D112-D113: The 24-hour challenge 24小時挑戰

Days 112 to 113:

I woke up this morning hearing light rain outside still. If it kept going, this was not going to be a nice way to hike 24 hours. I got out of the tent and started breakfast. As I was doing this the rain finally stopped for a bit. I prepared my lunch ahead of time and got all the snacks I would need into my outside pockets so I wouldn’t have to waste time during the day. I packed up a sopping wet tent covered in clinging dirt and pine needles, but at least I was nice and dry and ready to tackle the 24-hour challenge! What’s more, the sun was coming out…

今天早上醒來的時候還聽得到雨聲，如果雨繼續下今天連續走24小時會很不舒服。我從帳篷出來後開始準備早餐，這時候雨暫時停了。吃完早餐我準備了今天的午餐，零食也都放在背包外面的口袋，這樣我半路都不用浪費時間。收帳篷的時候帳篷還濕濕的，泥巴和針葉黏在上面，還好我的衣服還是乾的，自己也沒有感到冷，在這樣的情況下開始走24小時挑戰還可以忍受。而且太陽好像出來了...

At 8:25 a.m., I left the campsite and started the 24-hour challenge.

早上8點25分我離開營地，24小時挑戰正式開始了。

Time: 08:25

Elapsed time: 0h00min

Total distance covered: 0 miles

時間：08:25

總經過時間：0時0分

總距離：0公里

Because I came up short yesterday, I was not 62 miles away from Big Lake Youth Camp but 66 miles. I still wanted to get to the camp before resting for a day, but to get there I might have to keep walking for another few hours after the 24-hour challenge is over. After all, my initial estimate for 24 hours was 62 miles or less. I was not looking forward to this 66-mile distance but I was enjoying the nicer weather. On this section of trail, quite a few of the original trail markers remain, which look different than the current ones.

因為昨天走的路程比預計的短一些我現在距離夏令營不只62英里而是66英里。我還希望可以一直走到那裡再休息但現在變成我可能要走完24小時後再繼續走才能到達，畢竟我本來預計24小時內最多可以走62英里。想到這麼長的距離就頭痛了，不過天氣越來越好，隨著天氣的變化我越來越開心。這一段步道有很多原始的PCT路標，外貌跟現代的很不一樣，有幾個因為掛很久而快被樹幹吞沒了。

The rain the night before had left droplets of water all over the needles of the trees. As I walked through the forest, the sunlight hit these drops, sometimes reflecting white, sometimes refracting into all the colours of the rainbow that shifted as I went by. It was as if there Christmas trees with sparkling lights all around me.

半夜下的雨水還留在針葉樹上，我在森林走看到陽光照到水滴，偶爾反射出白光，偶爾折射出彩色光，走過的時候樹上的顏色千變萬化，周圍似乎都是聖誕樹，真漂亮。

The rain the night before had also cleaned the air significantly. Today, the sky was blue and free of smoke, and the air smelled pristine. It ended up being an absolutely perfect day to be walking for 24 hours. 

昨天的雨也把空氣中的污染全部清掉，今天的天空藍藍的沒有煙，味道很清新。早上起來的時候沒想到今天竟然這麼適合走24小時挑戰。

Time: 15:25 

Elapsed time: 7h00min

Total distance covered: 22.5 miles

Average pace: 3.2 mph

時間：15:25

總經過時間：7時00分

總距離：36.2公里

平均時速：5.1公里

I ran into a new kind of animal today: an elk. These are much, much bigger than deer but a lot more skittish. The one in the photo here ran away when I was still 200 yards away. Later on I saw two cow elk running away in the distance. 

我今天看到新的一種動物：加拿大馬鹿。這種鹿比我前面看過的鹿大很多，可是牠比較容易受到驚嚇，照片中的那隻在我離牠200公尺的時候就跑走了。下午我又看到兩隻母的可是沒拍到，今天總共看到三隻。

In the evening I walked up to a string of four volcanoes. Broken Top (right) and the South Sister (left) are in the picture here. Immediately to the north of South Sister are Middle and North Sister. Together, these are the Three Sisters.

