PCT - July 2016
July 1, 2016 - Sonora Pass
Distance: 12 miles
Woke up at 5am and noticed the underside of awning and netting on my tent were covered with sleeping mosquitoes. I spent a few enjoyable minutes killing them. Other hikers packed up quietly and left, leaving us privacy to dig our morning holes without discovery. We started the morning climb and came to the section with big long switchbacks that were partially covered in snow. The snow was slippery in places and when I tried to avoid it by stepping onto the steep rocky sidehill, I found that the ground was saturated from snowmelt and was worse than walking on the snow. These switchbacks were actually part of a Jeep road and may be why the snow has hung on longer than a regular width of the trail. We arrived at the PCT/Levitt Lake junction and I was happy to be on trail I haven't been on before (from here to Sonora Pass). The trail stayed up high almost all the way to Sonora Pass. We had to cross wide swaths of snowfields. All of a sudden at one snowfield, the boot trail became a steep glissade. Another thru hiker arrived, took one look back at me, sat down and zip, she was on her way to the bottom. I decided to put on long pants as I didn't want a freezer burn on my backside. I positioned myself in the chute, pushed off and away I went. The snow was wet and soft and I enjoyed every second of the glissade. Seasoned Strider followed and met me at the bottom. Finally at the last two miles before the pass, we started our descent and was surprised how much snow there was. I watched two men carefully pick their way across one snowfield, lose their traction and down they went. Another hiker behind SS slipped and was able to stop herself before crashing into the rocks. Well, we put on our spikes pretty fast at that point! We were really glad we still had them as most hikers had sent theirs home at Mammoth Lakes. It took a long time to make our way down the hill and into the day use parking lot where we were picking up our resupply packages. We were surprised to see the Sonora Pass Cafe, only open for three days a year, waiting for us to enjoy beverages and snack food. They even had a wireless set up so we could check email. We tried to leave a donation but trail angels IPod and Al refused to accept payment. Casey from Sonora Pass Resupply was there waiting with our packages. We had also paid a little extra so Casey could mail home our bear canisters. It was great to get rid of the 2 lbs, 4 oz of weight. We hung around for awhile eating, drinking, and visiting with other hikers. We finally decided we'd better find a place to camp for the night so continued on until we found the first campsite to take two tents. Not a high mileage day, but we were pretty tired from all the snow and making our way down to the pass.
July 2, 2016 - Better Mileage Day
Distance: 16 miles
We were passed by ambitious thru hikers this morning, can't believe they can keep up that pace on these long uphills. There were a couple of large snow mounds on the way up that took a few minutes to get over, but they were nothing compared to the north side at the top of the ridge. We were surprised to see so much snow. Back to navigating for the trail as footsteps went every which way. Finally got low enough to get out of the snow. I was moving along, my mind not paying attention to much of anything, when all of a sudden a section hiker jumps out from behind a tree and yells BOO! Scared the shit out of me and of course I screamed LOUDLY. I even brought my pole tips up to fend off whatever was in front of me. She laughed so hard. After my heart rate went down, I was able to feebly join in her merriment of scaring the crap out of me. Her name was Catpaws and had just joined her husband for a month of adventure during his thru hike. Sheesh...
We had another uphill to do and it was a toughy. We heard thunder rumbling and could see dark skies to the east of us. We hurried to get over the ridge ahead of it so we wouldn't be caught at the top when it hit. It seemed to stay away so we continued on. We ran into backpackers out for 4th of July weekend and they knew where Hood River and Mosier was! We kept plugging along until we found a nice campsite for the night. Other thru hikers marched past us all evening but we were done for the day.
July 3, 2016 - Ebbetts Pass
Distance: 16 miles
Saw a beautiful red sunrise this morning as I made my coffee. It was a easy hiking day today - I did try to slow down my pace so I wouldn't run out of gas by 2pm. Had a nice lunch at a saddle out of the wind. Right after lunch we rounded the corner and was surprised on how much snow (and deep) was clinging to the north side. Slipped and slid our way down a bit and then traversed over to the east side and found the trail. We passed close to Noble Lake, still snow there too, and then followed the trail down into the gully and back out again. Then we had a nice long climb up to Ebbetts Pass. Many day hikers were out, some carrying fishing poles. At the highway there were three trail angels handing out beverages, cheese, and a lot of fruit to thru hikers. We missed the BBQ ribs. The watermelon and pineapple were fantastic. We thank all you trail Angeles for taking the time and effort to support us! We continued on for a few more miles and made camp down in a flat draw area.
July 4, 2016 - Happy 4th of July!
Distance: 16 miles
Is it my imagination or is the trail finally getting a little easier? We saw many day hikers out and our first two equestrian riders. Their horses seemed to be quite confident in maneuvering parts of the sketchy trail we encountered today. We were impressed. We stopped at Lily Pad Lake and rinsed out some dirty socks. We ran into two couples looking for Tamarack Lake but had overshot it by a solid mile. One of the women was impressed when I pulled out a map and showed them where they were. She said, "fancy that, having a map"... since they wanted to get to a lake, we directed them to the one we just left which was just around the corner. We started up the Blue Lakes hill towards The Nipple and found a camp with a breeze to keep the mosquitoes away until we had the tents set up. Again, more thru hikers continued past us until dark.
