Wonderland Trail part 2 – (Tuesday)

We were up at 4am for Breakfast then a short drive to Longmire for a few group shots before heading out on the trail for 35 miles and 12,000’ of climb.  It was going to be hot (record hot) so hydration was a major concern.  For the first 3 hours I ran with Doug, Tyler, Luka, and Mel (one of the guides).  It was fun just coasting along in my “ultra shuffle” as the miles slowly went by.  Doug shifted into walking and we were off.  I leapfrogged Tyler and Luka throughout the day as I climbed a bit faster and they descended faster.  We also stopped at different times to drink.  It was nice knowing someone was ahead or behind at all times.  There were a few people out on the trail, we bumped into some who were doing the whole thing (including a gal who ran it in under 30 hours and an elderly gent who was walking it very quickly hoping to cover the whole thing in 40 straight hours).  It was hot but not brutal as there was a lot of time in the woods.  In the closing miles I passed Luka and then caught Tyler with less than a mile to go.  We reached Mowich Lake in a little over 9 hours.  I had something to eat, then got my tent set up.  After that I had plenty of time for a sweet swim in the lake and then refueling.  Our site was right at the trailhead so we got to see everyone else in the group come in.  This was our longest day so it was nice to get through it, but the next day at 25 miles had me pretty nervous.  I stayed up trying to get a view of the International Space Station but there wasn’t a clear view.  I did get a nice view of the Milky Way later that night.