We all slept in this AM. It was nice to wake up in a warm, cozy bed. Though as always, I felt dehydrated. I cooked my two sausage, egg, and cheese croissants, then had a cup of some warm coffee that Tami had made. We packed up and headed out. Per usual, Tami and Diatom ahead of Endless and I. Before heading out, I made sure to tidy the room, found Diatom’s spoon, checked out, and hit the trail.

It was a cold misty morning. Apparently there was rain last night. I really enjoyed the moisture filled air. It was a good temperature. I felt like I had never been in such still solitude before. Imagining that my skin could breathe in the cloud enveloping me like an amphibian’s. Which was subtle timing as I spent most of the first several miles trying to shoe tiny baby frogs off the trail. They were everywhere and difficult to spot until almost too late. Poor little things! How were they supposed to understand that giants use the nice flat ground as a highway? Like the nature version of Frogger…

Anyways, it started raining pretty quickly and basically never stopped. A cold drizzling at first, heavier rain intermixed brief lulls. The trail a flooded river. Everything soaked. Welcome to the Pacific North West, my initiation complete.

I was slow moving. Endless and I finally reached Dewey Lake and found Tami and Diatom and a third tent already set up. Looking for a non flooded patch big enough for a tent, I quickly had my tent up and was tucked away in my sleeping bag the rest of the night.

Cold and wet morning. Felt good though. I moved fast. Came up on a paved parking area where there is this beautiful stone bridge built over the road for hikers. A fleeting glimpse of the sun in the far distance. It was so promising! My mood instantly uplifted. Plus the trails through Mt. Rainier National Park are very wide and relatively well maintained. This morning was great!

I caught Tami and Diatom just before Crystal Mountain Ski Resort. We all caught momentary cell service and stopped to check in on our technological lives. I grabbed some water at a spring and we continued on to a lunch spot where we let our stuff dry out in the cold wind and brief glimmers of sunlight.

We realized that Snoqualmie Pass is closer than we thought, so early ambitions to hike big miles were abandoned for thoughts of Urich Cabin. A ski mobile cabin that is maintained by a local club. Two north moving section hikers walked by at a timely moment to let us know the cabin was in good condition and with ample fuel for the wood burning stove. The decision was made and we were headed to the cabin.

I arrived at the cabin with Diatom just after 5 PM, grabbed water at the creek, and went to investigate. There were two unfavorable outhouses, the main cabin, multiple posted rule and informational signs, a stack of fresh cut logs, the wood burning stove (which was still burning embers; the negligence of the individuals who stopped in previously), an upper floor loft, and various tools. We were the only ones there. It was fantastic! I put the fire back into action and began laying out all my possessions to dry in the heat. The four of us made a half circle around the stove and reveled in the dryness and warmth.

We were eventually joined by Playa and Patriot. Endless and I met Playa at Shelter Cove. Three on the loft and three on the main floor. A cozy night in the cabin. We were all in particularly good humor being warm and dry. A really nice day and a delightful time tonight.

We all slept great last night! I woke at 5:30 AM feeling really good, and spent a solid thirty minutes massaging my legs and feet. Surprisingly I was the first of our group to leave. Playa and Endless right behind me. The morning went fast, and before I knew it, we were all taking a break at the first spring. That five mile break broke up the morning nicely so that we went almost 17 miles before lunch. Lunch even felt like almost too early of a stop.

After lunch we only had 13 miles to go. What an easy day! Despite a sizable gain and loss for the day, the climbs were all relatively short and so not overly challenging. I took a break on a hill with cell service just before camp and then still made it before 6 PM. Our group now Endless, Diatom, Tami, Playa, and myself. We are camped at an abandoned road by a spring. All cowboy camped with Tami in her open tent. It will be a super dewey night. Ugh! But the stars are shining.

On a different note, I have begun a series of mental games for myself while hiking. Yesterday afternoon I made sure I knew all 50 states and their capitals and could say the states in alphabetical order. Today I continued that work by putting the capitals in alphabetical order, and learning a poem by Mary Oliver that Tami have me. I then started working on my travel quotes that I already had mostly memorized. I should have started this from the beginning. Think how many poems and quotes and lists I could have memorized the past few months! At least I’ve started now ha.

So sleepy. Night!

A cold and very wet morning. But it did help me have an early start. I love sleeping in unless I am slowly getting soaked in cold morning dew. My second morning to have an early start on trail. Too bad I felt like a slug all day. The trail wasn’t the greatest and it was hard to stay motivated. So glad we only had 16 miles to Snoqualmie Pass.

I caught Playa just before town and we headed to The Summit Pancake House together. We decided our time was best spent at breakfast while waiting for the rest of the crew. I ate the Summit Special: bacon, sausage, 3 eggs, hash browns, French toast, and then blueberry pancakes. And I shared fries with Playa. It was glorious! I didn’t need two meals but it’s best planning food while full, otherwise my pack starts weighing too much.

Playa is spending time in Seattle, but the rest of us are staying at the Summit Inn. They have a hot tub! I wasn’t able to stay in the heat very long but it was super luxurious! My skin hasn’t felt so thoroughly soaked and cleaned.

We also went to the Dru Bru brewery and tap house. Really good! Our server was Drew, the owner. Sweet! We ordered Aardvarks Express to be delivered for supper. Amazing!!!! Unique, fresh dishes from a semi food truck/semi permanent venue in front of the Chevron. Snoqualmie Pass recently gained a face lift, going from a convenience store and pancake house to condos, restaurants, brewery, grocery, and more. Hope they get snow this year with the looming El Niño season…

Best part of the day! Randy joined Instagram and I get my camera back!! My photos from the entire first three months and 2150 miles will be mine again! A happy reunion I am unable to stop thinking about! Happy day, happy day!

Otherwise, the day was uneventful and perfect. We found out the trail north of Stehekin has been reopened and we are excited! I also began tentative plans for my road trip to Santa Barbara with my sister. Life is wonderful. I will close with a favorite quote of mine.

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” (Mark Jenkins)

I had a slow start from BLYC to wait around and charge devices. Both Endless and I had almost no battery. Unfortunately I plugged my battery and phone into a broken outlet yesterday so it sat there lifeless for the afternoon. Slept great though! Soft shifting beach sands! Slept in a cove just off camp property. There were surprisingly many hikers camped out.

Caught up to Endless and Pocahontas at a great vista of the Sisters peaks and back at the youth camp. Saw Hayrick Butte next to the Hoodoo Butte sky resort. Incredible to have views again! You see a mountain in the distance and by the next day you are hiking around its base. It’s incredible! And alluring. Part of the reason I love Colorado mountains so much. You can look at a distant peak and know you will traverse the land in between and be at that far point by tomorrow. You really see across the space of how far your two feet carried you. Incredible.

At a lake lunch spot we met Nol and Mara. Salamander specialists. Neat! Before that, were two section hikers going by Law and Order because they are retired DA and police. There were also two groups of locals, a sobo thru couple, and a couple with a dog I assumed were on a day hike.

Hit mile 2000 today. Feels amazing! Oregon is beginning to show us her wild side. We have trekked through a different Wilderness every day. From Sisters Wilderness I could see all the northern peaks. Today I walked alongside two of those northern peaks, Three Finger Jack and Mt. Jefferson. I really am blown away thinking about this journey so far. Two thousand miles. Two thousand miles behind me. Wow.

Due to the stop in Olallie, there were lots of people today. Two sobo thru hikers named Future Dad and Mantis. A bunch of day and weekend groups. Nobos Popsicle, Frog, and Sheik. While leaving Olallie I met Bam Bam, from Slovakia, picking huckleberries. Also, met Billy Goat, a PCT star, going south as I hiked north. At the spring was Steppin’ Wolf and a couple from Idaho on a 150 mile nobo section.

The Mt. Jefferson views were great today!

We spent a few hours around lunch at Olallie Lake Resort. We had poor information on what amenities and food they might have. Regardless it was a decent supply of options, super hiker friendly, very expensive, no outlets, and no restaurant. For lunch I ate Fritos with jalapeño cheese dip, four sodas, two Gatorades, a thin mint ice cream bar, and a few other snacks. Meal of champions! Then Poca, Endless, and I swam in Head Lake and continued relaxing out of the sun.

I felt really good today! Poca saw a black bear. Heaps of huckleberries everywhere, delaying trail progress forward. Saw the setting sun shining through the trees before the trail dropped down into the spring area tonight. Beautiful golden setting sun rays.

Today I had a strange thought process of personifying the forest. There are dawn to dusk bug swarms. Bears at night. Deer trumping around. Spiders at dawn and dusk.  Blazing sun. I wear sunglasses dawn to dusk for keeping spider webs out of my face.

At camp tonight were Endless, Stepping Wolf, Poca, Bam Bam, a couple, and myself. Other people: lots of sobo people, John and eTrain, Frog and Sheik, Runner, and many others.

We rushed to Timberline Lodge. The upstairs bar had food until 11 PM. There was a great and fun looking Nigerian wedding going on. We went up to the restaurant and prepared for a meal and house brews. At the table next to us was a man, named Don, and woman, Christel. They were so friendly and nice. Ron is a local man of an adventurous nature and Christel is from Germany. Ron was very interested in our journey and we happily chatted with our new friends. They finished their meal and left, while we were still loitering. Turns out that Ron bought our supper without telling us. Unbelievable! He had even offered to let us stay down at resort about a 20 minute drive away. What an incredible person. His unexpected generosity is more than I can say. What a wonderful man! How fortunate we were to run into such fantastic people.

Today’s hikers included Steppin’ Wolf, Deep, Bobaroo, Tinker, John, No Tent, Sheik and Frog, Poca, Endless, and a whole slew of others. There are always a lot of people around when you go into town/food stops.

This is crazy, but Deep, the guy from Germany and not the kiwi Deep South, hiked a 62 mile day yesterday. And I thought 50 miles was satisfying…

The Timberline Lodge had such an amazing brunch!! Steel cut oats, yoghurt, granola, raspberries, strawberries, cinnamon rolls, chocolate scones, Danishes. Then French toast, covered in raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, warm syrup, and fresh whipped cream, with frittata and Tillamook cheddar scrambled eggs. Ham, sausage, veggie potatoes, banana bread, other pastries. And more! So good! So full. Ready for a food coma. Instead I needed to be productive.

Hit the trail at 12:30 PM with Poca. Endless left around 11 AM. I was super tired. My body ached. The brain shutting down. At least there were great views of Mt. Hood.

We met Endless at Ramona Falls. Beautiful and simple. I love water. Lots of hikers out leaving Timberline. Particularly a sobo couple Dark Side and Blueprint. Mt. Hood is a popular place.

My body was so tired. I had no motivation to hike. Basically wanted to zero. Ugh!! The short 22 miles were painful and exhausting. I barely made it to camp. Every mile was a struggle. Falling asleep now. Night.

Today we took the Eagle Creek Falls Trail alternate. The Indian Springs Trail connector to Eagle Creek was a steep and haphazard path. But once on Eagle Creek Trail, things became very flat, wide, and manicured. According to a sign, this forest burned down in 1902. Now replaced by Douglas Fir trees. You can see the overgrowth on that long forgotten assemblage. Incredible falls the whole length!! And Tunnel Falls was so amazing! Seriously some phenomenal water, rock, falls action going on. Cannot describe how cool that whole river valley is. Everyone in the Portland area should visit the Gorge for some wonderful waterfall hikes. And this is supposed to be a low flow year. Also lucky we got there early because the whole way out from the trail there were tons of day hikers heading in.