July 5, 2016 - Carson Pass and Showers Lake
Distance: 15.8 miles
We started up and over the hill with views of Blue Lakes, the Nipple, and down the other side of Lost Lakes. It was breezy, maybe blowing 10 to 15 mph which kept the mosquitoes at bay. The snow fields are still persistent especially approaching Carson Pass. A couple of times I thought about pulling out the spikes but we went slow and carefully, placing our steps in previous footprints. We arrived at Carson Pass midday to another mini feast hosted by Eldorado National Forest volunteers Jenny, Jan, and John. Thoroughly enjoyed visiting with them, especially Jenny who really wants to thru hike the PCT but must wait until she retires in four years. We left at 2pm and hiked to Showers Lake. Met a 72 year old man who is starting to section hike and is working his way up to 10 miles a day. It was very windy here but there were a lot of different sites to choose from.
July 6, 2016 - Hwy 50 and South Lake Tahoe
Distance: 8 miles
We knew we had a short day today and we were looking forward to a real shower and food in South Lake Tahoe. We wanted to hike fast but was hampered by big boulder/rocks, mud, and frozen snow patches in the shade. We finally arrived in the snopark and met Coppertone who was doing some trail angeling. He had thru hiked when he was 58 years old and wanted to pay back to the trail. He made us root beer floats, which tasted mighty gooood, and had a variety of snacks available. Coppertone told us it was an easy hitch on the highway so we walked out, stuck out our thumbs and a friendly sales woman stopped and picked us up. She is an avid hiker herself so we had a lot to talk about in the short drive down to the outfitters store where our resupply boxes awaited us. We had heard how expensive SLT can be, especially around the first week of July. I called the Tahoe Valley Campground and used our Thousand Trail membership to reserve a campsite for a few nights. Retrieved our resupply boxes, hiked to the campground, checked in, set up camp, and hit the showers!
July 7 & 8, 2016 - Zero days in SLT
Distance: 0
One of our goals for our zero day was to find a new pair of shoes for Seasoned Strider. Her existing shoes are falling apart. For the month of July, bus lines 50 and 53 are free. We hopped on the morning bus and went up to the large sports store located in Heavenly Valley Resort. SS found a pair that she hopes will work. Afterwards, we wandered around looking at people, buildings, traffic, and it made us look forward to getting back on the trail. After eating lunch we headed back to the westbound bus stop and waited almost an hour for the bus. Back at the 'Y' we rushed over to the post office to see if we could get boxes that would fit our ice axes. In addition to the ice axes, we were sending home the microspikes and assorted other items we no longer needed. The post office employee said that hikers mailing home their ice axes have been using two priority boxes and shoving them together. To our delight, it worked! By this time it was 5pm and we still hadn't gotten everything accomplished yet, so we decided to take another zero day. The next morning we jumped on the bus again and got dropped off at the public library. We were there from open to close, charging electronics and catching up with our journal posts. That was a huge undertaking. While waiting for the bus to arrive, I contacted a local trail angel (more on that tomorrow's post) who could take us back to the trail on Saturday morning. Got that taken care of and we stopped at one of the local pizza places and had dinner. All tasks completed and it was time for bed.
July 9, 2016 - SLT and Dicks Lake
Distance: 15.3 miles
Our wonderful trail angels Mel and Liz picked us up promptly at 9am and after a quick stop at Starbucks, we were on our way back to the trail. Mel drove us up the back way to Echo Lake. Mel used to be a wilderness ranger and feels being a trail angel is his way of giving back to the trail. Both Mel and Liz enjoy meeting thru hikers, and I for one, really enjoyed visiting with them. We started hiking about 9:45am and spent the day battling the wind and rocky path. We took a short lunchbreak at Aloha Lake and hid behind big rocks to get away from the wind. NOAA forcasted 40 mph winds today in the local region and they hit the nail on the head. So windy and cold. We stopped at the Gilmer Lake junction to decide if we wanted to continue over Dicks Pass late this afternoon or to wait until the morning. A nice couple popped out from Gilmer Lake and said they just did a day hike over Dicks Pass and it only had snow patches but the wind was fierce at the top. We decided to go for it. Every time a strong gust came thru we hid behind trees until it passed. The higher we went, the colder it got. The dark clouds above were roaring in and we really hoped that if it decided to rain, to at least wait until we were settled in for the night. We stood on top of Dicks Pass and started thru the snow patches. There were more than I anticipated but it was easy to follow the trail. I knew that my buddy Dean's brother Dave had started his section hike today and lo and behold there he was, hiking with another gal. We introduced ourselves and hiked down to Dicks Lake together. We found a spot for four tents and called it a night. The wind was still howling so I put earplugs in so I could get some sleep.
