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. 

Day 9 - Mile 1256.1

We had another great breakfast at the Haskins Valley Inn and slowly got ready to take our leave. Dixie and Ken are great hosts and I recommend their establishment 100%. Good beds, great breakfast and a jacuzzi tub in every room. Yahoo!

I packed up my stuff and as I had so much in my food bag, I put some stuff normally inside my pack in outside pouches. Angela drove me back to the spot I left off the trail and we said good bye again. I hate that part☹️

At 9:10am off I went, headed south. My legs felt rested and I made good time, stopping for a pee break about an hour into the day. I looked in my toilet bag and saw, much to my chagrin, no toilet paper in the bag. It had been there when I arrived in Bucks Lake so I can only assume it somehow got kicked under a bed or other hidden place. Well damn. Fortunately I also carry wet wipes with me so I'm not totally without resources but I won't be using the wet wipes for nightly clean up as planned. 

I was puzzling this dilemma when I swung my pack on and kept on walking. I stopped to eat something about 4.5 miles into the morning, it being about 11am. When I took my pack off I realized something else was missing. I had placed my poncho in the side pocket this morning and it wasn't tightly contained. It looks like I wasn't paying attention when I put my pack back on before and my poncho bag fell out. Well, there goes the rain gear. Damn, double damn. Two things missing in one morning. 

There is some good news here. I carry an umbrella for sun protection and light rain so I can manage in rain short of a downpour. Secondly I had checked the five day forecast the other day and it appeared to be no rain in the near future. And thirdly I texted my land mate from home and she will send my ZPack raincoat to Sierra City so I can pick it up when I get there.  Let's hope for no torrential rain storms in the next week. 

As you can imagine I was a bit distracted there for the first couple of hours, until I got the problem sorted out, so my picture taking was a bit limited. However I did get a shot of little Big Creek. Strange name for a trickle. 

There were signs telling me about the area. 

Some Bucks Lake trail angels put out an unusual resource for passing hikers. 

I stopped at a beautiful spring to get tonight's water. 

Took a look at Lookout Rock

Laughed at the funny things hikers do on the trail

And found myself a nice hang for the night. 

I hiked just a few tenths of a mile under 10 miles today. I got to this place plenty early, and could have gone a couple of miles further but the next spot that looked like it wasn't trail with steep sides wasn't for another 5 miles. I decided not to push it that far and parked myself here. Tomorrow I'll get an earlier start so I'm not hiking in the heat and I'll see how far I get. I cross the Middle Fork Feather River tomorrow, on a bridge. Might be an opportunity to get cooled off in the river!

Late evening text update*** Turns out my poncho popped out of my pack in Angela's car. She'll send it to me at my next stop. Yahoo!!! I love my poncho❤️

Day 7 - Bucks Lake

Last night before sleep I decided to put up my tarp to help keep the wind off of the hammock. It wasn't a gale but I could still feel the wind on the underside and wanted to get some protection. Worked like a charm and I slept warm and cozy till 4am when I awoke, thinking. The dreaded thinking. 

I got out my phone and looked at the schedule I had laid out for myself and realized I'm supposed to be hiking 13 miles a day now, average. Considering how I felt yesterday at 10 miles I started to get concerned about what I'm gonna be able to do here. I eventually went back to sleep but when I woke up, sans alarm, at 6:50am I really started to worry. Not only about milages but I realized the reason I didn't awake is because the sun wasn't shining...I was in a cloud cover. Egads!

Up and at'um! I broke camp and started hiking at 7:20, without stopping to eat because I needed water and there was a spring half a mile away.  I watered up and hiked on, turning over my current problem in my mind. I was supposed to hike this section in 7 days. I was already 3 mikes shy and those miles would have to be made up over the next 6 days. Three 14 mile days and three 13 mile days. Or take longer and and get some more food to make up for an extra day here and there. I only factored so much wiggle room in the schedule and I want to be home by 9/14 because there is someone in town I want to see. So I have some constraints, self imposed but constraints none the less. 