While at Tunnel Falls, we met a man named Randy taking time-lapses of the waterfalls. After reaching Cascade Locks we saw him again at a gas station. Taking a chance, we found out he was heading back to Portland and found ourselves a ride. So nice! On the drive to the city he pointed out all the great falls and points of interest along the Gorge. A very nice man offering three very smelly hikers a ride.

Once in the city, Poca headed for her friend’s. Endless and I headed for a hotel. We copiously ate supper at an Indian food buffet. So much food. Then straight to sleep.

I discovered today that I left my camera in Randy’s car trunk. I am desperate to get it back. Endless helped me look up all the Randy’s in the Portland area. No luck. I posted a message to my blog because the three of us shared our Instagram and blog information. I hope he finds it and returns it to me. All of my ~2600 PCT photos from the last three months are on that camera. I’ve lost photos before and I still get teary about it. This would be far worse. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Other than that, Endless and I spent the day in Portland seeing the sights. I slept in, ate lots of hotel continental breakfast, did laundry and took showers (plural). We bought MAX day passes and headed to downtown Portland and the Pearl District. I ate Grassa’s homemade pesto basil linguine pasta for lunch, then over to Powell’s Bookstore, ice cream at Ruby Jewel, and a long walk uphill to the International Test Rose Garden. So beautiful and great smelling! Lots of people. Post frolic in the gardens, we ate HotKiss Pizza for supper. I had a salad and pesto breadstick with local cider. A waterfront walk around dusk. Then we took the MAX and bus back to the hotel. My good friend from high school, Jen, met us there and picked us up. We dropped Endless off at the airport then headed to Tigard where she lives. So wonderful to see her! We stayed up late chatting and catching up.

Jen left early for work and I lavished in a day with zero responsibilities. I walked to a salon for a pedi and mani, then grocery shopped. Jen picked me up after work and we lounged and continued catching up. She cooked me a delicious curry supper. I basically did nothing. Then we watched a movie, Echo, before bed.

Jen left super early this morning for work. When she returned, she made me breakfast and then we went on a shoe and sock mission. Caught a food truck for Thai food. Went to Salt and Straw for ice cream. I had the best flavors!! Waffle cone filled with one scoop Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache and one scoop Coconut with Petunia’s Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Then a TV movie before bed, 16 Again.

Today I realized that mentally and physically I am in need of a break. I did very little associated with trail prep today and I haven’t felt this relaxed in a long time.

Day: 97

Finally prepping for my return.

Day Ninety-seven: 7 August 2015

I spent several hours this morning at Starbucks updating my Instagram photos, Facebook photos, and journal. I have never been great at keeping photos up to date, but since my cell pictures may be my only shots for the whole trip, I thought I should get them going. It took a LONG time to pick, enhance, and post photos.

While Jen worked, I spent the afternoon around downtown. I wrote a bunch of cards and letters, looked up bus to trail logistics. Sat in cafes all day. Then ate at Kells brewery after Jen finished work. I ate a delicious pork tenderloin with beet sauce on top, cauliflower yam mashers, broccolinis, sweet potato fries, German chocolate mouse with cream and short bread cookie, and vanilla ice cream.

After supper we went back to Jen’s and I worked on her computer a bit. Then to bed. My last night in a bed for a while.

Today was a hard day. I had a slow start with repacking all my stuff. I should have done that last night. Then bought a box of chocolate donuts and a coffee for breakfast while chatting with Sidewinder. Finally headed to the trail towards Rim Village and the Rim Trail alternate. Up on the rim though, I found service and many tasks needing addressed. So I hung out a couple hours working on my phone. It reminded me of my day at Acton, trying to do computer stuff from a mobile device. Very frustrating when my non-trail responsibilities creep into my hiking day. Never before was I so tempted to catch a hitch to make up miles, Endless many hours in front of me. Instead I had to hike hard once finally away from Rim Village. Not the best of plans.

There is a divergence of a Hiker PCT and Stock PCT (PCTA official route). I took the scenic route of course. Crater Lake is stunning! The water is super blue. I took Dutton Trail up to Rim Trail and reconnected to the PCT after several miles walking along the crater’s rim. It was more up and down than I expected, and some parts were pretty steep. Also being a Saturday, there were a fair amount of tourists out and about. I savored the view and took it all in, while staying to task and understanding the reality of my morning delays. At two different places I actually saw the family from the restaurant last night. That contributed to my desire to catch a ride to the far end. They were at Rim Village and then Lightning Point. I know they likely drove to the last lookout… Other than that, I never saw any hikers. This only struck me because I saw multitudes of hikers at Rim Village. I also learned that there was a bus from Mazama to Rim Village, not that I would have succumbed to that. At least I don’t think.

Until just before camp, I only saw two hikers all day. Both on the long flat section leaving CLNP. Then Tea Time at the crossing of Hwy 136. A photography couple just before catching Endless, at the great view looking back at CLNP across the valley while up on the saddle. Incredible to look back at where I had come from hours before. Towards evening I finally caught up to Endless. He had only just gotten my message about being at Rim Village all morning. He had delayed his pace to wait for m, while I set us behind with my town chores. We passed Five Star and Nesquick at the water source. It was basically a 27 mile dry stretch today. I was shockingly dehydrated when I ran into Endless. Luckily he had gotten extra water at a cache that was empty when I went through. He generously shared. My whole day was sort of a disaster.

My one moment of serenity was when I saw Pine Marten. It was prancing along the trail right at me, not noticing my presence at all. Then suddenly it ran up a tree to about my head level and peered around around the edge. I was still there of course, so it sped off into a tree thicket to get away.

After catching Endless my evening went a lot better. Thielsen Creek was beautiful. The whole evening was beautiful. Foggy cloud cover at the tops of the trees. Big old trees. There is no tree clearing here, so all the fallen trees look like the splintered remains if giants played a rough game of pick up sticks with the forest. It was eery and silent and stunning. Oregon forests have seemingly complex character and personality.  It’s quite lovely.

Despite my delays and frustrations, we still made a decent day. Though that is likely from us both putting in hard days. We are camped a bit passed the water. Ready for a big day tomorrow.

Lots of sobo hikers today! Greenmile, Primo, Sailor, Groucho, a girl whose name I missed, and Huck (or Huckleberry Hound). Today I hiked with Distance and Cast Away. Distance started the PCT the day after me, and I haven’t seen him since around Bishop Pass. There was K2, a 19 year old guy doing 30’s since beginning. He started May 22, a day before Roadrunner. Endless and I have unknowingly camped with him several times over the past few days.

This morning was the incredibly uneventful OR/WA high point. For me, the OR/WA high point was actually yesterday on Rim Trail around Crater Lake. Though near a higher peak, the high point was just a long flat high spot. Somehow higher than any of the peak bases we will hike along in the coming miles. I am also confused why WA doesn’t get its own high point. What a let down that it has to be grouped with OR as if they are somehow second thoughts to CA with its Forester Pass and optional Mt. Whitney.

After a brief discussion with Distance and Cast Away, Endless and I decided to take the Oregon Skyline Trail alternate into Shelter Cove. It cut off some miles, but with the overall lack of directions I feel like we spent the time saved simply navigating the alternate. It did take us along a lot of lakes, albeit mostly dry ones, and we saw most of the sobo hikers while on it. I have not really done, or even considered, alternates until recently.

I hiked most of the day with Cast Away and Distance, but Endless and I camped a mile passed them. It was nice to hike with people. I mean actually hike together and not just meet at breaks. Everyone is hiking their hike and people don’t really cross paths anymore. The trail seems quiet unless you go through a town, and then you realize how many people there really are. I also learned Distance is a geologist. We talked rocks for a good while. It was great!

At Shelter Cove I met Black Sheep. She was going sobo with her boyfriend until a stress fracture pulled her off. Since she’s from Europe, she is just waiting it out to meet her boyfriend further south to continue. Then there was Hog, whom just happens to have a daughter my age in the Superior area this summer for an internship. Also Cairn, an OR sectioner. Plus the gang of Flying Fish, Mr. White, and Kmart. Distance and Cast Away actually beat us there. A guy named Playa. And another sobo hiker.

There was a couple riding bikes at Charlton Lake tonight. It took me by surprise. I thought I was alone. It always throws me when people are on trail as day users.

Shelter Cove Resort was a nice enough place. Not a good store for a resupply but great hiker box. And mostly friendly. Ate a frozen pizza, breakfast burrito, pop tart, four cans of Pepsi, and a chai tea steamer. Not the meal I was necessarily hoping for, but better than nothing!

Then we hit the trail hard. 30 miles after the three hour break at the resort. That’s 30 miles after noon. Not the easiest ambition.

There were beautiful lakes leaving the Shelter Cove area once back on the PCT. They were the Rosary Lakes, in a pristine, aquamarine chain right after each other. And a great view back at Shelter Cove. Then we climbed up and away. So many lakes. Really nice views. Also a blow down followed by a burn area. Could see all the topography in the barren landscape. An incredible day for seeing lots of cool landscapes.

Some side notes. Distance a Geologist too! Polka Dots named him Distant and then Endless actually told him to take Distance while in Kennedy Meadows. Anyways, he recommended a book called the Great Ocean Conveyor by Wally Brocker. It’s about ocean circulation and climate. Pretty excited to check it out.

Already dark when arrived to Stormy Lake, and there were at least eight tents taking all the good sites. It took twenty minutes to eek out a flat spot and set up camp. Some people near us had left a log smoldering in the fire pit. Unbelievable. Obviously I am tired and cranky.

The trail around here is all labeled as the PCNST. Regularly it stands for the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, but today I saw it spelled out as the Pacific Crest Nordic Ski Trail. The only difference is the obvious increased trail maintenance. The trail is wide, super flat and well maintained, except for the numerous fallen trees. I liked the change.

There had to have been at least eleven hikers at the lake last night. I was last to leave at 7:45 AM. I am still pretty upset about finding a smoldering log, left unattended last night. We were right by a lake! It’s not like smothering the log was going to be a grand challenge. Especially during a fire ban!

Listing people: there were two girls who met our group back before Sierra City, Pocahontas, Dr. Beeker, an older couple and a woman (this is my suspected fire culprits), Captain Morgan and his friend from Bend, Cast Away and Distance, several day hikers, a sobo girl going by Twinless (she was super chatty and nice), heaps of people at the last stream a few miles back with two horses. I surely missed some but today was long.

We stopped around 8 PM tonight. So nice to have camp up and in my sleeping bag by 9:30 PM. We have 30 miles to the Big Lake Youth Camp tomorrow, and I plan to arrive before supper at 5:15 PM. It will be tough but I need sleep tonight.

I am in the Three Sisters Wilderness now. Great views of the three peaks! Though mostly just the South Sister so far. Stunning little valleys around the mountain base.

Today I really began understanding accumulative fatigue. The hard days with little rest is wearing me thin. I am really excited for time off in Portland. Pushing hard has also been rewarding, to see what I am capable of. But the long days are not sustainable. A break will be very needed once I reach Cascade Locks.

This morning we entered the Obsidian Limited Entry Area. So cool! The obsidian was all glassy and sparkly. I’ve never seen obsidian bombs before! And the area ended with a beautiful little waterfall over and obsidian permeated rock face. I wish it had been evening with the setting sun shining directly onto the conchoidal cleavage faces.

Today also included a path by the observatory and lava fields. Lava is brutal on the feet! Which was then followed by quick sand like dust. Let’s just say the hike wasn’t easy this afternoon. Many steps were a mini battle of uneven footing, sharp edges, sliding rocks, fast shifting sand that filled my shoes, and a heat of a sun blazing sky amplified up at me.