July 10, 2016 - North of Barker Pass
Distance: 20 miles
It was pretty cold last night, my little temp gauge read 38 degrees inside the tent, and the wind was still blowing. Started off with pants and jacket and I really wished I had put on my gloves too. But the clouds had cleared out overnight and the sun finally made its way over the mountain to give us some warmth. The hiking today was easy and we ended up doing 20 miles to the North Blackwood Creek a few miles north of Barker Pass. It was still blowing at Barker Pass and was freezing. Wildflowers are out in force and we enjoyed the multiple colors all around us. Met a ton of people going north and south. They are everywhere in the Desolution Wilderness.
July 11, 2016 - North of Squaw Valley
Distance: 16.3 miles
Another cold morning with a view of Lake Tahoe. Started off with a warmup downhill which quickly turned into a nice long switchback uphill to a ridge. Still have clumps of snow to walk over. We passed thru Alpine Meadows Ski Resort, went down a lovely soft path down to Whiskey Creek where we filled water bottles, and then tackled the long, partially steep uphill to the top of Squaw Valley. This second climb really took it out of me and I was very sure I wasn't going to be able to tackle another 1,020 ft climb to make another 20 miles today. We stopped near the Painted Rock trail junction and made camp, leaving that uphill to Tinkers Knob in the morning.
July 12, 2016 - Peter Grubb Ski Hut
Distance: 19.5 miles
Another cold morning, SS got ready to go much faster than I did. She decided to start up the hill and find some sun to warm up. I found her just below Tinker Knob hiding behind a big rock trying to get away from the biting cold wind. We continued the downhill and then started up the hill to Suger Bowl Ski Resort. As we were making our way down the hill, a wonderful walking trail angel named Reno Dave stopped and offered us cold pop and beer. We gladly accepted cold root beer and guzzled them right down. It's amazing the support we have received along the trail from total strangers. It helps restore my faith in humanity. We continued on and then met a retired couple who were like trail historians, telling us the history of the area. It was fascinating. We finally arrived at the parking area and followed the signs to where the PCT continues on across Hwy 40. There was a sign there saying that there were burgers and free charging for cell phones just a quarter mile down the road. Well, we couldn't pass up real food! The burger was quite tasty and the salad was very yummy. We also had ice cream sandwiches for dessert. Back up the road to the trail, we hiked over to Hwy 80 and decided to stop at the eastbound rest area. Big mistake, just outhouses and no water flowing from the faucets. Had to hike back 3/4 of a mile to get back to the trail. The really nice rest area was the westbound side, with real toilets, running water, and electrical plugins. By this time I had found a nice flowing stream and filled my water bottle. We decided to hike another 3.5 miles to the Peter Grubb Ski Hut and spend the night. At arrival, we found the Hut full of a boys group spending a few days there. We found a campsite just to the west of the Hut. We were swarmed by mosquitoes and quickly put up our tents and crawled in. Dang, the mosquitoes have been terrible this past week.
July 13,2016 - Trail Mile 1179
Distance: 18.5 miles
We got a little earlier start this morning. It was chilly as we got going but quickly warmed up when the sun rose above the hills. There were so many hikers this morning, it felt like a freeway. At morning break we met Flower Man from Germany who had a bouquet of flowers sticking out of his pack. We leapfrogged with him all day. The day kept getting hotter and hotter and the flies drove me nuts. I had to put on my long pants and shirt to keep them off me. I had hoped that today would be the day thaat wwe wouldn't have any snow, but alas, there was still piles of snow we either walked around or walked thru them. We met two women, one who was 70 years old and the other in her 60's, who were doing a 70 mile section hike in honor of the 70 year old. Unfortunately the mosquitoes and flies were so bad, they decided to cut their trip short and bail. The day was a continuous uphill and downhill, with gorgeous views at the top, and awful flies in the valleys. At afternoon break a young man going southbound passed us and then returned back to us asking if we had seen the bear. Bear? No, and we had just passed through that area not 10 minutes ago. We thanked him for the heads up and quickly finished our snack and got out of there. The wildflowers are still amazing - balsoom root, lupin, Indian Paint Brush, masses of different types of daisies, and many other flowers I don't know the names of. Water is becoming harder to find with streams starting to dry up. Water sources were about seven miles apart today. We ended up at a stream at 18.5 miles and I was too drained from the heat to continue so we planted ourselves for the night.
