Day 3 - Deer Spring Campground

Woke up to terrible nightmares this morning. Nazi loving Trump supporters, animal torture and dying of thirst. What a way to start the day. Think I'm anxious about something? Yup, I reckon. 

I think the thing that is ever present in my mind is finding a place to hang. Most of the territory I've been in has been steep with plenty of trees, but they are over the edge (or uphill) of a sharp slope...not something I really want to swing out of in the middle of the night! Plus, when I ask people coming north they tell me about flat spots, not hanging spots. So I keep looking at the map, trying to see if it looks like it could be a good spot. Not clear for sure. 

At noon when I pulled up to the listed campsite near Deer Creek and saw that there were plenty of spots to hang I decided to stay there rather than continue on another two miles with an unknown situation up there. The guide said it was a small campsite and if there was already someone there I'd be SOL. 

I was just setting up when up comes a couple who is going SOBO, or southbound.  Fire Woman and Nomohawk came to sit for a minute and mentioned to me they had just seen a bear, not 200 feet from the campsite. Yikes! I looked around and didn't see any way to hang my food so when they invited me to join them two miles further on at the spring I decided to join them. At least there will be three of us if we get a visit from a bear. 

So here I am, resting after an 11 mile day of all, and I mean all, uphill. I am beat up from the heat and grind of today but tomorrow should be better as the uphill is first thing and after that the trail levels out for most of the day.  

I must say it has been fun meeting these folks. They are kind and funny and offered me a trail margarita. Quite good after the long day I had. It looks like I'll be seeing more of them as we appear to be on the same pace and our goals are the same, at least for now. It's nice to have good company. 

Tomorrow is a 14 mile day. Yikes. 

Here are some random images from the day. 

Somebody didn't  make all the way to camp last night.  

McCloud River, 7am

Butterfly

Mariposa Lilly?

Day 2 - Fitzhugh Creek

A short day at 12 miles. 

I did start the day at 6am with the goal of doing my 12 miles as early as possible then see if I wanted to hike another 2 miles to the bigger campground. That one has facilities😜

While it was pretty cool early I had to climb for the first four miles and I was feeling the effects of long miles yesterday.  In other words I was tired when I started. Not the best way to start the day but I figured I'd just move along at a steady pace, take breaks and enjoy the music on my MP3 player. My friend Janet put a bunch of good, energetic music on a memory card for me and that really helps. I can sing along and stop thinking about my discomfort. To top it off the trail was way overgrown and I had to push myself through in some places, hoping not to be exposed to too much poison oak in the process. 

Where's the trail?

It's pretty though. 

I met a bunch of interesting people today. The first guy, who was long and lanky, is from Switzerland  and it sounds like he's doing 30-35 mile days. Then came Argentina who is an old hand at the PCT. He has attempted the PCT so many times that I lost count when he was telling me about it. Actually he told me that 15 years ago he started the trail "to die out there."  Apparently he has a degenerative back condition and his docs told him in two years time he would be in a wheelchair and after that on a morphine drip. As he says it "I had other plans." So each year he is able do more miles...first 500, 600, then 900 miles a summer. Over the years he has gotten stronger and has been able to do more miles with less pain. Pretty amazing if you ask me. 

After that I saw a guy with an impossibly small pack, jogging the trail. What? Two more guys moving fast then I took my lunch break after 8 miles. As I was pulling into the clearing a guy was doing the same, from the south. Then a young couple joined us and I got to listen to all the trail Intel, or gossip if that's how you want to look at it. Apparently there a couple of folks hiking the trail with two goats. I can't wait to meet them!

As I pulled into Fitzhugh Gulch Creek there were supposed to be two campsites. The first one coming in was treeless and the second one, that did have perfectly placed trees, had a tent smack dab in the middle of it. It was only about 1:30pm and this person had gotten to camp even before me! She was kind and said I could share her spot but that wasn't gonna work so I looked for another spot near by. I have a lovely hang, four feet from the trail!  Oh well, what can you do when hiking in narrow canyons with steep slopes?

Amy, or Second Life as she is called, is section hiking and is doing fewer miles than some.  She works for a Tahoe based state agency so she can't take too many days off at a time. She says she is on the 25 year plan for finishing the PCT. 

