PNT day 5 – miles 42.1 to 56.3

Total GPS mileage for the day: 14.94 miles

Total elevation gain: 870 vertical feet

Listened to: Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper

Mood: 😊😩

Weather: ☀️☀️ highs in the low 80’s

Steps taken: 36,571

I left Bowman Lake at about 8:45 this morning after a bit of a sleep in. I doctored up my feet before I left but they’re looking a little worse for wear.

The first half, about 7 miles, was on trail to the campground at the foot of the lake. I had lunch at the campground and then the next half was on a gravel/dirt road to Polebridge. It was very hot on the road as temperatures were in the low 80’s and I was in direct sun most of the time. A lot of heat was radiating off the road too. It was also quite dusty every time a car went by. I made good time though because it was easy walking and I got in to Polebridge at about 4:30. I went to the Mercantile first and got some pastries, a sandwich and some candy. They even gave me a free pastry for being a thru hiker which my impostor syndrome tells me I don’t deserve since I’ve only done 56 miles but I was grateful for it nonetheless.

After I ate my sandwich, I walked down to the North Fork Hostel where I’m staying the night. For $20 I was able to take a shower, wash my clothes in a bucket with a hose, and pitch my tent in the front yard of the hostel. It is the best $20 I’ve ever spent. The shower was amazing; I discovered several new bruises I hadn’t seen because I haven’t taken my t-shirt off in 5 days and when I was doing laundry, I discovered a hole in the butt of my pants that I suspect has been there since that bushwhack I did on day two of the trip and no one bothered to tell me. I can fix it, I have gear repair tape, but it would have been nice to know before now. I also picked up my first resupply box of the trip, also at the hostel.

Overall it was a pretty easy and good day today but my feet are very very sore. I am still struggling with the blisters I acquired when my shoes and socks were wet for all those days, and the whole bottom of each foot is basically one large bruise just from the huge number of steps I’ve been taking each day. The reddish purplish discoloration extends up the side of my foot at least an inch and every step is painful. I’m hoping with an evening to relax, they’ll feel better tomorrow.

I was planning to get dinner here in town, but the hostel is about a quarter mile outside of town and I don’t think I have that in me to walk. Plus all my clothes are currently drying in the sun so I’m dressed only in my sleeping pants and my rain jacket. Not exactly “going out in public” attire. I’ll probably just have pastries from the Mercantile and call that good. I technically have an extra dehydrated dinner but I am going to save that so I can take an extra day in the next leg if I need to.

The next leg is Polebridge to Eureka. It’s 78 miles and will probably take me 5-6 days. It’s definitely going to be a more remote section than Glacier was but it’s fun to be done with the first section and on to the next one!