An early start from the serene Marie Lake led us down to the ford at Bear Creek, regarded as one of the most dangerous crossings on the PCT. Around 9am the current was flowing strong, but after surveying the scene and noting that the closest log crossing was a quarter mile downstream, we decided to try crossing at the trail. At midstream the chilly water rose almost to my waist, threatening to push me over and into a long, unfortunate ride down the river. Taking it one slow step at a time I managed to withstand the flow and reach the opposite shore, soggy but safe.
Once we strapped our packs back on and dumped the water out of our shoes, however, we were immediately set upon by a horde of mosquitoes. Walking fast kept some of the supremely annoying insects from landing on me, but I couldn’t outrun them all. Luckily I had brought a head net and quickly slid it over the brim of my hat. As we passed along Bear Creek down toward the turnoff to Vermilion Valley Resort (a popular hiker stopover), I noticed a single solid hiking boot left abandoned on the side of the path, and could only assume that its owner had succumbed to the cloud of mosquitoes relentlessly chasing me into the hot afternoon.
Russell on the Road 