Miles: 23 

Total Trail Miles: 1261 

Ascent/Descent: 4913/5075 ft 

Start Time: 05:58 

End Time: 16:06 

Temperature: 30°C (86°F)

I wanted to start hiking earlier again in preparation for allowing time for bigger mile days so today I set off 6 with the plan being to keep shifting it earlier gradually. It was warm even at 5:30am so it was definitely going to be another hot day. It felt busy on trail, the busiest it has felt since the desert with 4 groups all nearby so we all yo-yo'd with each other throughout the day. The first half of the day was mostly downhill with a few mean little ascents thrown in there, it was mostly in the shade of the trees though, although at times this ment flies, I only wore my headnet for two short stretches though. It's a good job it wasn't worse as wearing the headnet even for a short amount of time in this heat was pretty unbearable. I felt soo in need of a shower, my whole body has sweated for 2 days straight and this was going to be the third. I felt dirtier than I did in the desert. I took lunch at 12 down by a river so I could wash my feet and legs which were black from just this 16 miles. Then it was the big long climb up to where I wanted to camp at 'Lookout Rock'. The climb was gruelling, I moved slow in the heat and had to stick on some podcasts to distract myself. But with a few breaks thrown in I still managed to arrive by 4pm and the spot was beautiful, a big slab of rock jutting out of the side of the mountain. I had to used rocks to stake out my tent and I used my towel and liner to create some shade. I enjoyed the views whilst chilling out for the evening. I did wish Marcus was here for this one it would have been a lovely spot to share.