Day 19 - Donner Summit

As I lay in my hammock at 5:30 this morning I realized I could hear Hwy 80 in the distance. I'm still 3.6 miles away, and Castle Pass is between us, but it seems all that traffic can intrude on the wilderness, even at this distance. I'm not looking forward to the jangle. 

My experience today was influenced by more people than I am used to seeing in any one day. Previously I'd say I averaged meeting 3-4 people daily. Today, I don't even know. 20-30? And that is before I got to Hwy 40 and my home for the night. 

But I digress. And first things first. I took off at 7am and walked the shortish distance to Castle Pass. 

From there it was down to Hwy 80, a major east-west path though the country. The sound was intrusive but it meant I was getting ready to move into the Sierra. I have a special place in my heart for this area and the rocks began to resemble my favorite landscapes. 

Granite boulders are replacing sharpish volcanic outcroppings and the path planning requires a different kind of structure. Big steps up, and down. 

There was a tunnel under each road, both east and west. 

Then another 3 miles to Hwy 40, the historic route. 

Earlier today I had decided to decline the invitation to stay with Sunshine's cousin, mostly because of elevation. I'm acclimated to this elevation and I just decided dropping down to 500' near Sacramento would be a mistake. I need all the help I can get. So I got a dorm room at Donner Ski Ranch for the night, and maybe two. I have to be at the Soda Springs PO at 9am Monday morning and this is my best choice for making this happen. 

So, showered, clothes washed and well fed I am off to slumber land. The food here is good and the beer is even better. 

Day 18 - Peter Grubb Hut

I got a late start today since I didn't even get up till 6:30. It was cold - I even had to wear my hat and down jacket for a bit! When I shouldered my pack and walked the 50' back to the trail imagine my surprise in meeting someone who had camped right near by but I didn't know it. A solo woman section hiker! Amazing!

Meet Sunshine. She is 68 years old and has been working on completing the PCT for decades. We hit it off right away. I didn't stay for long as I had miles to go before I sleep...

The day was full of climbs, flowers, water. The initial climb had me going up a ridge that was northwest of Bear Valley, only to dip down to the wet, and mosquito filled area of White Rock Creek. 

I took advantage of the frequent opportunities with water and repeatedly soaked my hand and once I iced it, due to swelling that has occurred from the finger sprain two days ago. 

Too bad I didn't keep that ring off of my ring finger. It's on for the duration now. 

The treatment, and time, seems to be working. I thought for sure I'd have to have the ring cut off in Truckee on Saturday. 

Snow fields, more flowers and climbing were the themes of the day. It gets boring to look at flowers but I just have to show a couple. 

The snow really, really must have just melted here. Everything was wet, lush and buggy. The good with the bad I guess. 

Early in the day I had mentioned the fact I wasn't going to be able to pick up my food box till Monday and I'd just be hanging out in town for the weekend. Sunshine's cousin is coming to pick her up for the weekend and she invited me to join her. They were going to return on Monday morning so it will work for me. How fortunate am I?

I had lunch in Paradise Valley and began the long climb out. The mosquitoes were an inducement for sure and I put in my music headphones to help distract me from the discomfort. It seemed to take forever but eventually I got to the top and began the long downhill to this valley where I am settled in for the night. 

Peter Grubb Hut is a permanent building built by the Sierra Club in 1972 and is open to the public. I'm not sure who Peter is/was but the building is a beauty. 

Here is a dark pano of the inside. There are solar lights on timers. 

Me? I think it's gonna be a two ibuprofen night since my ribs still hurt when I breathe deep or move around too much. Given that I am happily done hiking for the day and ready for a nice long lay down. 

Day 17 - Lacey Creek - Mile 1172'ish

Even though I slept well last night, I started the day out tired. As it turns out, the 700' climb up to Mules Ears Creek would have been too much for me last night. In fact I was pretty slow at it this morning, as it took me more than an hour to hike less than two miles. 

