Day 72: mile 1498.7 - 1522.9
- Feels like the PCT again
- F***ing snakes
I was on the trail by 6:40, and it felt good to walk for a bit without anything hurting. The shaded morning and the easy trail helped the miles pass quickly. But neither the shade nor the ease stuck around for long.
The downside about resupplying is that towns are usually along major roadways, which are usually next to major waterways, which are usually at the lowest elevation around. Turns out rivers run in the bottom of canyons, not on the ridges of mountains. Gravity sucks sometimes.
The metric system, gettin' some more love
So the day started at about 2,100' elevation, and was pushing 7,000' by noon. Couple the elevation gain with exposed hiking and temps approaching triple digits, and I was absolutely soaked with sweat. Oh well, at least my clothes were clean and I smelt normal for a little bit... But after a few hundred miles of pretty flat walking, it was nice to have to dig a little bit on a longer uphill stretch. It almost felt like the PCT again.
Today's milestone (or mile-sticks in this case)
Castle Crags
With the warmer temps, I was on the lookout for snakes. The trail was moderately overgrown in places, meaning that you couldn't really see where you were stepping, or what was just off the trail. Not ideal. So I decided to pull my hiking pole out, extend it all the way, and use it similarly to how visually impaired folks use a white cane (I had to look that term up just now). About a quarter mile after I started doing this (and feeling really silly about the way it looked) I was passing through an overgrown spot and inadvertently poked a rattle snake (before I saw it) with my "white cane". He was piiiiiiissssssed off, but still a safe distance away. I could barely make him out through the dense shrubs, so I waited patiently until he calmed down and slithered away. Glad the cane worked as expected, but super nervous about stepping on the next snake.
After one more similar snake encounter I said "fuck this" and stopped at the next shaded, clear spot (after thoroughly beating the surrounding bushes to clear them of any possible snakes). It was absolutely no fun hiking while fretting about every step, so I decided to let the hottest part of the day pass, and did what I do best - took a nap (I don't know if a snake slithered over me while I was sleeping...)
Three hours later I figured things would be better, and they were. No snakes the rest of the day. And some awesome views of Mt. Shasta (and even Lassen Peak wayyyyyy to the southeast). And even though my feet were clean this morning, they are already caked in dirt. Being clean was nice while it lasted...
And the day isn't complete without turning around and checking out Mt. Shasta
Day 73: mile 1522.9 - 1553.4
- Must be the weekend
- At this rate, we'll be on the beach in a week
I'm growing convinced that my level of cleanliness is correlated to how well I sleep: the cleaner I am, the better I sleep. I need to be more conscious about going to bed as clean as I can, and getting better sleep on the trail. Otherwise I'm going to be consistently tired for the next month and a half.
I guess these grow on trees now?
If yesterday's theme was "up", today's was "flat". I wasn't going to complain, because it let me knock out some leisurely miles. About mid morning I passed Deadfall Lake, and suddenly the trail turned into a highway with day and weekend hikers going the opposite direction. I must have passed forty hikers. I learned that this hike (from the Parks Creek Trailhead) is a popular one, and that it happened to be Saturday. Despite just spending a few days in town, I had zero idea what day of the week it was.
Early morning haze
The rest of the day was spent going mainly west, and partly south. I'm really not sure this is the most efficient way to Canada. The flip side is that if the trail keeps heading this way, we'll be on a Pacific beach by next weekend, which I could roll with. Aaaaand this is why it takes 2,650 miles of trail to cover approximately 1,175 miles as the crow flies...
With views of Shasta to the east, and the Marble Mountains to the west, today felt like we were in mountains again, despite the flatter walking. I also made an astute observation about my feet. Whereas before they just looked really dirty, now they are starting to smell as well. And not just "oh, I wonder what that smell is", but "when these socks come off your olfactory system is going to get punched in the nose". Good thing I'm not out here trying to impress the ladies... 😎
There are mountains other than Shasta out here. They just aren't very big...
There are new flowers though!