July 14, 2016 - Sierra City
Distance: 16 miles
We woke up at 4:30am and were on the trail by 6am. We passed by many slumbering thru hikers as we moved across the plateau. There aren't many hotel type rooms in Sierra City and we wanted to find a place for the night before the mass of hikers descended upon the town and grabbed everything. The trail soon dropped and was downhill most of the way to the alternate trail route to the Wild Plum Campground. We were so excited to find out that we did 11.4 miles by 10am. We stopped for a quick snack and then charged down the rest of the way. When we arrived at the Wild Plum Campground we were hoping that someone would offer a ride so we wouldn't have to road walk 2.5 miles to town. It didn't happen so we did the walk in the heat. Arriving in Sierra City we quickly found the Red Moose Cafe/Inn and as we made to go into the restaurant, we heard a "hey!" Turned around and there was The Family whom we haven't seen since Le Conte Canyon. We joined them for lunch and found out the scoop on the town. Apparently the Laundromat was closed due to the issue of hiker gals running around naked while their clothes were being washed and dried. The adorable library building has Wi-Fi and the password is on the door. The church lets hikers set up tents on the back lawn and there's a washroom and cold showers available. The general store is where most hikers hang out because of free Wi-Fi (but is jugged up because there are so many of them). We didn't want to camp at the church so Seasoned Strider found a room for the night in a place called River Haven. There were two bedrooms, one already taken, so we got the second one. After we picked up and signed for our resupply boxes at the Red Moose Inn, we settled into our room and then took turns for the shower. For $ 5.00 extra we used the owner's washer and dryer and ran a load of wash. While we were waiting for the laundry to be done (don't worry, we weren't running around naked, we were in our rain jackets), who shows up at the front door? Venture who we haven't seen since Lone Pine and had rented the tent in the backyard. The other person who had the other bedroom was Phantom. Phantom and Venture decided to buy steaks at the general store and grill them for everybody. The owner Susan arrived at that moment and had a small issue she needed help on. While closing her car door she got her finger caught and it was a little messed up. She should have probably gone for medical services and had stitches put in, but she had a houseful of guests and didn't want to take the time. So Venture and Phantom bandaged her finger and hoped for the best. We all pitched in and got dinner on the table, and boy was it a feast. Steak, potatoes, asparagus, red bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, steamed artichokes, and a big salad. Most excellent. Afterwards SS and I had to tackle our resupply boxes and get our packs squared away for the next section. It felt like a very long evening but we got it done. We plan on getting up at 4:30am again so we can make our way to the trailhead and tackle the Sierra Butte (big uphill) before it gets too hot.
July 15, 2016 - Up Sierra Butte
Distance: 15.5 miles
Stop: Summit Lake TM 1209.3, 15.5, elevation 7051
We managed to get up at 4:30am and pack up. Had coffee and cereal and then left River Haven at 6am. We had to road walk 1.5 miles to the PCT trailhead and then we started up the Sierra Butte. The first 3.5 miles was a steady uphill and brought us to a beautiful viewpoint. Then the work began with knarly, rocky trail that continued uphill. It took us 3.5 hours to the road intersection. We took a quick break and I ate a 3.5 oz bag of Doritos. They were getting a little smushed anyway. We continued going uphill but at a more gradual slope. We started seeing day hikers and found out that there was a parking lot just ahead of us. The trail connected to a dirt road and we headed down and stopped for lunch. The trail continued on the paved road for a bit and then veered off into the forest. There was a gal parked next to the trail and we found out she was doing some trail angeling. She had a cooler full of pop and beer and had a container full of homemade brownies. We were in seventh heaven. Moving along on the trail we ran into The Family again with Gandolf cooking up lunch for them. We stopped for a visit and then continued on until we saw the gal from Vancouver, B.C. who has cell phone service overlooking a lake. Of course we had to check if we had service, and we did, so we checked in at home. We were getting pretty tired by this time, a lot of elevation today and it was hot. We stopped one more time, packs off, and we took a little snooze. Woke up while Venture was walking by and he said Summit Lake was two tenths away and that was where he was going. A lake? Sign us up! We arrived a few minutes after Venture, found a place to set up tents and called it good for the night.
July 16, 2016 - Duck Soup Pond
Distance: 20 miles
We thought we'd try to get a few more miles in today. We picked a humdinger of a day to go for it. We had a lot of big ups and downs and the last up was the steepest before arriving at Duck Soup Pond. Most of our walking today was in the Lakes Region in forested terrain, but we would pop out here and there for views of the multitudes of lakes and mountain views. We just had one snowpack we had to walk over (yay). The wildflowers are still beautiful, although the balsoom root is almost finished in places. There are still small streams with water in them, but they are getting fewer with some completely dried up. We had two choices in getting to Duck Soup Pond - take the steep almost nonexistent trail down to it, or continue on the trail three tenths of a mile longer to the dirt road and then back track. We took the dirt road route. The Pond itself is not the cleanest water but we made do with filtering through bandanas. The birds were singing, the tadpoles were swimming (and being chased by an underwater snake), life is good...
July 17, 2016 - Bear Creek
Distance: 21.4 miles
Today was sort of a boring day. We spent most of the time in the forest with few views. There was a lot of downhill. As we approached the West Fork Feather River, there was a lot of poison oak on the sides of the trail. I really didn't want to get tagged so I slowed way down and made my way down to the river. There was a beautiful red bridge that we started to cross but stopped midway to watch several thru hikers below swimming in a beautiful big pool of water. Our new hiking buddy David, 67 years old, decided to join them and made his way down the rocky path. We decided to continue over the bridge and find an easier way to the water for cleanup. There were campsites all around but we decided to continue up the trail for another 700 ft and camp at Bear Creek for the night. As we finished setting up our tents for the night, three other women hikers came in and made camp next to us. It was a big mileage day of 21.4 miles.