I kept walking and trying to figure out where to get more food. Bucks Lake is dead ahead and the town of Quincey is east of Bucks Lake by 12 miles. I'm not fond of hitchhiking but have done so in a pinch. Then I got reception and contacted a friend from work who has a cabin in BL and she told me about a B and B in town where I might be able to get a room tonight. There is also a store in town, small but I'm sure adequate for what I will need. Plus...I will get a shower and be able to wash my clothes. Being this dirty and stinky doesn't seem to bother some folks but it sure does bother me. Anyway, I called them and they have a room for me this afternoon. I am stoked!!!

Once I had that trouble solved for today I started to enjoy my surroundings. First off was a trailhead to climb Mt Pleasant...

Someone needs to help this sign out, it isn't very pleasant. 

Then I saw a welcoming lake, Silver Lake. Could be a good place to go and hang out. 

The wild flowers are not to be believed. 

And the views are some of the best I've gotten so far this trip. 

Eventually I got down to Bucks Lake Rd and looked hopefully for someone who might be getting into their car, at just that moment. Hoping to "yogi" a ride, I was disappointed so I turned right and started walking the three miles to town. Not 10 steps later I heard a truck behind me and a nice lady stuck her head out the window asking "You want a ride?" What a relief! So I tossed my pack into the back of their truck and they took me to Haskins Store where I have a room for tonight, and maybe tomorrow as well😜.

Turns out their son hiked the PCT last year so they are always on the look out to help a wayward hiker. My eternal thanks go out to Diedra and Augie! (Sorry if I've misspelled their names.)

So here I am at Haskins Valley Inn. 

I have a shower AND a jacuzzi tub, where I have washed my clothes, after washing myself. 

This is what my feet looked like, prior to many applications of water and soap. 

TMI? Well, you get the good with the bad when you read this blog. 😂

T-minus 6, and counting.

Days that is. Here I am at the tail end of the planning phase of my trip. My food is all purchased and boxed up. Three boxes sent and one more to go.

 

Gear chosen and sprayed with permethrin in order to keep the insects (ticks and mosquitoes) at bay, and I finally decided to go with cooking this year. I hate the extra weight of pot, stove and fuel but the satisfaction of having a hot meal at the end of the day has won out this year.

I just spent the last six hours today trying to set up my new locater beacon device. I think, I hope, I've got it well enough figured out for now. I was able to get the link up on my "Where is Shelly" page if you wanna look at that. It is kinda fun. Here is the beast.

I'm working on my gear list, which will be almost the same as last year but I'm adding the weight of three different things. A heavier battery for electronics, the above beast which is heavier than my old Spot and the pot/stove/fuel combination mentioned above. I haven't added it all up yet but I expect my weights to be in the 14 pound range. Two pounds more than last year but......... we will see. I still have a few days to change my mind about the cook system...

As I mentioned before it has been hard for me to write here, even though I've enjoyed it in the past. I am hoping to turn a corner soon and get back in the groove. Stay tuned.

Woohoo!

I finally whittled down my gear choices. How? By swapping certain items out for a lighter weight piece or removing some things all together. I'm now down to 12 pounds solid! This includes 25.5 ounces of electronics of one sort or another, which, theoretically anyway, aren't necessary. But it does provide me with some security (my SPOT) and enjoyment (iPhone.) It is interesting to know that I could be close to 10 pounds without all the gadgetry. However I'm cool with my choices.

I did update the list on my gear page for 2016 if you want to take a gander.

I leave tomoorow night on the train to Dunsmuir!

Snow coverage

I'm showing a screen shot of a map which shows snow depth along the first sections of the PCT planned for this summer.

The top center is where the trail crosses highway 5 in southern Oregon and curves west before dropping south, then north and into the higher mountains. As you can see there is light blue along the first part, along the Ca/Or border. Then the snow doesn't register as deep till the trail gets down below the town of Etna and the last section before Castilia. Castle Crags area.

