In the month since I began hiking the PCT, I had not yet taken what is called a “zero” day: a day during which a hiker clocks zero trail miles, usually spent in town getting supplies, resting, and eating copious amounts of restaurant food (the greasier the better). I did take a couple of “nearo” days, hiking only a few miles to get into/out of town, but today would be my first true zero day. I was very much looking forward to it.
Of course, with my friend Kaitlin I should’ve known that lazing around camp in a hammock was not in the cards. Instead we hiked eight miles almost straight up the hot mountainside to Burnside Lake. I jumped straight in with my trekking clothes still on, hoping the cool water would wash away some of the grime and stink they had accumulated over the past week. We later stopped in at the hot springs themselves, which consisted of a large man-made pool of greenish water crowded with bathers. I found a spot near the steps and lowered my sore body into the pool, sinking into a state of bliss interrupted only by the noise of kids shouting and running around the deck. Zero day or non-zero day, it was a day well spent.
Russell on the Road 