July 18, 2016 - Big morning climb
Distance: 17.2 miles
e had a big uphill this morning, about a 3,100 foot climb.
Met a young man who was running the PCT. It was amazing how far he has traveled as he started June 22nd. He has a support team that follows him up the trail. The trail mosied through the forest and popped out for views to the east. Beautiful lakes shimmered in the morning sun, sparkling blue, way below us. A sign on a trail ahead noted that there was cell reception ahead at Lookout Point. Yes, if you had Verizon... Passed an active logging operation that we could hear in the woods and as I went to cross the dirt road, there was a logging truck parked in the way, the driver checking his load before heading down the mountain. I smiled at him but he didn't acknowledge me. As I continued on I was so happy to be among the young Noble trees that felt like I was in a Christmas forest. We popped out at a paved road and there was Coppertone's truck and chairs. The three hikers that were ahead of us were sitting and waitng for Coppertone's return as they had heard about the root beer floats he makes for thru hikers. Unfortunately he was out running part of the trail looking for a couple gals who were sick and needed help. Found out that the Norovirus is running rampant on the trail and many people were throwing up for days. One girl threw up for five days and finally went to the doctor's for help. She is still hiking the trail. No one wants to touch anything in fear of getting sick, us included. We waited a half hour for Coppertone's return and then decided.to continue hiking up another 2.4 miles and finally arrived at a campsite that could accommodate numerous tents. Once we set up, the hikers started pouring in, all youngsters. There was some potty talk going on amongst the guys hiker group so I put in my earplugs and went to sleep.
July 19, 2016 - Belden Town
Distance: 16.6 miles
Resupply day. Partway through nine miles of rolling up and down trail, we found ATT cell and data service facing eastward. Was able to download email, upload a pic to Facebook, and let my hubby know to send the next resupply box. Just as the trail was ready to crest over and start the miles long downhill, we stopped for lunch. I was surprised how cool it was with the wind blowing. David led most of the way down, and we were glad he did as there were two snakes across the path, one rattler and one bull. Three quarters of the way down the poison oak started again on both sides of the trail and we had to be so careful not to get tagged. I carried my poles on my shoulder to ensure their safety. At the bottom we crossed the railroad tracks and walked the short ways into Belden Town. The place was crawling with hikers doing their resupplies on the long porch. We called the Braatens for our resupply boxes and they were delivered at 4:30pm. By this time we had decided to get a hotel room and get cleaned up. We also paid four dollars to use the laundry facilities, detergent included. Stopped in the bar/restaurant and had two light beers. Boy, did they taste great. The first one went down quickly and the second followed more slowly. Ran into Venture and Phantom and we had dinner with them and another couple who were section hiking. The hotel room was very nice, the bathroom looked recently renovated, and the shower was awesome. We had dropped down to the 2,218 elevation level and tomorrow we have to go back up to over 6,000 feet. It will be a long day.
July 20, 2016 - Cold Springs
Distance: 19 miles
We left Belden Town body clean, clothes clean, and electronics charged. We met up with our hiker buddy David and headed out of town by 7:30am. We crossed the big bridge to get to the highway where we walked about 500 feet and crossed over to the PCT trail. I found Belden Town to be very charming and an important stop over for resupplies. People were friendly, considering having to deal with a ton of thru hikers each year. We started up the hill and of course the poison oak was everywhere. The trail leveled out for a bit weaving around the hill and then going up in elevation. It is always was a big day in elevation for people hiking the PCT. Belden is located at the 2,218 foot elevation and we had to climb up to the 7,707 foot, giving us a climb for the day of 4,859 feet. I've never climbed more than 3,500 foot in one day so I was amazed. At one point the trail started going downhill and I really didn't want to lose elevation and end back in the poison oak. Luckily it was a short downhill and we started going uphill for a long, long time. To pass the time I listened to an audiobook. Very effective in ignoring the tiredness in the feet and the huffing of the cardio system. We finally arrived at the top and started cresting over, I found cell service and did the usual stuff. Didn't have time to post journal entries and hoped that Cold Springs would still be in the service area (alas, it was not to be). We found a trough filled with very cold water and a pipe spilling out fresh water, aptly named Cold Springs. Taste so good. Pitched our tents and called it home for the night.
July 21, 2016 - Halfway there!