Outside of the arduous trail conditions, today brought incredible views of the Three Sisters: South Sister, Middle Sister, North Sister, and four northern mountains: Mt. Washington, Three Finger Jack, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Hood. Unbelievable!

I may it to the Big Lake Youth Camp by 5 PM. Everyone at BLYC is very friendly! They had signs out for us, they accept our packages, give us a hang out room, let us shower, provide laundry if we wait out the whole afternoon, and feed us delicious, all vegetarian meals. To top this off, everything is donation based. Seriously the nicest people I have met in long time along the trail. Supper was fresh veggie burritos with avocado and bananas! Brownies for dessert! And there is even a full youth group on site, as well as several private side parties.

I hiked most of the day with Pocahontas today. She is an awesome person! Also met a nobo sectioner named Ada at supper. There was an interesting older man named Icy Hot. Roadrunner and K2 were already at the camp, on their ways out.

Before the miles of lava field, I saw so many deer this morning. They were everywhere!

I feel like I really earned my mileage today. It was rough going. Scoria truly is difficult to walk on. Plus the dirt quick sand. And exposed burn section. A lot of steep climbing. No water. Brutal! Yet I still had 30 miles by 5 PM. Incredible! I need rest tonight. Pretty excited I got to shower, but wish I could have done laundry too.

The three of us are camped on a sandy cove just off from the main camp property. Many hikers are around. I don’t think I even saw this many up at the buildings tonight.

The trail was really nice today.

After supper, I ate a Backpacker Pantry Creme Brûlée tonight. It was good but I wouldn’t have paid for it. It was a freebie I won at a CDT fundraising event back in Boulder. I wouldn’t have been able to eat the prepackaged meals all this time. Trail food is like fuel for me. I don’t want it to be a subpar example of food I want to eat because that becomes depressing. Unappetizing food that is created for calorie and fat tallies is never desirable, and that can be shoveled down by necessity. It is less likely for me to find gross because I never thought of it as a delicious food reward to begin with. Food as fuel creates less dissatisfaction. And I have greater incentive to reach towns for real food.

Tonight Endless and I are camped by a cranky person. They were sleeping when we rolled in around 9 PM, so we were extra quiet in setting up camp and eating. But about 45 minutes after arriving, while settling down for bed, the camper yelled out, “Shut up already!” I felt bad for waking him from his sleep, but also a bit self righteous at his passive aggression. Thru hiking has made me somewhat judgmental of others’ methods of stress management. It is not necessarily an appealing development in me but a development all the same.

Other people I interacted with today were: Barbara and her dog Angel, Wreck and his son Kevin, a guy whose name I didn’t catch as he walked by, Bambi Magnet by the reservoir bridge, Billy the Kid, Side Borg, and Ricky Bobby. There were actually others, but these are all I can remember right now amongst a few day hiker groups.

Part of my judgement has extended to how other hikers are hiking their hikes. This one actually bothers me quite a bit. I do not and should not have any say or authority in how other people go about their own adventures. However, there was a short cut today that numerous people took and it bothered me to be passed because I hiked the two miles that the shortcut bypassed. It has begun bothering me that so many people are skipping ahead and boasting recognition for an unearned rate of pace.

Around sunset tonight I saw four middle sized bucks. They heard me coming and quickly made an escape, but I saw them before they disappeared. Endless recently made a comment about having not seen many males, so of course I was presented with a sight for the contrary. This morning I also saw what Wreck told me was a blue tailed juvenile skink. My roommates back in Colorado had a skink once named Persephone. She did not like me, but the blue tailed one flashed its bright blue at me several times as I tried to catch the perfect view on my camera.

This morning, before leaving Callahan’s, Cheetah’s parents, Terry and Marg, gave us cookies and rice crispies!!!!! What a great surprise!!! Cheetah was supposed to get in today and they wanted to trail angel with sodas and cookies before he arrived. What incredibly nice people they are!

Since we decided to go for the full Callahan experience, along with our plan to push hard through Oregon, Endless and I stayed for the pancake breakfast and had a very late 10:45 AM start. It was so worth it! Breaky was fresh fruit, cinnamon raisin bread pudding, eggs, bacon, and bottomless pancakes. We hit the trail on pancake power!

Today I saw a lot of faces I never really expected to see again. Sort of going backwards, Recon was at the last water for the day, then Sunburst (a girl Endless started the PCT with) and Guino, I caught G&G (the badass retired ultra marathon running couple), and they told me about seeing the woman with the horse and puppy (though I did not actually see them). There was also Grock, F-bomb, an older Asian couple, a dad with two sons and three dogs, a father and an adult daughter who are south sectioners, and then a woman named River who is nobo hiking all the sections over a few years.

I have now thought a lot about the long NorCal section that is basically disregarded, or at least given zero conversation, by most. My conclusion is that it is like the forgotten slice of cheesecake in the back of the fridge. CA is so large and rich with trail that it’s hard to get through the whole thing, even though every last bite holds untold deliciousness. I think a lot of people might get discouraged as they reach and hike through NorCal. Coming up on Mt. Shasta provided stunning views and you are so close to Oregon, but then you realize that a 70 mile drive up I-5 from Castle Crags brings you right to the border of Oregon whereas the trail takes another 200 miles to accomplish the same task. It is overwhelming. I know I could not help think about how long I had already been hiking and wonder if I would ever reach the end. Thus, I think NorCal is unfortunately an area where hikers skip large sections to feel that sense of forward progress. I know I was tired of seeing Shasta in the distance as I hiked west, then south, then west, and finally north away from Castella over several days. I am still thinking about all the old faces I saw today and have been seeing these last couple weeks. I know a lot of people must have skipped sections somewhere. I wonder if that’s why NorCal and Oregon are not given much discussion. Do people just skip them?

The trail was not quite as nice as yesterday. The volcanic rocks are a pain to walk on. Very sharp and loose. There are also a surprising amount of fallen trees on the trail, along with a lot of unmarked trail junctions. Just seemed harder than yesterday.

There was a sign today indicating the 2/3 completion mark today. Wow! Doesn’t seem that long, yet seems like I’ve been out here forever. A few days feels like a week. It’s been 82 days but I would swear it’s been over three months already. Time doesn’t matter past the next town stop, yet the enormity of time already gone by seems to linger on the mind. Creeping in now is my upcoming deadline. I do have limitations to how long I can be out here before returning to CO and KS. Much to do with my dwindling time. There is also talk of Washington fire troubles ahead. Detours and other obstacles.

Crossing a creek, I saw an adorable little colony, chorus, or army of 50+ baby frogs (I don’t think they were toads, but then they would be a knot of baby toads…) Then I saw a small pond filled with juvenile salamanders. Adorable! It’s like amphibian day!

People: a man doing a sobo section of Oregon, another older man named Sidewinder, a girl I think is a nobo section hiker, several groups out for short lake trips heading away from CLNP, Eric and Sage, and then TONS of people at CLNP. Most notably, Tami! So happy to see her! It’s been over a month!

There was a very distinct burn zone that seemed relatively recent. Or at least recent enough that I noticed the lack of vegetation and shade.

I have been thinking about hiker personalities based solely on shoe prints lately. Speed, style, size, etc. As if the unknown person leaves traces of his or her personality in each step. I rarely ever match prints to people, but it is a fun mental distraction as I trek away the miles. Big thought of today was when did we start having 28 mile days into town stops? I used to have an 18 mile cap. I still arrived before 5 PM and had time for a shower and thorough lounging. Just seems excessive. The things we do on trail. I wonder about my sanity and logic systems sometimes.

Anyways, today we reached mile 1800! I felt like yesterday took forever. Today, however, I haven’t really thought about the trail at all. My mind wandered freely. I discover that I move faster when my mind isn’t focusing on things. The distance seems easier and the terrain challenges become part of the view. An interesting complex as maybe my mind was able to wander because of other unknown factors.

We made it to CLNP! Crater Lake National Park. We decided to stay in Mazama Village at the hiker site. Pretty awesome! People were super nice! And another showing of incredibly generous parents of current hikers. Nomad’s and Rattles’ parents were at an RV site in the campground providing unbelievable magic. A hiker supper!!!!! They had pasta, homemade meatballs in marinara, delicious bread roasted with garlic butter, fresh cut fruit, ice cream, and these homemade cookie cream sandwiches that are unique to Idaho or something. I hungrily stuffed my face and thanked them profusely. There had to be at least twenty to thirty hikers who dined with them. Such generosity! And my great fortune!

After the coma-like sleep from last night, I woke up feeling pretty rested. My body acknowledged the rocky ground jabbing into it as uncomfortable, and I took that to be a good sign. Especially since last night that ground felt quite comfortable. My legs feel wobbly, like they had forgotten what to do. Or maybe it’s that they are silently refusing to do anything. Either way I had a stagger today. I gave them several good rub downs and rested luxuriously, but they tightened up repeatedly.

I hadn’t thought about this at all, but from the trailhead, Etna is about eleven miles away and during a weekday the road is a very quiet one. I woke at 6:30 AM and saw only one vehicle pass by going towards Etna. There were however, multiple trucks and work vehicles headed the opposite way. We had one empty SUV pass and just wave as the driver continued towards Etna. Considering that had been 45 minutes of waiting at the road, we thought we might have a hard time even making it to Etna. Shortly after though, two trucks pulled up and the front guy said they would give us a ride, one to a truck. Score! I hopped into the front truck and Endless to the back one. These were old cabs that only seated two. I unfortunately forget the name of my generous driver, but the following truck with Endless was a guy named Wes. Both locals, they are driving truckloads of rock to the forest area on the opposite direction where last summer a 150,000 sq. ft. forest fire devastated this area. My driver told me all sorts of interesting things about the rivers, forest, and fires for this area. In particular, I liked the story about Man Eaten Lake. It’s one of his favorites and right off trail. The name is from lore about an Indian group camped at the lake and a giant salamander coming out and eating someone. Also a few years ago a hiker supposedly fell off the trail down into the lake and died. His body was found in the Klamath River six months later, despite that there is no connection between lake and river, as if an underground tunnel, like a Blue Hole, exists or something. It was a great hitch and he assured me that the ride back to trail is much easier to acquire than waiting for someone to drive by the trailhead.

Endless and I went straight to Bob’s Ranch House and ate two breakfasts a piece. Endless then ate a cream filled chocolate donut from the bakery. They were running low on supplies by that time for my tastes. We walked back to the main town area and spent many hours relaxing at the Wildwood Crossing Coffeehouse and Cafe. A really great hangout! Etna is a town of maybe 700 people, everyone was super friendly and PCT conscious. Every single person in the cafe took time to chat with us. So nice and very amicable! We went to the grocery and I bought way too much food for the 56 miles to Seiad Valley. I also ran over to the thrift shop to look for a dress (no luck!), stopped by the library to print a paper, and cut the corners off my current dress for patch material. While loitering in front of the grocery, a guy named Matt offered us a ride back to the trailhead. He is super cool! In the past he has run a trail magic setup just before the trailhead, but currently he had a two month old baby occupying his interests. Said he hadn’t been up to the trail in over a month and was glad for the excuse to drive up. He does a lot of hiking around the area, and it sounded quite extensive. One of many generous and outdoor loving locals.

We had a late start tonight, like 6 PM sort of late, so only hiked about eight miles to the first water source. We are cowboy camped near Lindsey and Happy Baby.

