Today we hiked from one swim spot to another, only 9.5 miles, 15.2 km. It was too good to pass up an opportunity to swim at camp for a second night running. We also passed the 300 mile marker this morning.

We got on trail around 8:30 am, and as soon as we climbed out of the river valley it was hot. The trail stays high above Deep Creek most of the time, but dips down closer to the water every few miles.

Just after we leave camp, another trail milestone surprises us, 300 miles are now behind us. It’s a real shock to see this milestone, as it seems like we only just passed the last one. These sections are already starting to pass faster.

We continue high above Deep Creek, the trail gives us plenty of opportunities to peer down to the river below. I stop for breakfast on the trail as usual, about an hour and a half after leaving camp.

Shortly after that I reach the woods bridge, which was where we initially hoped to camp last night. The spots don’t look that good and we’re all glad to have camped at the swimming spot instead.

As the trail continues, the day gets hotter. It’s very exposed above the river, and the sun umbrella comes in handy again. I also notice that the sentinel flowers have reappeared, it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve seen those on the trail.

We stop for lunch at a water source, and not long afterwards we reach the Deep Creek hot springs. Here we swim in refreshing cold water, as well as soaking in the hot pools along the edges of the creek. We’d heard that camping isn’t allowed here, so the plan is to eat dinner here before moving on to camp. Luckily for us though, one of the hikers in our group has met a friend here who came in from the other side of the river which is private land. The landowner allows parking and camping for river access so we can camp on the riverbank opposite the camping restriction.