PCT Day 112 – PCT mile 1879.8 to Shelter Cove (1909.2)
July 24, 2026
Total PCT miles: 28.4
Non PCT miles: 1.3
Total: 29.7 miles / 47.8 km
Total elevation gain: 4035 ft
Total elevation loss: 5039 ft
Steps: 68024
Remaining Distance: 745.8 miles
For a number of reasons It’s getting difficult to write these blog posts. Over the past 7 days I have hiked 186.6 miles or 300.3 kilometers. To be honest the trail has been fairly boring during this time. At the end of the day I’m exhausted and just want to eat and sleep. Most of the day I’m in almost a trance like state staring at the ground so I don’t trip over a rock or stick or my own two feet. Add in my generally not so positive general mood and well words become hard.
Today the goal was to get to Shelter Cove Resort before the store and restaurant closes at 1900 hours. Ideally earlier so I could actually make use of said store and restaurant. I have a resupply box here as well that has my next 4 days of food in it. I’ll actually arrive a day earlier than I had planned which is nice.
I left camp at 0530 after filling up water from the cache. I think I’ve used caches just as much in Oregon as I did in the desert. Which is wild to me.
The day started with the first of two 1500 ft climbs. For a change I was actually cold this morning. Not that it was actually cold but it was certainly damp. My tent was soaked with condensation as it has been the last few nights dispite the generally warm temperatures. I even hiked for about a mile with my fleece on. I reached the top of the ridge and the wind was blowing fairly hard and I actually again felt cold. There were some decent views that were somewhat obscured by smoke.
The wildfire situation seems to be getting worse everyday. There are massive fires burning in Oregon and Washington but as of yet the only ones directly impacting the trail are in Washington which includes the closure of the trail to both the northern terminus and the “alternate terminus”.
I made my only real stop of the day at Summit Lake, about 12 miles into the day, for lunch and to dry out my tent. I had barely drank any water. In fact the last few days I’ve drank less than I normally would. I wonder if this is because I’m getting more acclimatized to the heat or if I’m just too much in the aforementioned trance like state.
From here it was another climb in through Diamond Peak wilderness. Several day / weekend hikers passed by going South Bound. There were lots of ponds and small lakes off the trail that I suppose one could explore but time was ticking to get to Shelter Cove.
I got into Shelter Cove just before 1800 with plenty of time to eat real food and drink cold coke. There were actually several other PCT hikers here. This is a busy place with tons of people camping over the weekend. There is a very nice PCT campsite an a sheltered area where we can chill and charge electronics and have access to the WiFi. I did not have time to shower or do laundry which I will do tomorrow. I’ll also get my resupply box tomorrow. I’m hoping to get back on trail around noonish. After a breakfast and lunch.
My next box is at Big Lake which is 90 ish miles. But I may go into Bend. To be determined.
I’m doing what I have been doing from day one taking it one resupply stop at a time and trying my best to embrace the suck of it all.
You’re doing almost 50km a day, not surprised you’re in a trance. These are big numbers you’re crushing. That fire map is crazy. Keep on keeping on!