From the feedback I got online yesterday, by folks who live in the area, the snow is deep, the ice is treacherous, the downed trees are many and folks have turned back rather than try to push through this part of the trail. Well damn. It looks like I'm gonna have to adapt and change my plans. I have no death wish.

My new plan is to start at Castilla and head south, leaving on June 30th instead of June 12th. That northern section is just too much for my skill set and I don't want to be out there alone in difficult conditions. So once again my best laid plans need to change with the circumstances. In that vein I purchased a train ticket from San Jose, CA to Dunsmuir, CA and will start walking south June 30. Decision made!

New thoughts

I was chatting with my acupuncturist Caroline a while back and we got on the topic of my hike and how I felt about the trip. I recounted some of the issues I was discussing in the previous post when she said, "You know, you can try again. Just because you weren't successful the first time doesn't mean you won't be successful if you try again." Silly as it sounds I had never really given myself the option of making a second attempt. I think mostly because of personal responsibilities and the complications of leaving home for such a long time. Oddly enough her words had an immediate impact on my mood and since that time I've been seriously considering taking another wack at a thru hike. Caroline told me she and her partner are planning to hike most of the trail in 2014 and that I was welcome to join them when they started hiking north from Idylwild next spring. I don't know if I would be able to keep up with them as they are both excellent athletes but the idea of having people to share the experience with is appealing, on many levels.  

If I am to make another attempt there are something's I know I must do differently if I am going to give myself the best chance of being successful. First, I must start the trail at least twenty pounds lighter than I started the trail last time. Thirty would be even better. Why? Simply put, less weight on my bones is less weight to carry up and down hills. Add in gear, water and food and you can see why less weight where I can control it will be be beneficial, to put it mildly. 

Secondly, I must minimize my home contacts to town stops. My constant connection with home was one of the problems I had in getting grounded on the trail. Always in two places mentally I never did well at either and it made the hard times even harder. So, no in between resupply stops contact will help. Or so I imagine. 

Thirdly, I must eat better. No candy bars and other empty foods, simply because they are easy to carry and get in towns. They effect my energy levels and I wonder if some of the difficulty I had in 2012 had to do with the crap food I ate. It's easier to eat that way on trail but it isn't a good choice for my overall health and mental well being. In this vein I'm going to contact a super hiker I know, with the trail name of Shroomer, who managed to eat well on the last big hike he did. He'll be a wealth of information, he's a master cook and a generous soul. 

Last but not least is the physical shape I must be in to have the highest likelihood of success. That simply means miles on my feet with weight in my pack. Nothing fancy. 

Finishing touches

I am lounging on a large, over stuffed couch in the home of San Diego trail angels, Frodo and Scout (trail names). My pack is full with 4 days of food but no water and it weighs in at 21 pounds. Not too shabby. I have the capacity to carry six liters of water but it appears as though I won't need to do so. There's more water between the border and each stopping place than I had hoped for. These recent rain have really helped out on that score.

Staying here tonight are two people from the Lake District in England, four folks from Israel, two from Florida and two from Washington. Quite the international crowd we have here. The only people not here are the owners as they are away until late tonight. They have food for all of us to eat and apparently dinner will arrive sometime later this evening. The kindness of strangers is amazing.

More tomorrow from the trail!

ear cover thingie

I don't know about you but first thing in the morning these days it is really cold... as in 38-40 degree cold. I know, I know, that isn't cold for lots of folks but for hiking, my ears get really cold. I resist wearing full coverage hats though, because I get too hot. SO, I've been thinking of how to construct an ear cover that will velcro closed over my ears, work with the visor, yet leaves my head free to expel the extra heat I am generating. I could have bought a simple headband kind of thing but what fun it that? What do you think?

With visor

Simple closure

I generally wear a visor, year round in cold, rainy, hot weather. So this design is perfect for my favorite one. The material is a wind blocker fleece, stiffer than most and dual colors, black on the inside. To hide the dirt?