傍晚時我走到四座鄰近火山，照片中的是塌頂山（右）和南姐妹山（左）。再北邊一點是中姊妹山和北姐妹山，三姐妹山群是奧勒岡州很有名的火山，也是風景很特別的區域。

Time: 17:00

Elapsed time: 8h35min

Total distance covered: 27.3 miles

Average pace this section: 3.0 mph

Average pace overall: 3.2 mph

時間：17:00

總經過時間：8時35分

總距離：43.9公里

本段時速：4.8公里

總體平均時速：5.1公里

Walking through the volcanic plains below South Sister was some of the best scenery I’ve seen on the trail, second only to Sonora Pass. This giant red-topped volcano jutting up into the blue sky lit up by the golden evening is something I will never forget. 

在南姐妹山下的熔岩平原走是整個PCT中風景最好的地方之一，只輸給Sonora埡口。藍天中凸出的火山頂和山坡上的紅色沙子全部受傍晚的黃金陽光照亮，這是很難忘的一景。

Time: 19:25

Elapsed time: 11h00min

Total distance covered: 35.1 miles

Average pace this section: 3.2 mph

Average pace overall: 3.2 mph

時間：19:25

總經過時間：11時00分

總距離：56.5公里

本段時速：5.1公里

總體平均時速：5.1公里

I stopped for a snack just before sunset. High protein high fat is the name of the game for a long walk like this so I lathered up some tortillas with Nutella and threw on some banana chips. I hope there are no nutritionists reading this. As I snacked on this, the final sunlight of the day turned the volcano fire red. 

夕陽時我坐下來吃東西。走這麼長的距離身體需要的是脂肪高蛋白質高的食物，所以我在餅皮上塗了榛果醬和炸香蕉切片，營養學家看到的話應該會哭。我邊吃邊看南姐妹在今天最後的陽光下呈現如火般的紅色。

After sunset it really got cold fast. Pretty soon there was frost on the grass. It’s not cold as long as you’re walking, but it is definitely another sign of summer leaving.

夕陽後氣溫降得很快，草上很快就結霜。走路的時候因為有運動所以還不會感到冷，不過霜是夏天要結束的象徵。

Time: 21:25

Elapsed time: 13h00min

Total distance covered: 40.0 miles

Average pace this section: 2.5 mph

Average pace overall: 3.1 mph

時間：21:25

總經過時間：13時00分

總距離：64.4公里

本段時速：4.0公里

總體平均時速：5.0公里

I don’t have many pictures at night for obvious reasons. The trail did pass through something called the Obsidian Limited Entry Area. This area requires a special permit to enter for most people, as they are trying to protect a fragile area. PCT hikers, however, are allowed to walk through it without stopping with a PCT permit. For a couple miles the ground is absolutely covered in a special glass-like rock made in the surrounding volcanoes called obsidian. This was a rock of choice for indigenous people making arrowheads and knives as it is very hard, flakes off easily, and is incredibly sharp when broken. This rock is so shiny that at night from a distance it almost looked like reflections off a still pond. 

半夜我當然沒什麼照片，不過還是有一個地方我覺得很值得拍照。美國林管單位為了保護這個區域特有的資源在此建立了進入人數限量的制度，不過持有PCT許可證的登山客只要沒有在裡面停留允許走過，不算在人數限量內。這裡特有的資源是黑曜石，步道連續幾公里旁邊的地上都是火山活動造成的黑曜石，這種石頭像玻璃一樣光滑閃耀的而且像玻璃一樣碎片很尖銳，當地的原住民以前會拿來做箭頭和石刀。半夜在月光下走遠方的黑曜石因為會反光而比較像平靜的水池。

Time: 00:25

Elapsed time: 16h00min

Total distance covered: 48.5 miles

Average pace this section: 2.8 mph

Average pace overall: 3.0 mph

時間：00:25

總經過時間：16時00分

總距離：78.1公里

本段時速：4.5公里

總體平均時速：4.8公里

Towards the end of the night I came to the infamous lava fields. The trail here is not nice packed earth or gravel. Instead, we have to walk over fist-sized uneven rocks for miles and miles. I had to go way slower through this section simply because every step on this stuff while carrying a heavy backpack in the dark had the potential to twist my ankle. 

