a cooler in the distance and made a beeline for it. Inside there was candy and cold sodas and we were so happy!
We rested for a bit, resupplied our water and headed back out. I wanted to get as close as possible to the KOA campground and FOOD! The trail wound it's way around the canyon and reminded us of coming off of Fuller Ridge into the desert. It was hot, like, blazing hot and we stopped four miles shy of the KOA and camped in a dry wash.
Right now it's 10am about 5 days later and I was super bummed I lost my original post in the emailing process. So much stuff has happened since this and yet all I've been doing is walking. The PCT is such a trip.
Until tomorrow, goodnight!
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