Part of the difficulty is that my ribs are sore and when I have my pack on I can't get a full breath on the uphills. With out the pack on I have much less discomfort but, the pack is part of my daily wear right about now so there is nothing for it but to suck it up. 

One good thing about stopping to suck air on the climbs is I am able to take more pictures. Here are early morning shots. 

And what a great place to eat breakfast, eh?

I stopped for lunch and to make a decision about my plan for the day. I am feeling the effects of my tumble yesterday so I think I'm just gonna let go of trying to get to the PO tomorrow before 4pm and just have a couple of leisurely days, getting there on Saturday. This for sure means I won't get to Tuolumne Meadows this trip. Too many down days have put me far off my schedule so that's just the way of it. It also likely puts me in South Lake Tahoe on Labor Day weekend so I don't know where I'll find a place to stay. I have a box of food at a hostel there so I have to go in. I'll call them the next time I get reception. Anyone know of any other options?

The lunchtime view from my hammock. 

I'm glad I decided to take it easy today. After lunch I climbed up onto a bald area, which is the highest I've been so far on this trip. Here's a screen shot of the app I use for the PCT. 

As you can see it tells me lots of information, most of which I ignore. PCT mile and elevation are the two things I generally look at. The rest could be important for an emergency or if I were somehow lost. I must say though, it would be pretty hard to get lost on this trail. 

After that high point I wound down to my spot for the night. The flowers were stunning, the snow must have just melted around here. 

After hiking around 9 miles, I'm settled in here at Lacey Creek. 

(That is good to know.)

By 4:30pm I've finished dinner, washed up and gathered water. It's slightly harder to do here since the water is a bit low, so I had to use my scoop and transfer the water to my containers. 

The only downside to camping here by this creek is that it is the lowest spot in this area and at night the cold air drops down to the lowest spot, so it could get cool tonight. I did put the tarp up in case of condensation. I'll find out!

Day 16 - Mile 1181

I left Sierra City a bit after 7am, walking back to the trail. I was hoping for some trail magic, in the form of a lift, but no one stopped. Oh well. It was pretty. And safe enough. 

After 1.4 miles I came to the trail head and turned right, towards my goal. The walking was cool and shady which always makes for easier miles, relatively speaking. 

Whoever decided yellow was a good color to paint the letters on these signs made a big mistake. I can barely read them when I'm standing right there. Small rant over. 

I soon crossed the Yuba River on a big bridge, which I was glad to see in place. That would be a very dangerous crossing otherwise. 

The first part of the day was climbing but it was pretty gradual over many miles. I was just deciding to stop for lunch when I made the goal of getting to the top of the ridge before eating. One switchback away I caught my right foot on something and fell forward on my left side. I sightly sprained the fingers on my left hand and somehow fell on a water bottle on my ribs, left side. Nothing hurt very badly and I was mostly just dirty from landing on the ground. So, other than some stiffness in my fingers and some discomfort with my ribs, there was no harm, no foul. BTW, if you have to fall, I recommend falling while walking uphill. You don't have as far to fall that way. 🤣

Early in the day I got the wild idea that I might be able to actually get to my next stop before the post office closes on Friday at four. Otherwise I'm stuck waiting around for my bear canister till Monday morning. This would require two 15 mile days and another of 10 or 12.  So I tried to hike 15 trail miles today. I fell short as I only walked 13.7 trail miles. However if I add in the road walk I did walk 15.1 miles today, by 4:30. I'll see how I feel in the morning and if I'm feeling ok I may try to see how many miles I can get done  Goals are good.

The trail for most of the day was nothing unusual. I did pass a huge reservoir named Jackson Meadows Reservoir but the trail didn't go near the water so I only got a glimps of it. 

Finally I just decided to give it up for the day. I was hurting and the next water source was uphill and 2 miles ahead. I had two liters with me which would do me fine for over night. Tomorrow may be better, in terms of miles. 