接近凌晨的時候我走到臭名昭著的熔岩石頭階段。這裡的步道不是壓硬的土也不是平坦的碎石路而是一堆如拳頭大的熔岩石頭，好幾公里都沒有平坦的踏點。我在這一段的速度非常慢，在黑暗中背著重裝走，每次踩地板要很小心不然會扭到腳踝。

Walking on this stuff for literally hours on end was one of the most frustrating experiences of the whole trail, although the look of these black barren lava fields under the moonlight was quite beautiful. With a long break to cook a hot meal beside a lake followed by the lava fields, this section’s pace was by far the slowest of my 24-hour challenge.

連續三四個小時走在這種不好踩的路上我快瘋掉了，唯一的好處是這種石頭造成的純一色風景在月光下其實很漂亮。這一段包含在湖邊休息煮熱食的時間也包含熔岩路段，所以速度是24小時挑戰最慢的一段。

Time: 04:25

Elapsed time: 20h00min

Total distance covered: 56.0 miles

Average pace this section: 1.9 mph

Average pace overall: 2.8 mph

時間：04:25

總經過時間：20時00分

總距離：90.1公里

本段時速：3.1公里

總體平均時速：4.5公里

By dawn, I was really starting to feel sleepy. I had a couple of 2-minute micro-naps standing against a tree with my eyes closed, but it was really starting to be a struggle to go on. Amazingly, my feet and legs didn’t feel that tired; it was only the sleepiness that was getting to me. The good news was that I knew I would make 62 miles, and might even make it to the camp within the 24 hours. I paused to celebrate this for a moment (and briefly rest my eyes again) as I stood on the slope of Mount Washington watching the sunrise. Mount Washington’s triangular shadow can be seen in the middle of the picture below.

凌晨的時候我越來越想睡很難再前進，我甚至站在樹旁邊頭靠著樹幹閉上眼睛稍微睡了一兩分鐘。很其妙的是我腳不會痛也不會累，是單純睡眠剝奪的問題。 不過這時候有一件讓我很開心的事，我已經很確定我走得完62英里甚至有機會在24小時內走到夏令營。我在華盛頓山的半山腰上停頓了一下，為了慶祝我的進度讓自己站在那裡看日出，偶爾閉上眼睛。照片中間在地平線附近看得到華盛頓山投出的三角形影子。

Time: 06:25

Elapsed time: 22h00min

Total distance covered: 61.3 miles

Average pace this section: 2.7 mph

Average pace overall: 2.8 mph

時間：06:25

總經過時間：22時00分

總距離：98.7公里

本段時速：4.3公里

總體平均時速：4.5公里

After the sun came up and my body realized I wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon, I got my second wind. With over half an hour to spare, I made it to the junction for Big Lake Youth Camp!

太陽出來後我的身體終於放棄要睡覺的念頭，精神突然恢復了。在24小時挑戰結束的半小時多之前我就已經走到夏令營的岔路了。

Time: 07:42

Elapsed time: 23h17min

Total distance covered: 64.8 miles

Average pace this section: 2.7 mph

Average pace overall: 2.8 mph

時間：07:42

總經過時間：23時17分

總距離：104.3公里

本段時速：4.3公里

總體平均時速：4.5公里

I could have called it quits there, but I really wanted to see how much ground I could cover in a full 24 hours, so I decided to walk ahead on the trail about 20 minutes and then back, just to get in a couple more miles in the 24-hour period. I guess I was pretty excited at this point because my pace going out and back to the junction then into the camp was faster than ever!