In town, we saw Hoots, Legs, Super Classy, Phoenix, Lone Wolf, Lebowski, and Beetlejuice. Endless said he saw Haymaker, Spills, and Cheetah heading to the brewery. There were numerous others who I didn’t exchange conversation with. This might be the most hikers in one place that I have seen since Sierra City. I am still incredulous by how many hikers can be hiking parallel to each other without ever crossing paths. At least until the town stops. An incredible time in town! Definitely one of the most hiker friendly places.

I am getting worse at wanting to list all the people I’ve crossed each day. First I passed Super Classy. She also wears a dress. I have been mistaken for her a few times in the past. The only other woman in a dress that I have met. She started at the beginning of April and has done a lot of crazy flipping around to avoid bad weather. That is likely why my appearance in a dress is mistaken for her. Then I saw Lindsey and Happy Baby. They are moving along well! I like them. Next was Legs. After that I saw Hoots and two day hikers on a trail junction. Down by the stream in front of the Marble Valley cabin, I saw two day hikers with two dogs (Buck and Mika), two climbers, and a day hiker. Two trail crew guys also came down the trail to get supplies from the cabin. They let us look inside. It was pretty cool! A ranger used to be stationed out of there each summer. Hoots had gone by while we were getting water and the same couple from earlier also came down and got water. Later at Paradise Lake, I met three section hikers named Scout Master, Melissa, and Michelle. They were cool. Then at camp we found Hoots and another section hiker named TK, or The Kid. I really like TK. A really genuinely nice guy. He is between his first and second years in undergrad, and I am excited for his future.

Today there was so much going on scenery-wise. The weather was perfect! I ate lunch at the cabin in the valley below the Marble Mountains. A beautiful spot. We walked around the grand Marble Mountains and Black Marble Mountain. I was really enjoying the marble peaks. I thought the white peaks were the same granite plutons from Cassel Crags, instead I was surprised with really nice marble structures. I have always been very fond of marble. Metamorphosed limestone. It intrigues me in its simplicity. Then Endless and I stopped at the not so Paradise Lake. We wanted to swim, but ended up just rinsing off in the outlet stream. Anyways, there were basically just so many stunning views today. I loved it all! And we hiked it pretty casually. There wasn’t a rush. Breaks were relaxing and frequent. I had a great day.

Bugs were out with a vengeance tonight. We started the hike down into Seiad Valley and are camped on this not so camp-like area at the end of a road. Hoots and TK are here. Because of the rocky ground, the four of us are spread out across a huge area, into small nooks of the least rockiness.

These past few days I have been feeling extra exhausted and dealing with fever-like night sweats. As per usual, I was ignoring these side effects of thru hiking. Today I was at strings end though. The heat creeping up on the valley as we dropped down to 1300 feet and the 6.2 mile exposed road walk into town, both took their toll. I was cranky, tired, and dehydrated. Never before had I so badly wanted an ice cold Arnold Palmer, giant Oreo milkshake, side salad, BLT (both made with the biggest and freshest tomato slices!!!), and crispy hot fries. I have a worry that my worn body is struggling with an immune response. I picked up some ibuprofen and gave myself a one over to look for other ailments. All I can find is feet issues, and I finally removed the last two darkened toenails that have been hanging on a bit too long. In all, I have lost six toe nails. Hoping this is just a temporary hurdle.

The hike this morning, everything prior to the road walk section, was incredibly relaxing and easy. All downhill, not too steep, walking along a beautiful river valley. Endless and I met Lizard, Pie, and Marisa on the way to town. In town was Robo Doc with Roadrunner at the cafe. Hoots, TK, and Aloha all showed up too. We all hung out in the shade for the afternoon heat. I finally started sewing up my dress. I still have a ways to go, but I think the patches will work swimmingly. Way later than we intended, Endless and I started the 4500 foot climb out of the valley. We didn’t go far. There really isn’t a need to rush as we are planning to stay at Callahan’s Siskiyou Lodge in two days’ time. But we made it halfway up and are camped on a nice ledge with a view back down at Seiad Valley, a view of the setting sun, and a view of the starry sky above. A perfect camp site.

I have done a lot thinking recently. Mostly about my post trail life. There were many things I wanted to do before moving to California, but with extending my hike, I chose to alter those plans. I also thought about how lonely my hike would have been if I had hiked at my expected pace instead of adjusting to my various companions. I am so thankful to have hiked with good people this whole trek so far.

Today I passed the California and Oregon border. How incredible! It is strange to think about finally being in Oregon. Seems like I have been trying to get out of California for so long, I don’t know how to think about Oregon and Washington. Seiad Valley marked the less than 1000 miles to go mark. That means I am not quite 2/3 finished. Oregon and Washington will breeze by, and then what? Do I begin planning my next thru hike? Or a change of direction? I have been wanting to get into cycling, so maybe the transamerican bike ride? Or Southeast Asia? So many interests, how to choose? Especially since my next five years are fairly tied to Santa Barbara.

Today I met Emma, or Lil’ Trucker, then Gary, a older man out for his first thru hike of a week, and Juke Box, a nobo section hiker.

Last night we had service and checked in with our beloved S&M. After some discussion, it was put out there that maybe S&M could join us to finish Washington.

Endless flies home the 4th and back the 9th for his little brother’s wedding. I could take a few days in Portland to see my friend Jen, then start out leisurely for the border and let Endless catch up and S&M join whenever she is free. It may not work, but it would be awesome if a whole group of us could finish together.

Callahan’s and today showed a fair amount of hikers. Roadrunner went to Ashland and came back to stay at Callahan’s. Met Marathon John, Crunchmaster and Face, a woman with her dog who is doing a section, an older man, and I met Nomad and Rattles on my way to Callahan’s as they were leaving. I also had the opportunity to run into Terry and Marg, Cheetah’s parents. Nice people!

Callahan’s is fantastic! The day desk man, Brandon, was so friendly as I walked in. He immediately sat me down at a table to relax, grabbing my free first beer. I then told him I would be staying for the Hiker Special, that is camping, shower, laundry, supper, and breakfast. A deal! They gave me towel, tag, and robe! They had soap and a hiker bathroom. Plus detergent for the laundry. So wonderful! Supper was spaghetti and warm bread! Endless and I added some supplemental milkshakes, fries, and desserts to our meals. Very relaxing and friendly. Definitely the hiker friendly place they claim to be!

Today my brain honed in on an idea I have thought about a few times before, but which was rekindled recently. I want to write a guide book for the PCT to provide information about the geology, history, flora and fauna, and whatever else I think is noteworthy. There isn’t a concise book that does this service. People are always intrigued by the random tid bits I tell them about geology or whatever. Plus I personally would love getting to learn the in-depth geological background for the PCT. It was suggested that I create an app like Halfmile’s so the info shows up based on the GPS vicinity. I am not sure I would ever want to do my own GPS apps, but let’s start with if I even start the project to begin with.

Saw Jongjump and Kay Catts with Croomidor. They must have gotten behind at a water spot. I met a guy named Fifty at the top of the path down to Moosehead Creek. We sat there and chatted a long while. Endless showed up and about the same time Feral and Kale walked up from the water trail. The three of us picked up water and then walked another three miles to the campsite. At the camp was Aloha, chilling out by a fire. He had gotten there a few hours prior and was heading to bed until we showed up and all of us chatted a while. A late night but great company!

While hanging out I had a dilemma with getting my supper into my little bowl. The additional items I fill into my potato suppers has grown and the little ziplock bowl I started with may need replacing. I cannot imagine that I will suddenly start eating less.

Overall a mostly uneventful but lovely day. The most notable thing today was that I felt like we crossed every Forest Service and jeep road in this whole area. There was road crossing after road crossing after road crossing. It was somewhat ridiculous. Why are there so many roads through here? Or why does the trail cross the same roads so many times? I also saw the man from last night who is hiking a short section with his family. He was with his wife a little ways back from his son and brother ahead at the river. Nice people.

Despite a lot of breaks and a pretty casual pace, Endless and I made 31 miles still. We are definitely becoming more efficient in our hiking. Consistently keeping the same pace even in the evening hours instead of slowing down after lunch.

8 AM start. Really wanted to sleep in today. Yesterday I was exhausted. Today I was immediately presented with a beautiful view of Mt. Shasta. I didn’t realize we go so close to it! It was spectacular!

There was a surprising amount of uphill today. The elevation profiles seem to be muted a little or something on my Halfmile pages. I almost caught Fifty at the top of the long uphill but took a break instead. Then I did catch him at Deer Creek. We hiked out together and caught Endless and then Aloha. Aloha was just getting up from a break. We stopped at the next water source and ate a snack with Endless. Fifty paced off me the rest of the day. It was to have the company where I was setting the pace the whole time. I felt good today but still somewhat tired.

Pretty much never saw Aloha again. Ran into Smellin’ Keller and Screwloose at the Ash Camp Campground near McCloud River. There were providing some trail magic while waiting for Blues. Saw Nips towards evening. Haven’t seen him since the few days into Donner Pass and our Auburn trip.

Made it to camp. Aloha must be ahead. There are three other tents here. At least the closest one is a couple. Could be more just ahead. There are always a lot of hikers camped within the last fifteen miles into a town stop. Oh how predictable we thru-hikers become.

Falling asleep while journaling for the second night. Up too late hanging out with Endless and Fifty.

Screw Loose and Smellin’ Keller gave Endless and me a ride to Mt. Shasta. We walked to Castella first, adding 2.5 miles to our walked distance today. Then they picked us up. We dropped Screw Loose off at the trail to do some trail magic then we continued into Mt. Shasta. So nice of Smellin’ Keller to give us a ride.

Saw Kale Dreamer and Dharma Bum, Stummy and Stinger, Nominal Toast and Rebo, Tarzan and One of Us on trail. Saw Courage, Hornbuckle, Haymaker and Garbelly, at Ammirati’s in Castella. Cheetah and Spills at trailhead when dropping off Screwloose. Hawaii and Beer Goddess, Houdini and Johnny Walker, Aloha, Fifty, Hoots, Ram, and more in town. We have run back into the bubble. The Fourth of July must have created a small void that we shot through and are back into the herd ahead. It is nice but also leading to some new faces.

Endless and I spent this town stop getting rest mostly, but we were also productive. Though I was not nearly as productive as I wanted to be. We stayed at the Travel Inn. Hoots stayed there too. It has been really nice to catch up with him.

Since we made it to town early in the day, I worked on chores right away. A quick shower at the hotel and we were off. I bought new socks and a poncho! I need to do some frankensteining on my tattered dress. We ate at Say Cheese Pizza. Really good! Then bought food at Ray’s grocery.

There is a surprising number of homeless and vagrant types in Mt. Shasta. Apparently it’s due to Mt. Shasta having a portal to another universe. These are not homeless or vagrants after all, but Lemurians. Residents of the hidden city of Telos, Saint Germain, and alien landings. There is a vortex to a higher dimension of consciousness, and the thru-hikers blend into the crowd. It’s unfortunate as many locals seem apathetic to PCT’ers and our need for rides.

Great day. Had so much to do. Busy at hotel. Endless went to do our laundry. Then we went to Dunsmuir via bus. Everything closes in Dunsmuir on Mondays and Tuesdays. But we still went to a drive thru coffee place, the brewery for lunch and beer, then finished up at the Burger Barn for fries and a big milkshake. At Burger Barn we met Victor and Dillon, a nice couple who drove us back to the trailhead. Victor apparently stops by the trailhead everyday on his way to work to pick up PCT stragglers.

