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Seiad Valley

Posted by on July 1, 2015

I didn’t know it at the time, but I had made it to the top of the ridge the night before which worked out well. I was up early and started hiking when the temperature wasn’t too bad. There was a long flat section with mostly dead trees. Some had been burned, but some were just dead.
Luckily I left that area and got to some places that were much more scenic.

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I went down a huge hill into a narrow valley with a river at the bottom. I crossed the river several times and a few times I had to Ford because the bridge had been burned or washed away.

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It was so hot out that I was actually very happy to walk through the cool water with my shoes on. It helped to cool my feet a lot. I even dunked my hat at one point. It was a hot and sweaty walk. And then I got to the road.
The trail followed an unpaved road for three miles then a paved road into the town of Seiad Valley.

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The last few miles down to and over the Klamath river were the worst. It was so hot and the sun was just beating down with no shade. I wanted to get to the store before it closed at 8 pm and I didn’t have much time to spare.
When I was less than half a mile away and really flagging, a car pulled over and a woman offered me some cold watermelon she had just cut up. It was amazing!! Cold and juicy and sweet. Just what I needed to get me the rest of the way!
When I got to the store I found a bunch of hikers there: Seven, Breathless, Indy, Huck, and heard that I just missed a few others. Even with taking 2.5 days off I had caught up with a lot of people quickly. They had been there all afternoon and left while I was in the store. It was unbearably hot, even at 6 pm.
When I picked up my box I also got a pint of ice cream and a quart of orange juice. I downed both in ten minutes.
I was going to stay at the RV park, but it was not very inviting so after the shortest resupply yet, I got back on the trail at 8:30 pm. I departed the road after less than a mile, then started to climb. I got about another mile before it was dark and in a small campsite I found Thunder, Red Bass, and Ice Cream. It was the hottest night yet and I only got in my sleeping bag to avoid the bugs.
I hiked 40.5 miles that day. A new personal record!

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