Distance: 18.8 miles
Yesterday must have tired me out more than I thought as I dragged along the trail all day. At one point when we had cell service, I found out that our family dog was sick and my husband was taking her to the vet in the afternoon. I fussed all day waiting for another ridge where I had cell service again to find out the status of our beloved family member. Meanwhile, we moved forward on the trail and entered into an area with interesting rock formations with a view of Mt Lassen. The trail was overgrown with bushes in places and sometimes we wondered if we were even on the PCT trail. Parts of this section could definitely use some TLC trail maintenance. We pushed through and was rewarded with scratched up legs. I guess we could have stopped and put on long pants but we just wanted to "get 'er done". At one of the last ridges I finally received a phone call from hubby and found out that our dog was diagnosed with giardia and colitis. Boy, was I surprised. She was put on a five day round of antibiotics and hopefully it will solve both issues. After saying goodbye, I astonished myself by having a nice good cry on the trail. Part of it was the worry over our dog, but a lot of it was hearing both my husband's and son's voices on speakerphone and I had an attack of homesickness. I was so glad that nobody came along to witness my meltdown. After getting myself together I continued on and caught up with SS and David. We finally came across the magical halfway point of 1,325 miles and the official PCT concrete marker. Short celebration and then we went another couple miles to the first campsite but it didn't suit our needs, so we walked to the next campsite which was much more pleasant. I announced that I needed a zero day in Chester to rest my weary body and feet, so tomorrow we will hitch to Chester from Hwy 39 and spend two nights at the Best Western. (SS called and we got the last room, yay!)
July 22, 2016 - Short day to Chester
Distance: 8 miles
Since we had a short, easy eight mile downhill trek to Hwy 39, we leisurely enjoyed our breakfasts and packed up for the hike down. We met two youngish hikers who had attempted to hike from Belden Town to Hwy 39 in one day. They fell short by 3.5 miles. One fellow was definitely hurting as both knees were wrapped up and he was painfully walking down slowly. He had a small guitar stuffed into the back of his pack. We also ran into a mother and daughter on the trail hoping to get to the halfway point mile marker but they were dismayed to find out it was more than "a couple of miles" that someone had told them. As we moved on down the trail we could hear chainsaws in the woods above us. We weren't sure if they were doing cleanup or cutting down trees. We moved quickly out of harms way in case trees started falling. We arrived at Hwy 39, crossed the road and found a little bit of trail magic of ice cold pop in coolers. There was a small handful of thru hikers sitting enjoying the treat among the buzzing bees circling the group. They had already visited Chester and were on their way north. After finishing our pop we crossed over the road again and stuck out our thumbs. We quickly got a ride from Julie and she deposited us at the Best Western. We were lucky to be able to check in before 3pm and after showers, we visited the restaurant next door and had a late lunch. SS and David did a load of laundry at the local Laundromat and went to the sports store to shop for a new hat for David (his had fallen apart in the washer/dryer). I lounged in our room and kept off my feet. Around 6:30pm we decided to go for Mexican food for dinner and after a little bit of confusion on where the restaurant was, we arrived and filled up on a wonderful dinner. I finally got my Rib eyed steak...
July 23, 2016 - Zero day in Chester
Distance: 0
Spent the day lounging with my feet up. I haven't mentioned it before in my journal entries but I've been dealing with corns on the inside of my baby toes. They started a few years ago when section hiking and every winter I almost get them to go away, but then i start hiking in the spring and they start right back up again. I have tried many different types of shoes to no avail. I have learned to simply soak them to keep them soft and put Emu 'blue goo' (as it used to be called) on them 2-3 times a day. Toe socks help a lot, but sometimes i need to take a zero day and give them a rest. Many times on the trail I wish I could just cut the pinky toes right off and it would solve the issue. My pinky toes sort of wrap under the next toe causing pressure on the toe bones. Anyway, it is quite painful with every single step I take, especially when it is rocky. I also carry a nail file and file down any hard dead skin off every evening. I am very careful not to break the skin and cause infection to start. That would take me right off the trail. Anyway, I did have to walk down Main St to the grocery store and the local sports shop for a larger Platapus as we will be entering a section without water for 29 miles. I was really glad to find one at the sports shop. Back at the hotel we watched two movies and ordered pizza for dinner. I am so glad we took a zero - I really needed it.
July 24, 2016 - Drakesbad
Distance: 18.4 miles
Piper's Mom picked us up at 9:30am and deposited us at the trailhead. Not only does she gives rides back and forth, she also does the trail magic for hikers by stocking soda pop in the coolers and takes back the trash. Unfortunately for future hikers, Piper's Mom is retiring from being a trail angel. This is her last week and her last year. Thank you Piper's Mom for being there since 2009! Today was easy trail walking - the only issue was the heat. Very hot. It's supposed to be like this for at least the next seven days. We entered the Mt Lassen Volcanic National park and could smell the sulphur/rotten eggs smell. Saw a cool looking green lake and a steam vent. We arrived at Drakesbad just they were preparing to serve their guests. They let us know the scoop of serving hikers after their guests so we waited with beer in hand until it was our turn. They treated us like royalty with beautiful placemats, cloth napkins, and an awesome dinner of rack of lamb, roasted asparagus, stuffed squash, and a rice dish. Incredibly good. Included in the meal (for a great price of $ 14.95) was a shower and the use of their pool. We didn't do the shower or pool as it was getting dark and we wanted to set up tents and go to bed. Made our way to the Forest Service campground and did just that...
