Day 12 - Bear Trap Creek

I listened to some podcasts last night which were informational and entertaining. The name of the podcast is SYSK, aka Stuff You Should Know. I listened to one on stuttering where they presented historical ideas as well as the current scientific understanding, which is not very full. Then I finished one I started earlier on Bioarchaeology. All quite interesting. I must say though I am jonesing for another Harry Potter book so I'll download one when I get internet service in Sierra City. 

Also last night there were sunset clouds that I captured from inside my hammock. The netting gave it an interesting quality. 

All that was yesterday but my day today began at 6:30 when I began walking. I had an immediate 500' climb which is tough on a breakfasted stomach. I had to stop a lot and I was wondering why it's so hard for me to do these climbs - very discouraging for sure. 

I eventually did get up into some pretty areas and the smell of skunk cabbage was so powerful. Lower down it is turning yellow but higher up it is still green with a few flowers. 

At 7:30 I came to a clear area where I tried, yet again, to send off the last two days of blog posts. Voila! They sent so I am now caught up and feel better about my communications. I called Angela and chatted with her for a bit which was nice. I checked in with the latest news and found that Steve Bannon was fired, which cheered me up immensely. I'm always happier when there are fewer Nazi sympathizers in the White House. Then I watched ants eating aphids on plant leaves. 

After an hour break I took off again and for some reason I started to feel the groove. I made great time and by 10:30 I was hungry again and pulled off to have lunch and rest for a bit. That long rest seemed to work for me yesterday so I reasoned maybe it would work today. I needed to go 5 more miles to get to water and I was hoping to do a couple miles more after that.   

There was some climbing up to pass one water source at Whiskey Spring, which I didn't take as I felt I had enough water. 

More climbing to pass Duck Soup Pond. This is a car camping place but the pond looked awfully murky. Glad I didn't need to get water there. 

Can you see the funky water? I guess ducks like it. 

More climbing till I reached the highest point I've been so far, Bunker Hill Ridge at 6,997'. It was spectacular. But what goes up must, well you know. Down into a canyon where it started getting hot again. Wild flowers, which have been lean the last day or two, were still going strong down in this protected area. 

I was hopeful I would have more energy this afternoon but it wasn't to be. One reason is the heat. Another is that I'm not eating enough. I know, hard to imagine for me. 

Let me back up. Day 5 of this trip found me walking into Belden with half my food uneaten. It's common for lots of folks to take a while for "hiker hunger" to set in. It usually takes me a couple of weeks to be able to eat much during the day. When I opened my food resupply in Belden, in furnace heat and facing that 7 mile climb up out of there, I looked at all that food and said "Nope, not going in my food bag." I donated lots of stuff to the hiker box. Jerky, nuts, fruit, all got left behind. This has been fine, till yesterday, and for sure today. I'm more hungry than I have food to eat. I mean I have food but not snacky stuff to munch on between meals. Grazing as it were. So I think today, after getting back on the trail around noon, I just didn't have the get up and go I think I should have, and I was hungry. It's not gonna kill me but I think it is a factor with my energy level. 

This is a long winded way of saying I did 10.5 miles and no more. However I passed, or rather he passed me, a young man named Gadget who is trying to do a 44 mile day today. He didn't tell me as he was moving too fast to chat but his buddy did and well, wow. I'd be happy to get 13 miles in. 

So I got to this spot around 3:15 and went first to the creek to gather water. I usually try to go upstream from the crossing to gather it from the cleanest place, which had me in the bushes upstream. I got my 3 liters and walked back to my pack to start the purification process. I use Aqua Mira drops and I've had great success with this method. 

However, this afternoon, for some unknown reason, part A of the duo treatment is empty. I still have plenty of part B but both have to be used to be effective. So, from now until I get out and buy something else, I have to depend on my knowledge and wits. Springs only, no open water sources if I can manage it. Well damn. 

I did get to eat a favorite dinner tonight. Turkey Stroganoff. Yummmmm. 

Well, that was my day. I'm settled in and inside my hammock, tired and sleepy from my good dinner. I'm gonna try to stay awake till dark.