我當時可以選擇直接走到夏令營不過我還真的想要走滿24小時看看是幾公里，所以我決定在PCT上再往前走20分鐘左右，再回頭來到岔路這裡，再支線到夏令營。

Time: 08:20

Elapsed time: 23h55min

Total distance covered: 67.2 miles

Average pace this section: 3.8 mph

Average pace overall: 2.8 mph

時間：08:20

總經過時間：23時55分

總距離：108.1公里

本段時速：6.1公里

總體平均時速：4.5公里

I had arrived at Big Lake Youth Camp on a beautiful sunny morning, after walking 67.2 miles (108 km) in just under 24 hours. Challenge complete!

昨天出發的24小時後我在晴朗的天氣下走進大湖夏令營，總共走了67.2英里（108公里），24小時挑戰大成功！

This was a perfect spot to rest up after such a long walk. This place is actually an operational youth camp, but allows hikers to rest here during the day, get cleaned up, and even have a meal or two, or three! The camp got funding from sponsors to help out, so there is actually a separate building just for hikers here. There are showers and laundry inside, power outlets, and CHAIRS galore! These services are all free, though there is a box for donations. They also hold packages for hikers and I had two of my own boxes waiting for me here.

走完這麼長的距離後沒有比這裡更適合休息的地方。雖然這裡是運營中的少年夏令營但他們還讓登山客白天來這裡休息，甚至還讓我們跟他們吃飯。他們去找贊助公司所以登山客有屬於自己的室內空間，是一棟小木屋。室內有淋浴設備、洗衣機、插座還有很多椅子讓我們好好地坐下來休息，這些服務都是免費的，他們只接受捐來的錢。登山客還可以寄包裹到夏令營，他們會幫我們在小木屋保留，我自己寄了兩個補給箱。

The first good news was that I arrived early enough to get breakfast. Hikers are allowed to go to the mess hall and eat with all the campers and staff, and again there is no charge but donations are accepted. After the 24-hour challenge, having somewhere like this to relax and recuperate without having to worry about food was pretty much a miracle. This is yet another example of the incredible generosity PCT hikers experience all along the trail. Frankly, I’m surprised a youth camp allows a bunch of dirty vagrants like us to hang out there, especially with kids around, but I sure am thankful they’ve given us a chance. 

我準時走到這裡的第一則好消息是早餐時間剛要開始了。登山客可以跟夏令營的參加者和員工一起到食堂用餐，餐點一樣是免費的，登山客想要捐多少就捐多少。走得這麼累有夏令營這麼舒服的環境可以休息我覺得很幸福，可是連吃的都不用自己準備根本是奇蹟呀！這個地方又是外面的人對PCT登山客特別善心的一次，走這個不到真的會讓人很感激。其實夏令營會歡迎我們這群臭臭髒髒的流浪漢來一起享用這個地方我覺得很驚訝，尤其因為這裡有小孩。

The other good news is that I finally caught up to some people I knew from the desert section! Several of them had arrived the day before (including Pizza in the food line above, one of the nicest and funniest guys I met on the trail) and were heading out that afternoon. I was going to spend the night here and recuperate but I would be just behind them on trail tomorrow.

今天第二則好消息是我在這裡終於趕上了在沙漠認識的登山客。有好幾個是昨天來的像照片中很會搞笑又很友好的『披薩』，他們大部分今天下午就會走，我反而打算在這裡多休息並過夜，明天在出發。我之後應該很快就可以趕他們，看到熟悉的人讓我好開心。

While PCT hikers aren’t allowed to spend the night on camp property, there is a little beach just a few minutes’ walk away where hikers can set up tents for the night. This was such a perfect campsite that I ended up spending the whole afternoon here reading, napping and swimming. I can’t think of a better place or a better way to spend a summer day off trail.

我們登山客雖然不能在夏令營的範圍內過夜但只要走幾分鐘就可以到一個夏令營外的沙灘，登山客都會在那裡紮營。這個營地太舒服了，我下午搭好帳篷後都留在那裡看書、小睡、游泳。夏天要離開PCT休息一天應該沒有比這裡更舒服的地方。

This was my last resupply stop in Oregon. After resting a full 24 hours here, I will start out on my next section that will bring me all the way to the Washington border!

大湖夏令營是我走到華盛頓邊境前的最後一個補給點，明天休息滿24小時後奧勒岡州的最後一段要起程了。