July 25, 2016 - Hat Creek
Distance: 19.6 miles
Trailwise, today's hike was fairly easy, even with the uphills. What continued to beat us down was the heat. I used my umbrella all day which really helped, plus listened to another audiobook to distract my attention from the heat. We had a long downhill to our destination, and we were so happy to arrive at Hat Creek, set up camp, and soak our feet. It finally cooled down in the middle of the night, enough to actually cover myself with my quilt. I'm worried about hiking the rest of northern California if I can't deal with this heat.
July 26, 2016 - Burney Falls State Park
Distance: 8 miles
After some discussion about the upcoming heat of the day, figuring out water sources, and deciding how to conquer the Hat Rim section, we decided to make a quick 1/4 mile detour to Old Station which still had a post office running with limited hours (11am to 3pm). We wanted to mail out unused items that we haven't used for weeks and wouldn't need until we hit Oregon. We were also excited to have a second breakfast or early lunch at the deli/restaurant. Imagine our dismay when we arrived and found out that no one would step up to the plate and manage the deli over the summer, and it was closed. The Hat Creek Resort itself was open and we were able to buy a cup of coffee and a dish of ice cream. As we waited for the post office to open, other thru hikers arrived to pick up their resupply boxes. There was also free wireless that we were able to do some catching up in our personal lives. John and Heather (from Belden Town) had rented a room and planned to night hike the Rim over the next two days. Apparently most hikers were night hiking this section. Seasoned Strider was quite resistant to this idea after experiencing disorientation from our last night hiking adventure. I simply can't hike in super hot weather (I also get hiker's rash that starts at the inside ankle bones and goes up the calves. It itches and hurts in the heat), so we had to figure out a different plan. Most hikers were making their way to JJ's Cafe for lunch and then walking the short way to Subway Cave and hanging out until it cooled off enough to night hike. That's what we did - had lunch at JJ's and then hung out awhile at Subway Cave. We did do the short underground self-guided tour of the Subway Cave and it was a delightful 46 degrees inside. There were a handful of thru hikers sitting in the dark with their packs waiting out the heat. Back outside we kicked around the idea of simply hitching to Burney and Burney Falls State Park to avoid the whole heat and lack of water sources. I was totally up for the idea and David seemed quite happy to shorten his section hike by three days. SS had been looking forward to seeing the Hat Rim but after thinking about it, she agreed to hitch and skip this 40 mile section. Off to Hwy 89 and stuck out our thumbs. After about 25 minutes, a young lady took pity on us and delivered David to Burney (he would catch the bus to Redding and then fly home to San Diego) and the two of us to Burney Falls State Park. We tried to pay for her gas but she wouldn't take it. She said she was driving right past it anyway. We thanked her profusely and set about paying our $ 5 each for the hiker/biker camp at the end of the Park. It's a little ways to get water and the restrooms, but not too bad. Decided to stay here two nights and then figure out our next step.
July 27, 2016 - BFSP - Zero Day
Distance: 0
We decided to stay two nights at the State Park and spent today roaming around. We visited the Pioneer Cemetery and then made our way down to the Cemetery Cove. The water was full of floating alge and was totally uninviting. We regretted coming down to the water at this section and wished we had gone down to the other beach. Visited the Falls and they are as gorgeous as the brochure said they were. We are undecided on what to do with the weather being so hot, but thought we would be more comfortable in an air conditioned hotel room in Burney instead of sweltering it out here in the State Park. I made reservations for two nights in Burney for tomorrow and Friday night. We'll see how it goes from there.
July 28, 2016 - Short hot day
Distance: 8.8 miles
Woke up this morning knowing very well that if we diverted to Burney for another two day layover in a hotel that I would want to catch a bus (or whatever transportation was available) and leave the trail. That's how much I dislike hiking in the heat. I called the hotel and left a message that circumstances had changed and to cancel the reservation, called the hubby regarding the same thing, and then packed up and headed for the electrical outlets to charge the phones once more before hitting the trail. We hiked to Rock Creek where there was a handful of thru hikers already there waiting out the heat under the bridge. We took a side trail and found a shady spot next to the creek and planted ourselves there for the next four hours. We soaked ourselves in the creek to keep as cool as possible in the 95 degree heat (in the shade). Ate an early dinner then continued up the trail until 7:30pm. The next campsite with water nearby was another 5.5 miles so we made camp, anticipating an early start in the morning. Had cell service so did some updating online.
July 29, 2016 - Moosehead Creek
Distance: 19.5 miles
(October 3, 2016: NOTE: I apologize for delaying writing up the final three days of my PCT adventure. I've had a few people contact me asking if I had fallen off the edge of the earth, and having experienced the same thing with other hiker's journals over the past few years, I owe it to you all just to "get 'yer done".)