I did get myself settled, treated water, rinsed my socks, washed off the poison oak contact I probably got during the day, ate a scrumptious dinner of turkey spaghetti

(which was quite good), then stretched myself out in my hammock. I hope it won't be as hot tonight as it was last night. I couldn't even put my quilt over me till close to 1am. Clearly my 10 degree quilt is way over kill for the conditions I find myself in😬

Right on the trail!

Day two down and four more to go for this section. I've got some short days planed, and some long days ahead, mostly due to terrain. Fingers crossed!

Day 1 - Just south of Squaw Canyon Creek.

17 mile day. 

Eric dropped me off at the trailhead at 6:08 which was a good thing since it was gonna get hot, hot, hot. Fortunately the trail, while climbing most of the morning, was generally shaded so I didn't have the hot sun to contend with on top of the hot air. Of course as I climbed it got cooler and there was a sometimes breeze. Nice for keeping the skeeters and face gnats away.

It always seems to be about water and timing. My first water spot was Fall Creek, 5 miles into the climb and it was there I had to make a decision.  Would I water all the way up, meaning 3-4 liters, and dry camp for the night at around the 12 mile mark, or would I just get two and take a long break at noonish and walk to the next water source at 16 miles in. As I was feeling strong I decided to carry less and see how it went. I rolled into the 11.5 mile camp spot, dog tired, hot and hungry. I put up my hammock in a perfect spot and after eating I laid down to rest up through the hot part of the day. What a fabulous idea! I was able to stretch, rest and by the time 3pm came I was ready to go again. I suppose I could have just stayed put but I'd have to go light on drinking water which isn't a good thing to do in this heat. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

(Earlier in the day I'd met a thru hiker named Nemo and we chatted for a long time. He gave me intel on the trail ahead. Not all of which I got correct, which will be come clear as I yack away here. I saw him about 10:30 and I'd already gone 8 miles, pretty good for me as it also included breaks.)

Another plus for moving along was that, even though I was adding a bunch more miles to my day, all those miles were downhill. Unfortunately I forgot that as one loses altitude, it gets hotter. My lunch  stop was at 4,500 and my target spot of Squaw Valley Creek was at 2,800. Big difference. But, I was committed so away I went. 

Early morning shot...a bit dark. 

I had hoped to find some likely looking trees near the creek but no matter how hard I tried there were none to be found. Nemo had mentioned that there were campsites "past the bridge", which I took to mean cross over the bridge and they'll be some campsites. Nope. Not a one. What I guess he meant is before crossing the bridge there was a trail that headed out to a trailhead. I guess that's where I was supposed to go. Instead I began climbing up, in the sun. A bit disheartening to say the least but there was nothing for it but to keep on, hoping to find some likely trees. Finally after about another mile I snagged some trees and hung my bed. I hung my food in the hope that critters won't get it, and parked myself in this cozy bed. I actually can't leave this spot as just on the other side of the nylon hammock are hordes of hungry, buzzing blood suckers. They are loud. I hope I don't have to pee anytime soon. 

Red Eye to Dunsmuir

And red eyes is what I have. Boarded the number 14 in San Jose at 8:30 last night and after a night of comfy seats but no sleep I arrived in Dunsmuir at 4:57 in the morning. The wind is blowing up a storm and by the feel of it I can tell it's gonna be a warm one later today. BTW I was informed by a local that the reason for such windy weather is because of all the chemtrails overhead. 🤓

I had heard there was a cafe near the train station that opened at 6 so I wandered around till I found the Wheel House and the sign on the door said, "Open 6-10."  I waited, (nothing else to do at that hour) and ended up with a splendid pancake, egg, bacon breakfast.  Sourdough pancakes aren't my first choice but they were good, for sourdough pancakes that is. 

Once fed, I needed to decide if I was going to hit the trail today or get a room at the Dunsmuir Lodge, which is known for their hospitality towards PCT hikers. I also had to find out how to get to the trailhead, which is five miles south of town. There is no road directly there, other than highway 5, so the only choice I have is to walk the railway, which really didn't appeal to me, considering all the train traffic running through this area. 