Endless and I hit the trail around 4:30 PM, hiked ten miles, and setup camp early. It was really nice to be relaxing at camp well before 8 PM. We want to do a big day tomorrow, so I wanted to be in bed early too. I am longing to return to the days where I actually woke at 6 AM and was ready to go.

I was on trail at 7 AM. The beginning of the day was an arduous 12 miles of uphill. There was almost no downhill that whole section. It was an exhausting start to the day for me. I wasn’t moving very fast. I ran into Ram just before the end of the climb. He too seemed at a loss for the uphill. He made an encouraging remark about the elevation profile leveling out after about 29 or 30 miles. Hahaha!

Spills and I then played leap frog for a little while. At the 18 mile mark I hit the pipes spring and found Wild Bill, Haymaker, Garbelly, and Cheetah. The five of them were headed to a lake a couple miles ahead. Aloha was apparently taking a nero at the same lake. I hiked ahead and saw Red Feather, then Lone Wolf and Phoenix. At Deadfall Lakes I met Beetlejuice and Lebowski, who are hiking with Lone Wolf and Phoenix.

Recently with all the rain and bigger days, I have stopped taking photos at everything beautiful and all trail signs. Today there were numerous road crossings and trailheads, and I decided it was a good day to start that regime again. It was nice. I feel like the pictures break up the hike ad make things more memorable.

I stopped at Deadfall Lakes for a late lunch and found Endless there. He had already done lunch and stopped at the lakes for a swim. He was again ahead of me. I felt like I couldn’t move today. It was only a 6200′ up and 3000′ down, but I was struggling with my speed.

I do think it was a nice day. Started feeling soreness in my feet and legs as evening set in, but we were still at camp by 7:45 PM.

While hiking today I realized that we would have almost exactly 50 miles left into Etna. Endless and I have both ran 50 mile races and had already talked about doing a 51 mile day somewhere to up our day total. Had we not stopped the night before Castle Crags, that would have been exactly 51 miles. I was itching to not miss another possibility. I talked to Endless and we stopped at the saddle so tomorrow is over 50 miles.

Camped at a saddle on side of trail. Not really a camp site, but we managed our two tents. A little buggy lately, tonight too. Windy also. Somewhat chilly! Rodent tried to get into Endless’s pack. Had chipmunks hanging around my pack at the lake. Varmints are worse than bears!

Read more of Sea Wolf. We realized we are a third of the way through and only have three weeks until Endless goes home for his brother’s wedding. Need to get to work!

Today I thought about how the PCT, and life, has a way of bringing people together, separating them apart, and causing a convolution of their paths. I have always felt that life brings people into my life at just the right time when I need to learn a lesson from them. It may be a glimpse of a fleeting moment or a hard earned battle scar, but always the people that come into and out of my life help me discover a new potential, an idea, or an inspiration.

Sleepy now. Big day tomorrow. Night.

This is the profile of our day:

1547.1-1597.3: 50.2 miles of 8300′ up and 9100′ down.

1568.8-1597.3: 28.5 miles of 5200′ up and 6300′ down.

1586.8-1597.3: 10.5 miles of 1900′ up and 2250′ down.

Not an easy day if you think about it. In fact, we didn’t really have any long stretch of nice flat terrain. The footing was rough and rocky. The ups and downs were steep. Today more than any other day I feel truly accomplished.

I was on trail at 6:30 AM, and we reached the trailhead just after midnight at 12:15 AM. Less than 18 hours, including an hour long lunch, hour long supper, and breaks in between for water, resting, and so on. This is the longest distance I’ve traveled in a day. I did a 50 mile trail race last summer, but that was out and back. Today was point A to point B. Pretty incredible. I cannot even describe how amazing it feels. Thinking back a few weeks ago for the 44 mile day. That was 17 hours and 6.2 miles shorter. I feel great!

Back to other thoughts for the day, I comprehended today that everyone ahead new will for the most part be brand new. Endless and I have passed most of the people we met previously. There are still several ahead, but more that are unknown.

First thing I met two different groups of four people doing the same section north, hiking from Castle Crags to Ashland. Then there were two sobo hikers going from Ashland south. When I ran into Endless, he was with a man who had just had an encounter with a large green rattlesnake. Next were a couple, Lindsey and Happy Baby. Then we saw Hornbuckle. He had taken off from Castle Crags the afternoon we got in. Towards evening we passed Kale Jumper and Dharma Bum. They hadn’t stayed in the last town at all. Two new people, Opossum and Steely. Topped off with Courage camped beside the trail at the final saddle. A lot of people over a lot of miles.

I am surprised by how much the town stops have become an important aspect of this trip. On the CT, I wanted nothing to do with towns except use the resources and leave. On the PCT, it has given me the opportunity to witness not just the natural beauty, but also the historical timelines, cultural influences, local flavors, and the people. The people may be the key. Never before have I experienced such unfathomable selflessness, generosity, and kindness from complete strangers. Today Endless walked into a family’s camp area and they asked if he needed anything to drink because he must be thirsty. They gave him warm juice poured into his water bottle. They were aware of the trail but not expecting hikers to barge into their space. The woman gave me a scan and exclaimed, “Look at her legs! They’re yoked!” It was just one of many fantastic interactions I have had on this journey.

Today has been beyond long and it is actually tomorrow already. We laid out our bags at the foot of the trailhead bulletin. Cowboy camped. The ground is hard and rocky, my legs and body and feet are sore and exhausted, but I feel good. Sleep will be easy tonight. And tomorrow we will lounge around in Etna. 🙂

Woke early for the first time this whole trail break. Liza drove us back to Belden. Another trail angel who has gone above and beyond regular levels of kindness for strangers. I am still amazed and so thankful! We said our goodbyes and snapped a group photo before hitting the trail. It was 10 AM. We sent Liza toward the Caribou Crossings Cafe for a scrumptious milkshake.

For me, the rest of the day can be described as: hot, uphill, miserable, tiring, and brutal on my weakened feet and legs after all the rest. No blisters or pain, but my legs will definitely need a coping period. I cannot imagine hiking the PCT in sections if I only had a few weeks each summer. You would always be going through the worst part of the trip with weak legs, blisters, and whole body exhaustion where 20 miles is a long day.

S&M was first to camp. She killed it on the 15 miles of uphill! I was dying and she just shrugged off the last few hours of my torture. I didn’t get there until around 8:45 PM. Too late in my opinion. There was an older man already camped there. His name is Deluxe for Luxembourg, where he is from. I hope we weren’t too loud getting in late and having our nightly bedtime story.

Twenty miles and I am beat. Another day off and I might not have made it to camp. My body lost its ability to cope with the miles. I am convinced that means that zeros are bad and they make hiking harder. Getting back to neros might be the best plan.

We crossed mile 1300 today! It is incredible to think about how far we have come. I have walked 1300 miles, give or take. My feet have seen some amazing places, and I am thankful my body still carries me forward despite all the struggles, ails, and pains.

Another day of so many people, I am just going to list them. Smokey, the guy from last night at the water source, passed me still at camp then I passed him again. He was very intrigued by my geology background. I liked him. Then I chatted a short while with Deluxe, the Luxembourg man from last night’s camp. I met Brawny and Root Canal at the mile 1313 creek. It was a 0.3 mile downhill trek with an uphill return of the same trail. I really didn’t want to go down there but the next water was a ways off. Endless and I chatted with Brawny and she said Root Canal would have extra water if we waited. Wait we did and quickly Root Canal returned bearing gifts like a water angel. Then I saw Tom Tit and Bush Tit. The couple from the day going into Echo Lakes. At the midway point was Half Slow. He is hiking Chester to Belden on a flip. He is the hiker I heard about from the two guys I met the morning after leaving Kennedy Meadows. Half Slow is supported by Legend and an RV. He kept calling at me, “Nice dress lady!” and, “Halfway! Lady.” Very entertaining. It reminded me of the day hiking over Kearsarge Pass, Cat Lady had never seen me in my dress. When I showed up at the lunch gathering and chatted with Tami, Cat Lady asked someone who the nicely dressed lady talking to Tami is. Still cracks me up. Rain Gear was also there. I met him at North Kennedy Meadows with Johnny Walker. I arrived at the midway monument with Cookie Monster. I really love his name! Coincidentally I turned on my mobile to take photos and received a message from my roommate, Andrew, with a photo of a little girl annihilating a Cookie Monster cake and a note that the picture reminded him of me. So sweet! There was also a man named Road Walker, and two guys named Wild Pony and something else, who were all at the last water source before the highway crossing for Chester. At Highway 36, I met a couple at from Hawaii. They were really nice. I spent a fair amount of the evening rain running into them and chatting at the camp area a few miles passed the highway.

Maybe a bit more information than necessary, but today is day two of going commando in my dress. My thighs are chaffed right where my unders rub the crease area and I just cannot have fabric there right now. I will say that I feel shockingly free in this setup. Every chore that became easier by wearing a dress was even easier by not wearing unders. Had to mention it. I have met many hikers who aware by the commando lifestyle on trail.

Today was the halfway mark! Seriously unbelievable! The monument says 1325 miles to Canada and 1325 miles to Mexico. With changes in the trail over the years, the mileage is actually sitting at Halfmile 1326.3. The current trail tally is sitting at 2660.1 miles, so the official halfway should be 1330.1. Either way, I crossed the midpoint today!

Thought I could see Mt. Shasta in distance today. Turned out to be Lassen Peak. We are coming up to the Lassen National Park area very soon! Can’t wait for some volcanic activity and needing out on geology thoughts!

There was rumored trail magic at Hwy 36 where the Chester hitch is. Cookies and milk, fruit, soda. Sadly, nothing was left when I arrived. I suspect we have to cross magic early on in the day for there to still be anything left for other people.

Endless and I hiked through rain tonight. Rain is miserable, but sitting around in rain is worse. The rain had stopped by the time we reached camp. Only the ground was wet. Three or so other tents at North Forks Feather River where we setup. S&M never turned up. We will wait for her at lunch tomorrow.

This morning I met a woman named Steady. She has the same Exifficio shirt as me. Which is impressive because either that shirt is still made or Steady bought hers about eight years ago. Steady was one of the tent occupants from last night. Light Feather was another tent occupant from camp last night. She is the Western States 100 runner who Endless and I met before reaching Donner Pass. She was at Drakesbad Ranch with us. Pine Stick, an older man I passed in the rain last night, also arrived to Drakesbad while we were there.

While at Drakesbad Ranch, I turned in my phone and received a message from S&M detailing that she had went off trail at Chester and will not be coming to meet us. This news really saddened me. I was upset and confused and without service to call her. S&M has become one of my favorite persons since starting this trail. I was a little devastated to receive that message.

Endless and I ate lunch at Drakesbad Guest Ranch. So much food! And a kitchen worker gave us a whole tray of leftover breakfast scones while we waited. My plate included carrot cake, chocolate chip cookie, salad, potato salad, pasta salad, fruit salad, biscuits, fried chicken, and so much more. I ate way more than my stomach could handle and struggled in the afternoon. But I think it was worth it.

Today was a rainy day again. But much worse than yesterday. The clouds and thunder started shortly after we left Drakesbad. A very light sprinkling at first, it turned into a cold, hail dropping, deluge that has not let up yet. I don’t mind hiking through rain, but it needs to stop at some point. Today I was already bummed about S&M, overstuffed from lunch, and then so cold and wet my fingers weren’t functioning. It became a miserable day in all.