We started at 6am hoping to beat some of the heat. We actually had mosquitoes to deal with this morning. Once we climbed over the hump, the north facing slope was quite cool and a huge break from being in the sun. We found the spring (easy) and filled the water bottles. Met He-Man and his brother as they were finishing up at the spring. We also met a German gal who was having a difficult time getting motivated due to lack of sleep at night. She had started at Truckee and was hoping to finish out at Cascade Locks. We stopped at Kosk Spring to wait out the afternoon heat and then started back up at 4:15pm to hike another 7 miles to Moosehead Spring. I made one of my few freeze-dried dinners, lasagna, and it was terrible. I was really bummed as each meal is precious out here and one can't simply go to the refrigerator and heat up something else.
Hiking each day for miles gives one time to do a lot of thinking. This is bad if thoughts include leaving the trail. Audio books tremendously help with diverting our attention away from these negative thoughts, but I had lost my bluetooth earbuds which sent me into a very bummed attitude. It was like the last straw that broke the camel's back. Checking the weather on my Explorer showed continued heat wave, the corns on my toes were irritating, traumatic events were happening at home, and I became terribly homesick the last time I talked to my hubby and son. I tried to rein in my thoughts and redirect them but it seemed to make it worse. This whole thought process actually started spiraling before Chester when I found out that my dog had Guardia and colitis and was really sick. Getting to Castella started to become the focus of leaving the trail. I started discussing this option with Seasoned Strider who of course preferred I stick it out. We discussed several options that could entice me to stay on the trail but she really wanted to finish out California as we were in the best shape we had ever been in. I simply couldn't face that many more hot days, but would I regret it in the future? I was open to jumping to Ashland but it was hot there too. We decided to sleep on it and see how things looked in the morning.
July 30, 2016 - Butcherknife Creek
Distance: 20.7 miles
We were up at 4am in order to get the big miles in before the heat set in. My thoughts about leaving the trail apparently set in concrete overnight and it was a huge relief to have made the decision. My final thought was, "do I care that I won't finish the PCT after section hiking it for seven years, and attempting to thru hike it this year? To at least make it north of Crater Lake to Hwy 138 where I started this whole adventure back in 2009"? I was startled to realize that it was a resounding "NO". It's been an AMAZING adventure, but there are other trails to hike and other things to do, and it's time for me to be reunited with family and move forward. Seasoned Strider decided that she wanted to continue on the trail after Castella where I planned to leave the trail. I texted my husband via the Explorer and stated my plans and he quickly replied that he could pick me up tomorrow out of McCloud at the Ash Camp trailhead. He was totally ready for me to be finished with the trail and was willing to drive down from Hood River tomorrow and pick me up. Wow. Double wow. It's a deal.
We stopped at Deer Creek Spring for a few hours to avoid the heat. Lots of young thru hikers came in to rest, cool off, and get water. Met an interesting guy called Flashdance who was proud of the fact that he has only pooped in the woods seven times his whole PCT trip. He hates pooping in the woods, calls himself "Potty Princess". I thought that was a cool trailname, but he was firm that he wasn't changing his trailname from Flashdance!
We passed a little water source where someone had thoughtfully placed a leaf for water to trickle over to easily fill water bottles. We finished our day at Butcherknife Creek, a lovely flowing water source gurgling past our tents. This was the final night on the trail for me. I would miss the trail, but was ready to go home. I only had a four mile hike out in the morning so would take my time, and maybe even have a second cup of coffee!
July 31, 2016 - Final day on the trail
Distance: 4 miles
Well, this is it. The last day on the trail. Seasoned Strider was up early making her preparations for another long, hot day on the trail. I loaned her my Platypus as hers had developed a leak in it. We said our goodbyes, and off she went.
I laid in my tent for awhile before heating up water for my first cup of coffee. I listened to the creek, to early hikers walking by, and the snap of branches nearby. Well, that got my attention. I peeked out and here was a deer looking around a tree to have a look at me. We had a stare-off and she finally moseyed back to where deer mosey to. It felt weird lounging in the tent so made my coffee, ate my cereal, made my second cup of coffee (what a luxury!), packed up and headed down the trail to the Ash Camp trailhead. There was a lot of poison oak around and had to do a lot of dodging the last mile. I arrived at the Ash Camp trailhead and lo and behold, there was Legend, Raven (who we last saw at Dick Lake), and the two German girls. They were making pancakes and coffee for thru hikers. I was offered breakfast but since I just finished my own cereal and coffee just a bit ago, I declined. Seasoned Strider had already passed through and had given them the heads up that I was leaving the trail and was going to wait for my husband for pickup. Legend offered a ride to take me in to McCloud so my husband wouldn't have to make the drive to the trailhead, and I gratefully accepted. I sent an Inreach Explorer text to hubby stating the changes hoping he would get it before arriving in McCloud. Legend had his red pickup truck and his motorhome there. The German girls were very excited for the chance to drive Legend's truck for him to McCloud so I hopped in with my gear and away we went. We arrived at McCloud, saw a gas station and saw our car parked there. Dave had only arrived a few minutes before us. We pulled in and had a joyful reunion!
We did drive to Castella to pick up my resupply package as my new hiking shoes were in it and I didn't want to leave them behind. Then we spent the next seven hours driving north to Hood River and catching up with what was happening in the family and other such stuff.