By the time I'd walked the mile or so south along the main road through town to the lodge I realized I probably needed sleep more than hiking today. However when I arrived a bit after 7am, the door was locked with no sign of life inside.  I hated to do it but I pushed the button saying "push for service" and rousted out Eric, who had been asleep. Eric, who is owner and sole proprietor, did find me a single bed that I could get right away,  which I really needed if I was to catch up on my sleep. He also offered to take me to the trailhead early tomorrow morning for the cost of gas. Yea! Two birds, one stone!

After a brief lay down I walked back to town to mail a book back home and snag some lunch. I took a meandering route, looking in thrift stores and collectable haunts, trying to get a feel for this town. What I learned is that there are 21 creeks running underneath the town proper and that water is abundant. Which is why the public water faucets, which I assumed were broken, are actually on all the time. 

Something that is very hard for me to look at without trying to fix them somehow. 

Also, some folks being creative about fashioning a mobile snow capable trailer. At least, I think that's what they were after. 

I finally staggered back to the lodge in the afternoon heat, measuring around 93 or thereabouts, and fell onto the soft bed and into sleep. It's now close to five but still blistering hot. Time to wander back to town and rustle up dinner before gathering my stuff, ready to hit it tomorrow, as early as I can con Eric into dropping me off at the trailhead. This kind of heat worries me but I'll just walk in the early hours and after it cools down in the evening, with long breaks mid day. It'll all be good. 

Later...

Dinner done, the is heat radiating off the asphalt and my plans for tomorrow morning are solidified. Now? I am off to snooze landia. I will check in next when the electronic gods are willing. 

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!

No cook?

I must say that weighing all my packed gear was a sobering event. My base weight had climbed to 14 pounds 4.6 ounces which is quite a bit higher than my goal of 13 pounds. Nothing to do but go back through the stuff I was gonna bring and see what I could remove without losing comfort and safety. I managed to remove two pieces of clothing that wasn't necessary, given the heat wave I am facing when I get out there, but what else could I remove? Hmmmmmm.

For years now I have been resisting the notion of not bringing a stove with me on backpacking trips. I really only use it to heat up water for my dinner meal so it IS POSSIBLE to get by without heating my water on a stove. Especially with the hot sun we are having so far this summer. To see if there was another way to warm up my dinners I got a black bag I had made for another use and placed a ziplock containing my dinner and enough water to rehydrate it. I put it in the sun and within an hour my dinner was rehydrated and quite warm. It wasn't burning-hot by any means, but it turned out plenty hot enough for me. So here is what I am gonna do. Replace my cook kit which weighed 10.3 ounces, not including fuel

With the black bag, spoon and Ti cup (in case I have an emergency and have to heat water) I have dropped my food related weight to 3.1 ounces! I like it!

I painted my cup black with heat resistant paint so I can also use the sun to heat water in the cup, should I want to warm up some water for miso soup or anything else like that.

All things considered a respectable swap. I've removed 17 ounces from my overall weight but there is still something I can get rid of... I am sure of it. I still have three days to find a way...

Almost time

I really don't like this time of getting ready for a long hike. Time is short, I've got stuff all over the floor and boxes almost full of necessary stuff. Having to make final decisions about gear and trying mightily not to keep adding stuff, for "just in case." After all these years you'd think it would be easier to resist the pull, but it's not. Plus, no matter how hard I try not to do so I always seem to hurt myself just prior to taking off. This time it's my low back. I'm sure it'll be fine in the end but it puts a kink in my training. Good thing I'm only planning 12 mile days for the first week.

Training hike in Nicene Marks State Park - Janet Fine photographer (and hand)

I just posted a document and images of the clothing I'll be wearing/carrying on this trip. It's under the page Gear Planning for 2016. I'll post the rest of the images and data once I finally get it ready and written down. In the meantime I have (mostly) finished my resupply boxes and will be sending off three on Monday. I can send UPS boxes all at the same time as they are going to private businesses and the three week limit the Post Office has won't apply in those cases. I much prefer to get most boxes sent before I leave so I don't inconvenience family any more than necessary.

Not sending this many. This is from before I had to chnage my plans. Now I only have 8 boxes and one bear canister.