Endless and I hiked for a while into the rain but we only lasted a couple hours before the allure of a warm bed stopped us on a very early and short day. We saw only one tent after leaving Drakesbad. Though I doubt if anyone made much forward progress in that sodden misery. The rain started about 3 PM and there was a very brief pause about 8:30 PM, but the rains continues.

Saw Steady again this morning. She caught me in my unders trying to avoid putting on my cold and wet dress. She must have been the sole hiker tent we saw the night before.

I am so glad Endless and I stopped when we did last night. Almost immediately after our camp area, the trail went through a burn area for several miles. Camping in burn areas is not my favorite, especially during thunder and lightning rain and hail storms, where charred and fragile tree carcasses are waiting to plummet to the ground. A dangerous camp area in all. Anyways, it made me think of the crews of people who clear the trail for us. All the hard work they put in, only to be disdained by the oblivious hiker who is inconvenienced by a tree fallen across the trail. Seeing the burn areas this morning also made me think first of the scene from Fantasia 2000. Igor Stravinsky’s 1919 Firebird Suite. The evil black firebird sleeping in the volcano sweeps over the land in a raging burning front, leaving a charred and destroyed forest in it wake. Love that movie! And the original one too. I used to watch those movies repeatedly at my grandparents’ growing up as a child. Then I started thinking about the different types of fires in terms of fire speed and landscape logistics, canopy versus ground burns, and fire paths and movement. Which lead my brain back to my summer internship at UMN working on a paleoecology fire proxy project looking at different types of preserved tree char. In lake sediment. I focused so much on the paleo side of that project that I never thought much about what a stand of burned trees around a lake would look like. Especially in terms of the ash transportation into the lake. Science is a wonderful thing.

It was a beautiful calm morning. The trail was heavily covered with mulch. Clearly everything was flooded yesterday. It was quite and peaceful. The calm after the storm.

I also walked through a tree harvest area. The trees are all the same age, there are no other trees or shrubs or plants, everything was perfectly lined up, and there were access clearings every 50 feet or so. It has been awhile since I’ve walked through a harvest area. It was a stark difference to the burn area, followed by cleared blowdown area, followed by harvested area.

The trail went fast this morning. We arrived to Old Station earlier than expected. Are lunch at JJ’s Cafe in Old Station. I had a Cobb salad with wheat bread and pepper jack and cheddar grilled cheese on sourdough with fries. Delicious! They source locally, make everything fresh, and bake all the bread fresh each morning. Seriously one of the best trail meals I have had. This place needs to be promoted! While there, I met Cool Breeze and Puff Puff. Also saw Aloha! He got in as Endless and I were leaving.

Nerd out moment. Before leaving Old Station, we went over to Subway Cave, a lava shoot turned cave. Very cool! Tiny but spectacular! Collapsed ceiling entrance, scoria flooring, lavacicles, burst lava bubble. So awesome! I have minimal exposure to volcanic structures and it is definitely something I intend to investigate more once Cali becomes my new home.

We could see the rain approaching. Ominous clouds were slowing creeping over Hat Creek Rim as we were climbing up. We made it until 5:45 PM before the rain hit. Sudden and strong. But not overbearing like yesterday. Up on the rim I could see out in many directions. Blue sky and sunshine laid ahead if only I could get there. This is the type of rain I can handle, when I can see the light on the horizon. The rain stopped by 7:30 PM and Endless and I regrouped around 8 PM at the Hat Creek Rim lookout. Spectacular views! Clouds, sunset, deep red sky, vast mountainscape. Amazing.

We hiked until the rumored water cache. It was a cute little shelter. If only we had arrived before the rain had started. Regardless, we made a solid 35.7 mile day with a large multi-hour afternoon break. We camped at a flat spot on the side of the dirt Road 22 where the cache is off from. The ground was covered in cow patties and everything had a slightly too pungent odor after the fresh rain.

The only downside to the day, is that I left my socks at the cafe! Drats! And of course it was the non-holy ones that were left behind.

Soda at mile 1410, water at mile 1416.5 Burney Falls State Park

There was a group of three camped just passed us last night. Blues, his wife, Smellin’ Keller, and his brother-in-law, Screw Loose. I passed them just after coming off the rim.

The best part of the day was definitely the Wild Bird Cache at mile 1410. AMAZING! Saw Kay Catts and Longjump with Croomidor. Then Aloha. He brought my abandoned socks! So happy! Puff Puff saw me leave them behind thank goodness. I received a phone call from Hoots that he was in Burney the town but was heading to the park that night. There w a sobo section hiker, Jason. I met the people running the cache: Randy and Kathy and their friend Pete. Really incredible! They live just off the trail and have been slowly building this unexpected trail magic for the past four years. After four hours of loitering, I finally left to finish the last seven miles. I could have stayed there the rest of the day though.

Seven miles later, made it to Burney Falls State Park. Saw the falls lookout. Springs are the most fantastic things. The headwaters looked like a dried out riverbed. Then slowly it becomes these raging waters until they flow over the falls. Beautiful. Spectacular. Nature.

At the General Store I met Haymaker and Garbelly. Nice guys. Pulling big miles, like 40’s to reach Ashland really quickly. A nice man also came over and chatted with us. He is section hiking from here to Cassel Crags, 88 miles. He is hiking with his wife, son, and brother. Pretty neat!

Endless, Aloha, and I hung out a while at the store. Eventually Hoots shows up! And then Garbelly and Haymaker left for the trail. We walked to camp area. A guy gave us directions and soap bars! Setup camp and showered. Aloha and I got lost returning from bathhouse. Late night but not too bad. Tomorrow I want a bigger day so tonight I need rest. Castella/Dunsmuir/Shasta City are 83 miles away. I want to be there in three days. Let’s get going!

It feels like nothing happened today. It was beautiful and nice and we hiked. The end. Overall a pretty quiet day. I hiked alone today too. Normally I hang out more to cross paths with Endless and S&M, but today I just hiked ahead. It was something I haven’t done in a long time. I forget how much I can lose myself in thought while left to my own devices. I think I’ve missed that. In fact, there has not been a single day this whole hike where I woke up when I wanted, hiked freely at my own agenda, stopped when I wanted, and camped wherever I ended up that night. Always there is a predetermined camp or multiple inputs on where camp should be, and always there are people I will run into or take breaks or lunch with. Strange.

While packing up camp and shortly after leaving camp, I saw One of Us on trail and KC and Longjump packing up their camp. I didn’t see them the rest of the day. There was also an older couple who are doing a big south section of trail. They were very intrigued by trail names. It cracked me up. Then there were two guys whose names I never asked for and never received. Then there was White Rabbit who came out of nowhere. He flipped to Burney State Falls to hike back to Truckee for the fourth. So smart! Other than this section, I think he is just a regular nobo. Maybe we will run into him when he returned to Burney State Falls.

There were lots of deer today. I saw different clusters with distinct appearance differences as if they were different types of deer. Despite having observed a deer necropsy and documenting their habits in MN, I know very little about deer varieties. The weather was pleasant today, but very hot over the prime midday hours.

While in South Lake Tahoe, Endless had talked with a trail friend named Big Cheese. Big Cheese was off trail for a visit by his girlfriend and wanted to deal out some trail magic during that time. He contacted Endless to see where we might be. Back to the present, today is when we would have crossed paths with Big Cheese if he made it this far north. Unfortunately, by the end of the day, there was never a Big Cheese encounter. Endless was forlorn for some trail magic.

I am actually somewhat surprised by the fact that we haven’t seen any trip magic since leaving the Sierras. Endless thinks we are too far ahead and no one has anything out yet. Considering how close we are to Truckee and Tahoe, two major outdoor hubs, no one seems sympathetic to the hungry hikers.

It was a good day for 29 miles. I hiked 7 AM to 7 PM including a two hour lunch and thirty minute evening break.

Last night was some of the best sleep I have had. I woke up drooling. I caved and set up my tent. Great decision! I slept in a wonderful bug net where I could shed hot clothing layers instead of cocooning into a hot cage of sweat and bug exposure. I think using my tent will become a steady theme.

For an early, pre-lunch stop, we hung out at Middle Fork Feather River. So awesome! Seriously one of the best swimming spots of the whole trip. The water was just right. Cool when you first jumped in, cool again after sitting out a bit, but overall warm enough that you could actually hang out a while. There were also these great rock structures just at surface level to sit or lay on in multiple different ways: sit or lay completely out of water, sit half submerged, stand or dive off into deep clear water. It was incredible! With perfect timing too. The day was just getting to a stifling temperature and we haven’t had a swimming hole in a long while.

S&M stopped on the south side of the river and we never saw her. Endless and I hung out with this small group of guys we had never met before (their ring leader being Rebo, a guy who consistently posts to the class Facebook page…). There were a few others too who we didn’t talk to. A group of four day hikers hung out a minute with us too. The two guys from that group have been hiking about 100 miles of the PCT each year for the last 11 years, and were doing 15 more miles today. They are from the Bay Area and glad to be finally driving to access points closer to home.

Since the river was only a third of our day’s distance, we hiked a few miles further before taking lunch at a small creek. Today was so hot. I tried to be extra diligent at staying hydrated. We met Red Feather and Alaska, a daughter and father duo hiking the PCT. There was also a girl named Legs there before Endless and the father-daughter pair showed up. S&M showed up too!

Further along this evening, we stopped at Lookout Rock (mile 1257.4). I took some risqué scenery photos to capture the stunning view with a new take on the subject matter. It was nice having so few people around on trail while actually hiking. Not until late in the day did my group comprehend that our end point was a water source and not a campsite. Somehow there was a tiny little patch cleared on the ridge just before the creek. It was just big enough for Endless and I to setup tents and S&M, like the champ she is, cowboy camped. Apparently the whole crew behind us from today all went to Bucks Lake to stay with a trail angel. I am happy we stayed on trail.

I am starting with people because there were a lot of them today. First there were KC and Long Jump this morning. I was surprised to see them as I left camp. Then there was an older man named CK and a couple named Kale and Feral. While on the last stretch down the switchbacks into town were a couple named Side Trip and Karina, overnighters from Bucks Lake headed to Belden for the 4th of July festivities. Then in Belden at the resort was Stryker and four or so other PCTers. And at the Caribou Crossroads cafe were Fun Jumper along with Sherpa and Cho Cho. More people are listed below.

Today I saw a bear cub! It was a light orange-brown baby bear. I came around a corner passing Clear Creek Springs, en route to the further Clear Creek, and heard a loud branch snapping. In the two paces it took to stop, I looked over and discovered the cub had climbed three feet up a tall tree stump. The rest of the tree fallen to the ground, the cover that masked the cub from my sight. We had scared each other. It was less than ten feet from me. I wish I had my camera at the ready, in my hand. However, I did not. Instead of capturing that moment eternally on digital film, I hiked on as fast as I possibly could. Baby bears mean a large, protective mother bear is likely nearby. A great sighting and a little scary all at the same time.

I bought a Gatorade and Butterfingers at Belden while hanging out in the bar waiting. There were five other PCTers hanging out, but I didn’t try to make conversation with them. Endless and I headed to the road to grab a hitch over to Caribou Crossroads. S&M came up right behind us. We hitched from Belden to Caribou with guy who had a friendly dog named Ruckus. At the cafe in the Caribou Crossroads RV Park, I ate a huge strawberry milkshake, fries, and Diablo burger. We hung out for a few hours and did laundry while working on plans for the 4th and satiating our media addictions. While considering options for Independence Day, we discovered it may not be as simple as we thought. Everything within hiking distance was completely booked out. There is a huge music festival in Quincy this weekend, as well as the fact that everyone from the big cities head to Lassen State Park and Mt. Shasta for the fourth. So basically things were booked solid for us to be making plans so close to the weekend.