And cool rocks!
And this... "Um, guys? What am I supposed to do about this?!? "
Day 74: mile 1553.4 - 1582.7
- Creatures in the night
- Trinity Alps
There were all sorts of birds, rodents, and deer out and about as I was falling asleep. It was an earplug kind of night. About midnight a sharp LOUD *snap* jolted me awake. That sounded close... It was immediately followed by the munch-munch-munch sound that I knew to belong to a deer. Whew. I poked my head out of my sleeping bag and saw a little buck in the moonlight about twelve feet (I measured in the morning) from the head of my tent. If the deer are that close, presumably it means there aren't any bears around. I can handle that!
The morning was filled with just as much wildlife - the cutest of which was an itty bitty spotted fawn that was trying really hard to keep up with its mom (and her much longer legs) as she patiently trotted away from me. Runner up in the cuteness category was a group of baby quail whose parents were herding them (with some degree of success) across the trail a few yards in front of me. D'aw, nature 😍
The Trinity Alps
The trail then traversed the Trinity Wilderness and climbed (emphasis on "climbed") through the wilderness's eponymous Trinity Alps. It was a pretty mixture of green meadows, alpine lakes, and rocky peaks. And totally accessible for weekend adventures, as attested to by the number of day hikers I met.
Red rocks, white snow...
...and yellow flowers!
But the neatest people I met were a group of PCTA volunteers who were doing trail maintenance. Mostly older retired folks, they were spending their weekend hunched over, tools in hand, clearing and leveling the trail so people like me could enjoy it. If I had any sense of "thru-hiker entitlement" it was washed away after meeting these people who make this experience possible for me. Humbling.
A few longer-than-expected breaks, plus a call to Mom and Dad when I had service, meant I didn't quite get my thirty today. That's just a few more steps I'll need to take before getting to Etna tomorrow 😊
Snow-capped peaks that aren't Mt. Shasta!
Day 75: mile 1582.7 - 1597.2
- Russian Wilderness
- Frogs!!
- Etna and Hiker Hut
It was another wildlife-filled night, as I had deer come within a few feet of my tent again. I guess that is what you get when you camp close to water...
Morning glow
It was about fifteen miles to Etna Summit, most of which passed through the Russian Wilderness. Where it got that name from I'm not quite sure, and while it was pretty, it was less spectacular than the Trinity Wilderness that we just passed through. We can still see Shasta, but it is (finally?) growing smaller in the distance.
Alpine lakes, valleys, and volcanoes
Lilies and Columbines
And some yellow flower (that's the technical term)
Just before dropping down to Etna Summit I hit 7,500', and ran into another patch of snow! The trail also seemed to start moving, and I realized that it was covered in frogs, of all things. They were small, slow, and easy to catch. Not sure how that works from a "survival of the fittest" perspective. Fortunately for them I had just stopped for a snack and wasn't hungry anymore, so they got off easy. They only had to pose for the camera.
Smile for the camera!! 🐸
Sierra flashbacks...
It was another five to Etna Summit, and then a ten-mile hitch to town. When I got to the summit there was a trucker (hauling a 51-ton excavator) and his "oversized load" pilot car stopped to let their semi's transmission cool down after the long climb up. They pegged me as a thru hiker, and I got to ride shotgun in the pilot car as they drove to Etna. It was cool to hear the pilot car communicate with the big rig over the CB radio, and see how they navigated some very tight turns on a very narrow road. I also learned about heli-logging (the previous profession of the pilot car driver). I had always wondered how some of these more remote areas had been logged without making roads everywhere. Now I know!
Etna is a town of about 800, with a few good restaurants, a brewery, and very hiker friendly people. I sent my resupply package to Alderbrook Manor (also known as Hiker Hut) which also has bunks, a shower, a washing machine, bikes to get around town, and a fridge full of beer, for $25. So I'll be staying here tonight. And maybe tomorrow night...
I finally decided to get a salad. But I couldn't pass on the burger and fries... So I got both 😁