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 10 - Partway up the hill from the Feather River

It never really cooled off last night so I knew I was in for a hot one today. Accordingly I only ignored my alarm one time and was packed and walking by 6:15am. My focus was to get to the Feather River before it got too hot and I managed to get there about 11:30 (8.5 miles) but I didn't beat the heat. 

First thing I did was to find the campsites, then get to the river from there. Fortunately the river isn't at a dangerous stage so getting to it was easy. Did I get in?

Ahhhhhhh. After getting out, I wet my shirt and gathered water for tonight. I could stay here of course, and that would make tomorrow's climb less difficult in the cool morning. But I'm gonna go part way to the next water source this afternoon and then call it a day. It might be cooler 1,400 feet higher. Plus, the oak gnats are swarming and there are mosquitoes down here by the water. I got my first 2 bites this morning☹️. 

I'm not complaining really. I've been blessed with relatively bug-less days but I fear I'm due for some temperament testing. 

The bridge over the river is the largest equestrian bridge on the PCT. When it was built they had to bring the actual bridge back in here via helicopter. Imagine how big a bird you'd have to use to bring in a bridge this size.  

It would have been fun to stay here with friends for a couple of days. There are deep pools for swimming and even some small rapids. 

Finally about 1:30 I braced myself and started the climb out of the canyon. All I'll say about it is that the hike up was challenging. I didn't lose temps, in fact it's now 4:45pm and I think it's still in the high eighties. I don't have a thermometer but I'm judging by the feel of the heat on my skin. At first the trail was shady and protected from the full on summer sun. Then it rounded a corner and was south facing for the last 1.5 miles. I was sweating buckets. 

The trail finally crossed an old dirt road that doesn't look like it's been used much recently. In theory it's a trailhead access for the river. In practice it is, shall we say, lightly used. I have found myself a couple of trees and hung my hammock. I don't even know if I will be using any kind of sleeping cover tonight. It's still so hot.

I did manage to hike 11+ miles today. I'm good with that. 

Day 5 - Belden Town... during a Funk Festival.

My alarm went off at 5:30 this morning but I managed to ignore it till 6. Did I mention two southbound thru hikers pulled in at dusk last night?  They did and we chatted very briefly before they set up their tent and settled in to sleep. They are flip-floppers, having skipped the difficult Sierra conditions and have walked to Canada already. Just getting back on trail now, hoping to finish their hike at Kennedy Meadows south before they have to go back to work. Anyway, the reason I brought them up is because they got up and were out of camp in 15 minutes. I took 30 minutes which I thought was pretty good, but then I'm not trying to make 25-30 miles a day. I can't even imagine. 

Anyway, I started walking at 6:30 and made the best use of the cool morning temperatures. The trail was mostly downhill and some of it was that nasty rocky stuff I've been complaining of. Ankle twisters for sure. 

I crossed more creeks and saw some flowers I'm not familiar with. Anyone know what this one is?

At Indian Creek (they didn't specify which tribe) a large bridge spanned the creek, suitable for horse travel. In fact this section of the PCT is maintained by a group of volunteer horsey types. I can't call them horse "men."  

I got to the big river and saw the train blowing by. Very loud, something I get to experience tonight since it's not 100 feet from where I am hanging, up the hill. 

Eventually I came strolling into BeldenTown around 10am. I tried the restaurant for breakfast but they wouldn't seat me, since the kitchen was so behind on orders. I was sad since I'd only had my breakfast drink (with java) and was hungry. Fortunately they have food trucks here during festivals and I got, possibly, the worlds largest burrito. I couldn't even hold it to eat it so I had to spoon it. It was yummy!

I spent the bulk of the day charging electronics and looking on the internet. Grim times in this ole USA. Anyway I eventually had a couple of beers and a turkey burger at the bar, sitting next to an interesting young man named Cody. He works some, travels some and owns a 1971 VW bus. We bonded over that for sure. 

I eventually wandered off to try and find a place to hang my hammock, which was not easy. I did find a spot and am settled in, four feet from the river. 

My alarm will be going off at 5:30am as I have 2,600 feet to climb in 4 miles tomorrow. Best done in the early morning. There is no water for the first 6 miles so I'll have to carry a couple of liters in addition to 7 days of food. Let the whining begin🤣.

Day 1 - mile 1318.5 - Near Butt Mt

The day started with breakfast at the hotel and it was just so-so. I realized how I measure the quality of a hotel breakfast by how they cook the eggs and the ones here were little round disks, about three inches across. They didn't look very tasty so I passed. But, it was good enough to get me going.

Angela dropped me off about 7:45 and after the obligatory photo, the last time I'll be clean for a while, I was off. Thank you Angela! You saved the day.