Day 15 - Sierra City zero

There were four other folks here last night. Pooh Bear and three friends from the Bay Area. I didn't get their permission to use their names so I'll just call them the Three Amigas. 

Anyway they cooked up a storm and made gourmet food the whole time I was there. 

I started my morning with Pooh Bear when we walked to Herringtons for breakfast. I assumed they would be open at 7 but noooo. We got there and there were no posted hours but we decided to wait and at 7:30 or so two worker folks came and told us they opened at 8. So we waited. 

The breakfast, once we got in, was plenty good enough. Simple and plain, but good. 

After that I went back to my room and laid down, resting. I got back up to chat with Susan the owner for a bit while Pooh Bear packed up her things. 

Lunch time came around and I went back to the store to get a hot dog (yum) and hang out for the rest of the day. It started raining around 2pm and kept at it till around 5pm. Pooh Bear left to walk back to the trail and I wandered back to River Haven only to be invited to eat with the great cooks, now down to Two Amigas, and Susan. I was happy to answer tons of questions about my gear, hike, and anything else they could think to ask. It was fun to be able to share the things I know and hopefully they will feel they can get out there and backpack too. If they want. It really isn't rocket science and anyone can do it. 

Best be done for the day. My alarm is going off early tomorrow. 

Day 14 - Sierra City

I'm going to preface this post saying it is going to be light on trail imagery. My big brick died last night and my phone only had 68% charge when I went to bed last night. I wasn't sure how long it would last, and I wanted to be able to send off my whereabouts tonight so I kept it off for the bulk of the day. I needn't have worried, as you will see. 

Today began like most days out here. Broke camp and started walking, this time about 6:45. I knew there wouldn't be really steep climbs today and most of the day this was true. I spent the first hour or so walking along the tops of the mountains out here, meandering really. Kinda nice. 

Early on I passed really large Gold Lake, where there be 🛶. After that was 🦌 Lake, where I saw folks just up from me waiting for the eclipse, or so I thought. I went over to chat and met a NOBO named Glass Half Full and a nice young woman named Clara, who was slicing up 🍉 and giving it out to us hikers. This was my first chance at trail magic this time around and it was sweet. I sat there for about 45 minutes till the clouds started to come in and I realized I didn't want to get caught in rain so I left with some fruit unconsumed.  It was getting to be eclipse time anyway and I had my piece of paper with a hole in it, just in case. 

Walk, walk, walk and finally the clouds dissipated and the odd light was upon me. I took a selfie with the light from the sun. 

And another of the light by itself. It was cool. 

It was brief though and soon I was rounding some hills and saw the rocks of the Sierra Buttes. I am sad to say I have no images I can share here, cause I took none. I was getting close to the 7 mile mark when I met a couple named Jeff, Yolanda, their son Levi and their wonder dog Quinn, as in the mighty...

We yacked it up for a bit and I went on to a spot named Packer Lake Summit, which is the trailhead for this section of trail. I stopped for lunch, it being then 11am, and I started thinking just how cool it would be to get a ride to Sierra City. The original plan for the day was to go only 3 more miles, where there was water. I would have gotten there so early in the day, having finished 10 easy miles, and then what would I have done? (Here come the rationalizations.) Given the terrain past the water source, I would have needed to walk almost the whole way to Hwy 49 to find trees to hang in for the night. That would have made a 14 or 15 mile day, which was more than I wanted to do. Or just go the 3 miles and do the rest tomorrow. Or, maybe my new best friends would like to take me to Sierra City, where they are staying for two weeks?

I was debating back and forth about what I should do, walk on or wait and see.... While I was dithering, my new friends came back and Jeff said "I know you are hiking the trail but if you want we could take you to town." What was I to do? Sometimes the pull towards comfort is more than I can resist. My pack was in the back of their vehicle before anyone noticed and off to town we went. BTW, the Buttes are stunning. At least from a car. 

🤣🤣🤣

These lovely folks dropped me at the Sierra Country Store and invited me to dinner, as no restaurants were open on Monday. 