After the cafe finally kicked us out, we walked the quarter mile to the Braatens’ Little Haven. After clean laundry at the RV Park, we had showers at the Braatens! Mostly we just hung out. There were many more other hikers: Legs, Rebo, Courage (young Japanese guy), Runner, Pasta, and CK, as well as Sherpa and Cho Cho. For supper I ate popcorn, Mike n Ike’s, and Captain Crunch cereal. Supper of champions!

So last night we basically decided that we wanted to completely leave trail for the fourth or we wanted to forget the holiday and just hike through. None of us had ever hitch hiked to a place before, at least beyond a quick ride or from a trail setting, so we opted for the adventure. Since everyone from the cities head to the trail for the fourth, we decided to head to the city. Our goal: Sacramento. S&M called her friend Liza this morning and she is graciously taking us in for the weekend. How awesome is she?! S&M is the lady of the day! And her friends are the best!

Brenda Braaten gave us a ride to the Belden rest stop and bud us fair well. She genuinely laughed a maniacal laugh as she drove away, at the thought of us actually making it into Sacramento today. I was more optimistic. Our first prospect was a guy named Johnny-O who tried to convince us to go to Quincy for the music festival. He had connections and thought he could get us an orchard to camp at and volunteer options for getting tickets. Despite the generous offer, we weren’t really interested in taking a break from trail to continue to camp and do work. Though I am sure the festival would be a blast. After maybe thirty minutes of waiting we caught a ride with Darlene and Gary (the names are guesses). Gary listened to Tupac and Darlene has had an assortment of crazy pets from Ravens to an owl to a current baby skunk. They were really awesome and very interesting people. Gary dropped us off in Chico, CA. We went to Beatniks Cafe and I ate a delicious giant salad. Finally a party of greenery on my tongue! We went back to the on ramp and were very quickly picked up by Chris and Eric. They called themselves modern day hippies from Miami. We were trying to explain how trail names work and Eric said he would take the name Robert hahaha! So they became E-Money and Robert. E-Money drives everywhere and they frequently pick up hitch hikers. I could say a lot about this hitch, but let’s just say the guys were cool, the ride was interesting, and we got very philosophical. What a treat to make it  from Belden to Sacramento in two easy hitches! Chris knows a lot about vehicles and called the specs on a Ford Raptor. The passengers were two old men. Chris got them to step on the gas and show us the go power capabilities of that monster. Chris and Eric then discussed the potential for Eric’s truck, which has more horse power. They dropped us off right in downtown Sacramento.

Once in the city, all before 2 PM I add, the rest of the day was ours. We wondered around briefly and then headed to the Naked Lounge Coffee House by the Capitol. Like all hikers, we chose to spend our time glued to the tiny smart devices that suddenly had access to both power and reception. Liza is a nurse in south Sacramento and actually picked us up on her way home. Liza and Angie actually live in Fair Oaks and we would have had to take the bus back otherwise.

A stop at the grocery to pick up snacks and more trail food happened before heading home. We arrived to find Angie preparing supper. She whipped together a fantastic spaghetti supper that we thought was amazing and she thought was a barely acceptable throw-together since not completely homemade. Angie is an amazing cook! We spent the rest of the night chatting, swimming, relaxing, and reveling in being off trail. After staying up too late, we found nooks on the the various couches and passed out.

We all slept in today. I always sleep in but so did Endless and S&M for once. It was luxurious! Liza was already gone to work, I saw her leave around 6 AM, and Angie was in the kitchen clinking around and working on food for tonight’s supper. I went and ate some fruit and yoghurt I had picked up for breakfast. Then I helped clean the outside patio with S&M while Endless read us Sea Wolf. Angie made pancakes and eggs while we were tortured with the smells of a baking fruit pie. We ate casually and spent most of the time on our smart devices. Oh the ways of the media deprived…

After lunch, Angie drive us to downtown. S&M and I bought the same pair of Lone Peak Altras. She wore hers the rest of the day and was in shoe heaven. I like the upgrades from my 1.5’s to the newest 2.5’s. I hope these last longer than my last pair! Then we stopped at a cafe to decide the rest of our activities. With the lazy morning, we had limited time. We made a PO stop on the way to Old Town Sacramento. Old Town is a rustic looking area with saloons, touristy shops, and more. It was a pretty neat area. In an antique store, I found a dark blue base with a gold etched bird. It looks exactly like a vase I have that I snagged off my mom. Apparently the thing is from 1949-1950’s Japan, with a hand-etched design. Pretty incredible find! I didn’t buy the match but am glad to know some history. We bussed back to Fair Oaks just in time for a supper party. Angie had a coworker, Sabrina, and Sabrina’s family over with Liza and the three of us. We had beef tips with grilled onions and a superb green sauce (cilantro, vinegar, olive oil, etc.), with sea salt baked potatoes, salad, homemade French bread, and mixed fruit pie and ice cream for dessert. Seriously the best meal I’ve eaten in ages. Definitely the best meal I have eaten on this whole trail. I am going to ruin my desensitized palate with all this good cooking.

Another morning of sleeping in! We finished helping set up for the festivities tonight then had pool time. There was a last minute run to the grocery, where I demanded acquiring s’more fixings. Mostly used today as a chance to finish catching up on my very backed up blog entries. As well as further stuffing my face of course.

People started arriving at 2 PM. Pretty much spent the rest of the day in the pool, relaxing, chatting with Angie’s and Liza’s friends and family, eating copious amounts of food, and completely taking our minds off the trail, except when people would ask questions. Angie had a fantastic self-serve dish called a haystack salad. Sort of like a walking taco but with pecans and coconut shreds too, and not in the Frito bag.

Towards dark, a group went and played kick ball. Then we set off fireworks in the front street. Liza’s family providing the pyrotechnic display. We stayed up way later than any of us wanted to be awake and now needing to get to sleep. Liza’s and Angie’s people were awesome, the food was delicious, and the day was exactly how I wanted this trip to have gone. I am so appreciative of the generosity and kindness of Liza and Angie! They have been superb hosts, and I cannot thank them enough.

So today we were supposed to get back to Belden, and possibly get some miles in. Angie drove us to downtown where I-5/Hwy 99/Hwy 70 went north. We waited by the on ramp where the Amtrak is. After a bit over an hour, I found us a bus that would take us to an exit further north. We grabbed a coffee before the bus arrived and headed to what we thought would be a better position north of the downtown area. There wasn’t much going on at our new location, but it was as far north as we could have gotten via public transport without paying $30 a person. At that location we had our thumbs out for about 45 minutes before a nice guy named BL picked us up. He was jamming out to Kendrick Lamar and took us up to a more residential shopping area where there would be more traffic heading north. He actually took us to where I originally thought might be a good location. Away from downtown, right by gas stations and stores and a grocery, the highway has shoulders for pulling off, there are pedestrian paths the whole way across. It should have been perfect. But instead, after three hours of standing in the hot sun, we were no closer to our destination. What we did accomplish was three undeserved middle fingers by young males, lots of lane changing away from our standing positions, endless gazes overtly directed away as if we did not exist, and other forms of negative response. Maybe a couple times across our whole day did we have people who genuinely looked like they may help but we’re not in the right circumstance, like a full vehicle or heading the opposite direction. One of those guys actually stopped and gave us cold Capris Suns but he was headed back to the city. Endless voiced my feelings well when he said that we meet all these amazing wonderful people on the trail, no matter their background or reasons for crossing our path. But then you go into a city, a faceless and unimpressive place, nothing particularly great about it, and you meet a lot of hostility, pettiness, selfishness, and greed. Why is that? I want to strongly believe that people are inherently kind, honest, and giving individuals. But I am repeatedly shown otherwise. Not just in my travels from this trip, but drawing on my whole life of experiences. In fact, I have now experienced the guiles of humankind on trail too. While at the Braatens, the morning we hitched to Sacramento, I was packing my bag to find my tarp and bug net missing. Since I had just literally put my belongings away the night before, I knew that was not a good sign. Assuming an error had been made on my part, I went to look for where I had set these items untended. I found them in the pack of a hiker, where I pointed them out and received a response that the pack and items were all his. More forcefully and clearly I stated that my tarp and bug net were half poking out of his pack, upon which he said he found those items and I could of course take them back. At the time I just let the instance pass because I was talking on the phone with my brother, but truly it was a bullshit interaction. He was clearly trying to thieve my possessions as if I had thrown them out or into the hiker box. There are dirtbags everywhere.

Anyways, we finally gave up at some point and Liza came to collect us. We were barely 30 minutes from Liza’s and Angie’s. A bust of a day, but really what does it matter now? Liza is generously offering to drive us back to Belden tomorrow on her day off. No use going through the should have’s and could have’s. We will be back on trail tomorrow and won’t have to hitch at all. Liza and Angie have gone above and beyond on their generosity and kindness to us, the guests who have overstayed the acceptable house guest standards. More reason to express my appreciation.

We went to supper at a Mexican restaurant and then I pretty much headed to bed. Today has been a long day.

Endless and I decided the next few days can be pretty flexible on our path to Auburn to pick up S&M. Which was perfect for me getting to sleep in this morning! I have slowly become more and more tired over this last stretch with the longer miles, constant town stops, and mosquito infestation. Plus, after the 44 mile day, my feet needed a true rest.

We went to an eatery called Ernie’s Cafe for a big breakfast. It is cleverly located across the street from a place called Bert’s Cafe. Endless was astounded by my appetite. I ate a normal breakfast of French toast, eggs, and bacon, followed by an order of biscuits and gravy. I even drank this special roast coffee that was probably the best coffee I have ever tasted. Granted my taste palate has pretty low standards these days. I think it was a reasonable amount considering by 10 AM on a normal hiking day I have already consumed 2000 some odd calories. After eating, we stopped by the outfitters again and I grabbed my pack. There were load of hikers around. Most had just gotten in off trail. Or around the fire closure detour. There were about ten packs lined up outside the door. I saw Nips again and Bear Snack and a few others we had passed. I had things to do and went to sit at Peet’s Coffee for a lot of organizing and planning ahead. I was updating documents, filling in my patchy journal, making phone calls, eating grocery store Chinese self-serve bar, and further relaxing.

After way too long at the cafe, we hitched back to Echo Lakes Chalet from a man named Chris and his two boys. Their minivan was filled with gardening mulch and plants. A summer project in the works. So generous to drive us the whole way! And a pleasant ride. The little boys were so smart and well behaved.

Back at the Chalet, I drank a soda and ate a sticky bun. We hit the trail around 5 PM. Echo Lake was beautiful. The walk around was amazing. And the tiny little cabins were sites of envy for me. Those two or so miles took way longer than normal with the slow stroll to take it all in. Lake Aloha was also really awesome. Tons of tiny rock islands. The sun was setting between two mountains. We passed a few more lakes on our short distance to camp and stopped at Susie Lake outlet. There have to be at least twenty people camped here. Most have hammocks. Very strange. We almost didn’t find a spot.

We hiked very near Heavenly Valley Ski Area while in Echo Lakes. As well as Sierra At Tahoe Ski Area. I have skiing on the brain again.

