This was a special one for me. The Three Sisters Loop is our local premier multi-day backpacking route, and it is beautiful. I used to think I could never get close to Janessa's time, but this year, it felt possible.
As with the others, I started at Pole Creek TH and traveled CCW. My first 10 miles were strong so I caught an early lead; the middle 25'ish miles went well enough to stay on pace; but the final miles felt kinda rough, as I dealt with some stomach issues and the endless sun through the burn area. But once I closed the loop, it was a glorious downhill homestretch to the car.
A ranger asked to see my permit at around mile 36.6, as I hurridly explained what I was doing, but then waved me on as I pulled the sweat-soaked folded permit paper out of the front of my pack. He said, "Oh Pole Creek, yeah. Get out of here!" I appreciated that he didn't want to take my time but I suspect he also did not want to touch the thing. Haha
All-in-all, a super fun and gorgeous sunny day. And there are thousands of monarch butterflies on the southern half of the loop right now! :)
This time can certainly be beat and I look forward to seeing it.