I went in to check and see if my boxes were there (food and poncho) then I was off to find a place to stay. River Haven is a nice home and Susan, the owner, rents rooms and tents to hikers and other travelers. 

A shower and laundry washing got me cleaned up and presentable again. At 6pm I walked to the cabin Jeff, Yolanda and Levi are staying at and had great summer BBQ food. Grilled veggies, chicken, sausages and corn on the cob. Yum, yum, yum. I am sorry I forgot to get a photo of these wonderful folks. Maybe when I head back out of town I can remember to stop and get evidence of their awesomeness.  Tomorrow is a day of rest. 

Day 13 - Mile 1212

I woke up this morning feeling down. A crisis of confidence I guess one could say. I didn't feel like getting up, I was dreading the altitude gain of today and was feeling stupid about my water purification snafu. My slow pace has guaranteed I won't be able to do the whole planned route, which is also disappointing. Plus, it's much harder to carry more days of food than fewer days of food. The whole thing compounds itself. More days = more food carried = more water carried between sources = more weight to carry. You get the difficulty. I started thinking about the next section which I had planned for 3.2 days at 13 miles a day. Now that is a reasonable amount of food to carry. 

But since I'm still 2.5 days out from Sierra City there was no time to mope. I left camp at 7am, having prepared my breakfast drink, which I drink on the go. A couple miles out I stopped by a spring that was bright with greenery and tasty water. 

This was the last water for a bit and the start of a 1,000' climb in the space of 2 miles. I decided to try a new strategy on the climbs so I got out my little MP3 player and plugged myself in. 

On the third song, something by Jim Croce I believe, I started to cry. The harder I walked the harder I cried, until I got near the top. Grief had overwhelmed me and I simply had to let it go. Grief about what? The election last November, my Mothers death 12 days later, sadness to know I live in a country that would elect a person of so little character, with no beliefs other than to do or say anything to get what he wants. A vindictive, crass, liar with no  moral ground. And yet, a fair portion of the voting public, not the majority but enough, decided to pick an individual with no history of doing anything for anyone, other than himself or his family. And now we are a laughing stock, world wide. So yes, I have a deep well of grief that creeps out from time to time. I guess you could say it was energizing though because I got to the top pretty quickly.  

As hard as the climb was, I turned right around and walked most of that elevation back down. I met a guy who looked a bit confused and was looking at his map. Trying to gage the coming climb as it turns out. His name is Where'd I Put It? (I guess he loses stuff) and he was having a hard time. Yesterday he had taken a face plant and he thought he might have broken his nose. He did look pretty bruised up. But he said as hard a day as he had yesterday, today he could re-invent himself. A good attitude which I will try to remember to apply to myself and situation. 

Finally I got to the next water source, The A-Tree Spring. It was cold, clear and welcomed. 

I ate my lunch there and chatted with a guy who is hiking the state of  California. He could be my age, or thereabouts, and his name is Chair Man. Something about a stool he carries. 

Lunch done I started walking again, up. To regain some of the elevation I just lost. It started looking pretty cloudy, in the direction I was headed. 

I started hearing thunder, which I hate, especially when the trail I'm on is exposed and I'm the only thing tall around. As you can see from the image. I scurried through the open area and gained trees where there were campsites. I only had 1.5 miles to the next spring so I didn't want to stop but I saw a flash of lightening and heard a BOOM right afterwards. I turned back under the trees and put up my tarp, placing myself under it. 

After about an hour the clouds moved off to the east and the thunder got less loud, so I decided to break down my emergency bivouac and carry on. And carry on I did. 

I stopped Little Jamison Spring and picked up 4 liters of water. Yes, almost 10 pounds. But there is a long stretch between water sources tomorrow so I watered up. I walked on a bit more, uphill if course, until I found a spot for the night. I hear cow bells in the distance😬. I hope they are friendly.  What with this and that, I walked 12 miles today. I'm getting there.