Today I passed Nips and actually took time to chat with him. He is from Fort Collins in Colorado. What a coincidence. He told me about the hikers that have been in the same bubble as him. They are all new names. There were also Tequila Jack and Crinkle, out on a short Sobo section. Tequila Jack is promoting the PCT class movie. He put together the 2011 video (https://vimeo.com/73472150). He said passing they were passing 30-40 PCTers a day the last several days. Unbelievable to think so many are hiking just off from us that we never cross paths. As a promise to promote the 2015 class video, all 2015 PCTers should email their real name and trail name to LoveThePCT@gmail.com. They will send a reminder at some point to email your top 100 photos from the hike this year. I also met Hand Walker and Snipe, two guys that Endless met when he first started.

I had a great 6:20 AM start today. I was so proud of myself. My mornings have been slow lately. But I overturned all early morning progress by taking a two hour lunch by a lake this afternoon. C’est la vie!

When hiking long hours with only yourself as company, you have a lot of time to mull things over. I played this reel in my head hundreds of miles ago, but today it came back to mind. I am a list person. And while meeting all these people on the PCT, I began to think of myself in list form as a “this is who I am.” There is the poor decisions list, the achievements list, the ambitions list, the quick facts list, and others. I have wondered if I am only able to play one movie at a time, but I realize now that each list combined makes up the whole. Each, like the different pixel color layers in a photograph, are all required to see the whole image. To the point, I have decided to throw out my agenda. I will continue to update it, but I want more flexible day to day decision making options. What if I want to nero or zero at a lake? Or I decide to hike 50 miles today and 3 tomorrow? An ever changing flux of options is my agenda now.

Skiing back in mind, we are in the Alpine Meadows Ski Area, and passed near Homewood Ski Resort. My last spring days on the slope were the end of April, but it seems so long ago now.

We were hiking on a rim today and saw the most beautiful sunset. With a view, the setting sun is irresistible. Tonight’s was coupled with wispy clouds to capture the fading colors and a deep blue sky for contrast. Mesmerizing. I also had a moment where I was hiking atop the ridge and stopped to take a panorama. As I put my camera away, I suddenly saw a coyote. It must have been as surprised by me as I was by it. I snapped some photos as it hurriedly scampered off the ridge and away from me. It reminds me that I saw this strange bird this morning. It had a fantail like a turkey but looked completely different. Relatively small but a round, plumb body, with white tipped tail feathers, and a red patch near its head. I cannot remember if the fave was red, or it had a gobbler, or what. I wish I had gotten a photograph.

Again tonight there are heaps of people at the camp site. It is crazy full. I cannot believe how many we are seeing. This is incredible.

Feet sore and tired. Falling asleep.

I might be on the start of a ski resort freak out. It is becoming an incessant topic in my brain. Today we neared Donner Ski Ranch, Sugar Bowl, Boreal Ski Area, and Auburn Ski Club Trails. While heading to Auburn, we drove by Soda Springs Ski Area and Royal Gorge Ski Area. I cannot stop thinking about these places. I have premature powder fever. California did not even have powder last season. Ugh…

The theme of Tahoe is becoming the amount of people. The were lts of people today. Day and week hikers galore. A group of three men told me I was 16th PCTer he met today. We saw about seven hikers at the rest stop and four others on trail. But never enough to suggest such numbers. I imagine there are a few hundred of us all within a narrow range of each other, all moving at approximately the same distances per day. Forever offset by a handful of miles. It is strange.

Endless and I made it to the Donner Pass I-80 rest stop about 4 PM. After a slight confusion on location, S&M swooped in to pick us up and we happily chatted away for the hour drive to Auburn, CA. Our visit just begun.

Just the few hours we had tonight were so wonderful! S&M and Whiskey Nips live together in the house of Whiskey Nips’ father, Bill. His girlfriend, Debi, and Bill had grilled chicken in bbq sauce ready to serve when we arrived. S&M then made Pad Thai! So much delicious food! We quickly crowed down. I want to eat forever. Their friend, Chuck, also came over. His added company balanced out an evening of great conversation and banter.

Bill is an incredibly spirited and interesting man. Possibly along the vague description of conspiracy theorist, libertarian. We talked about his two solar heated bathtub “pools” in the backyard. The pond and water rights in his area. Trail life. Ultra running and the Western States 100. And so much more. I truly thought the six of us made an engaging bunch.

After things wound down, the three of us relaxed on the couch and reveled in the simple pleasures of being in a house. Despite my stay at Betsy’s in Wrightwood, this is really my first time in a house. How I missed the luxury! Walking around inside without socks, a hot shower and accessible toilet, seats and couches for sitting on, cold water at my command. It is drastic change even to the hotels and other town stops. No loitering guilt, public exposure, closing times, or competition for resources with other hikers. It is simple, homey, and relaxing.

We were up way too late. Curled up on the couches in our PJ’s, Endless having S&M thread a hair braid. The extra round of supper and ice cream. Like a true girls’ night sleepover. Haha!

After the calm of relaxing in a super comfortable home, we realized we had spent the whole morning lounging with zero progress towards our chores. Bill and Debi fixed us a delicious breaky of veggie eggs, sausages, cantaloupe, and rolls. I slept in super late and rolled out just in time to eat. While splayed out on the couches in super vegetable mode, I think the three of us had simultaneous but independent thoughts of how nice it would be to rest the whole day. A quick glance around at the obvious lack of motivation to run back to trail informed our decision to zero today after all. Or nero rather, as we would have to at least get to trail tonight. Our decision made, we did laundry and then headed to town.

Our first stop was at the Auburn Club Car. I had a burger, despite wanting a giant salad (poor choice on my part), so I could had their sweet potato fries. So amazing! Some of the best sweet potato fries I have ever eaten. The perfect combination of hot gooey sweet potato interior to a slightly crispy exterior. And the chipotle ranch dip was the perfect condiment. I will dream of those fries. I also drank about seven or eight glasses of Arnold Palmer. What a lunch!

After stuffing our faces a second time for the day, we wondered around and visited the sporting store. Cool connection here. This is the weekend of the Western States 100. It begins in Truckee and ends in Auburn. The owner has a friend who has ran several times in that race and said she is on the PCT right now. The cool part is that Endless and I literally just met her yesterday on our way to Dinner Pass. Small world. Even smaller on the growing PCT front. The owner also had a pair of Altra Lone Peaks that a guy on the PCT had just replaced. That pair made it 1000 miles. Also a coincidence that this is the fourth Auburn person on the PCT (S&M, Whiskey Nips, a girl we met going into Echo Lakes, and now this anonymous guy). I love my Altra Lone Peaks, but I am getting to the end of my second pair. His only survived that long because he used a shoe goo that plastics the edging back together. The mesh uppers are just not quite PCT hardy. Though I will proudly state that my pair from ultra running last summer must have had easily 800+ miles on them, before I took them on the first 100 miles of the PCT this summer. Amazing shoes all around!

Anyways, after shoe bantering, we all headed to this massage parlor. I was set on getting a full body massage. They had a $30 hour long foot and body deal. [Cue the heavenly trumpets!] I was so delighted. S&M and Endless opted for 30 minute options. I went in first and at one point while on the verge of slumber, I heard the woman giving a massage next to me snicker off and on. Then I heard what sounded like a high pitched stifled whinnying noise as “Hoo hoo hoo.” I looked over, and to my surprise, it was Endless. He was barely containing his fits of laughter as the foot massage sent him into a tickle fit. As a promise, you can also follow his blog (https://establishinganewbaseline.wordpress.com). I am mentioned there a few times as well. 🙂

On the way back to Kate’s house, we stopped for ice cream, Goodwill, and the grocery. Endless modeled a new shirt for us. Goodwill liked the photos on my Instagram. And Grocery Outlet provided WAY more food than necessary for the day and half into Sierra City. Not sure what I was thinking. This is my first Grocery Outlet encounter and man would I eat like a queen if they had those for produce, spices, and baked goods…

Bill and Debi were waiting on us when we returned. They continued their incredible span of generosity to drive us back to Donner Pass. I am glad they made plans to continue into Truckee for supper so the drive wasn’t a complete waste for them. 1100 miles into this trip and still the people I encounter are filled with unbelievable amounts of kindness on us hiker trash.

Once back at the PCT trail, we realized Endless and I would be repeating a mile if trail across the I-80 section. No matter, our plan tonight was simply to find a campsite. After getting away from the noise of interstate traffic and daylight disappearing quickly from the sky, we settled on a flat spot among dead tree limbs and pine cones. Realizing we were all really full still from our gluttonous side trip, we pretty much headed straight to sleep.

Unfortunately the mosquitoes are out tonight. My short reprieve over, the pesky daemons back with a fervor, I angrily am trying to fall asleep.

Today I met Ram and  Cool Whip, two separate PCT hikers. As well as Shannon and and her husband. I stopped and chatted with Shannon. She is doing a three week trip while her two sons and husband each came out for a week with her. Incredible! I wish more people had wanted to join me on this trip. But I understand the prisoning nature of work life. Fortunately I have been able to hike with some awesome, likeminded individuals who I met on trail.

Despite the day of rest yesterday, I did not leave camp until 8:30 AM. Turns out we camped directly by a group of Boy Scouts last night. They were struggling with the immediate hill we started up this morning. We immediately hiked over a missable pass and an established wood hut. There were heaps of people camped nearby! Despite wanting more than two miles yesterday evening, I am glad we didn’t try to camp further up trail where we would have been among hordes of non-PCTers. At mile 1160.8 was the Peter Grubb Hut shelter and outhouse. It had a cool design with the hut door above ground and a ladder entry for winter conditions. The outhouse was similarly designed. I didn’t actually go inside, but Endless said it was pretty neat.

Today the Western States 100 began in Truckee and the winners will get into Auburn tomorrow morning. I don’t think any of us was actually invested, but we momentarily considered staying longer in Auburn to check out the race.

Since we covered two miles last night, we made it to camp early tonight. Super nice. A short 26 mile day. We probably should have aimed for more miles, but it was fine.

I felt better today than I have in a long while. Why has it taken so long to get a massage? I still have numbness in a few toes, but that has been the case since Tehachapi. More massages are definitely in my future. It was a good reminder how much I need to be more diligent in my pre-bedtime and wake up leg massaging and stretching routines.

This morning we had a short 10.7 miles into Sierra City. None of us had battery power on any of our devices. Apparently nothing charged correctly at Kate’s and Bill’s. We all needed some juice time. The store is the hiker hangout, so we dropped off packs, plugged in electronics, and headed to second breakfast. We ate at Red Moose Inn Cafe. I ate the Triple Threat: 3 eggs, 3 slices of bacon, 3 sausages, hash browns, 2 slices of French toast, and orange juice. So good!!! I love breakfast. Also had a Butterfingers milkshake, lime soda, and lime Powerade at the grocery. This afternoon was boiling hot and I needed electrolyte replenishing.

There were tons of people at the store. Town stops truly reveal how many hikers are traveling in the same block. Though I was surprised how many made plans to stay overnight. I saw Ram, Kay Cats and Longjump, Cool Whip, Lone Wolf (who ended up hitching with us), and One of Us.

We acquired two lucky hitches today for going in and out of town. First were the two guys from last night. There were hiking a section and this was their endpoint. One had a vehicle parked at Hwy 49. Then, heading back, there was a guy with a baby boy who was on his way back to a fishing hole after the baby finished his nap. Love quick and easy hitches!

Life is good. I am really loving not rushing. Decisions on a whim for whether to pull big miles, or not. No overwhelming deadline. Feels good and much more relaxing. I still have the itch for forward movement. I want to hike thirty miles a day or more. I love the daily challenge. But I also feel that desire and motivation more strongly now that I am no longer measuring against my daily allotted quota. Life shouldn’t be a chore and I feel great about removing my end date goals.