The trail climbed a bit then dropped into a meadow where a "seasonal" stream could be found. This year it was a running creek, right down the middle of the path. Nothing for it but to just slosh along till I got through. 

After about three miles I stopped at Soldier Creek to water up. This means I left there with 4 liters of water since I would be stopping for the night before the next water source. Many times in the next seven miles I wished I hadn't committed to limiting my milages to 10 miles a day for the first section. Not because I wanted to do more but carrying 9+pounds of water for 7 miles is harder than carrying <5 for 10 miles. Which is where the next water source is. But no matter. I got here just fine though I am feeling the effects of carrying so much weight on day one. Hopefully rest will cure what ails me. 

I stopped to rest a bit and take an image of the "official" PCT mid point, for those walking the whole trail that is. 

At that point I started to notice the clouds building and it looked like there could be afternoon rain. A welcome event for me as it keeps things cool. About a mile from my stopping place it started to sprinkle so when I arrived at the listed campsite area I went looking for some likely trees. I did manage to get my hammock and tarp up in time to keep things mostly dry. Luckily it never poured. My umbrella kept my stuff dry while I scurried about getting things set up. 

I've seen 5 or 6 deer circling around this spot...apparently they are used to just walking through this area. They don't seem scared, just cautious. 

Dinner tonight was Cowgirl Pasta, a dinner of my own design. Even without a stove it rehydrated just fine. 

It's only 5pm but I'm laying down in my hammock to rest. I did manage to stop a couple of times and do some stretching and a bit of Gyrokinisis. For those of you who don't know, Gyrokinisis is a kind of yoga that is done sitting down. This style of exercise has saved my back so I'm definitely a fan. 

Tomorrow is another 10 mile day, with another heavy water carry. I may also pass the spot where I injured myself last year and I'm looking forward to getting past that area. Injury free of course. I guess I'm a bit nervous 😬

Phase two

Oh man have I had nothing but trouble with this brand new, super high tech locater beacon I'm trying to use. I have successfully learned to use the Mapshare function but I can not get my text messages to send. No matter what I try I'm not successful. So, no text messages till I am able to get the tech folks on the phone. Which probably won't be till I get to Sierra City. Hope I don't need to use that function before then. 

Angela and I left Groveland around 8:30 this morning and took our own sweet time getting here to Chester. We took the long way on Highway 70, through the Feather River canyon which was rugged and beautiful. The water was very enticing but hard to get down to. We stopped once at a rest stop and getting out of the car was a shock. It must have been nearly 100 degrees at about 3pm. We drove by Belden Town Resort where I should be by next Saturday. Hopefully it won't be so hot by the time I get there. 

Got to Chester about 4:30 and checked into a Best Western. I ran off the the grocery store to pick up some last minute goodies then Angela and I walked to the Kopper Kettle for dinner. The food was good enough but there was too much of it. Couldn't finish. 

Walking home we chanced upon a Chester specialty shop...

Back at the BW at sunset. 

An early breakfast and off to the trail I go. Angela will be continuing on the see friends in Oregon and Washington. Too bad I can't just split myself in two so I wouldn't miss anything in life. 

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.

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!

PCT section hike in 2016

If all goes according to plan, in early summer I'll set foot on the PCT at mile 1716 and walk south till I get to Tuolumne Meadows at mile 942.  Totaling 774 miles, give or take, I plan on taking somewhat less than two months to hike it, averaging around 16 miles a day. I have 6 months to get back up to hiking shape, which might be a bit difficult, but I'm gonna give it a go. I've begun the planning phase, which is super beneficial because it provides focus to my training. Planning includes, for me, looking at resupply stops, seeing whether or not I can resupply some foods at that stop and if not, what I'll need to send myself in each box. Some folks might find this tedious but for me it's part of the fun.

A few of the 33 boxes I had for my 2014 thruhike attempt

My current plan calls for 9 resupply boxes sent to myself at nine different stops. Some of these towns, such as Dunsmuir, have good grocery stores so I'll only send myself breakfasts and dinners, picking up lunch/snacks in that town.  Some stops, such as Belden, have no stores at all so I'll have to include everything I need to get from there to Sierra City, 5.9 days ahead. Speaking of dinners I will rotate through 6 dinners over the whole trip which turns out to be 51 dinners. How do I know this? I use Craig's PCT Planner which is a fabulous resource for folks wanting to hike the PCT. You plug in your start and end spot, plus dates, input hours walked per day and miles per hour and it gives you great data to help with planning. I also recommend Yogi's PCT Guidebook which has lots of information about towns along the way as well as best shipping options. 

So that's it for today. I just wanted to get the rust off of my blogging fingers and announce my intentions to do a big section hike this year. If I'm successful this summer then I hope to be able to finish off Oregon and Washington in 2017 and have this PCT bad boy done!