PCT adventures

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 … Continue reading »

When Jacob dropped me off at Etna summit, it was 3 pm but luckily it wasn’t too hot and I was mostly in the trees with some shade. I knew the next few days were supposed to be blistering hot so I tried to put in as many miles as I could that day. I … Continue reading »

After spending the night in Yreka, Jacob and I drove up to Ashland and saw two plays on Friday. The matinée of Much ado about Nothing was spectacular!! And the evening show of Fingersmith had me on the edge of my seat. We stayed in a lovely studio apartment just a few blocks from the … Continue reading »

From the windy ridge, I hiked through a heavily burned area to Etna summit. The silence there was the most striking part; there were no birds chirping, not even insects humming. Then I created a saddle and came back into the land of the living and breathed in the scent of flowers again and saw … Continue reading »

The morning after leaving Deadfall Lake I had a flat 20 miles to cruise along. At one moment in the morning I was checking the tie on my phone when I heard a rustling in the woods on my right. Thinking it was a deer I didn’t pay much attention until a large black furry … Continue reading »

When I left Castle Crags State Park, I had a huge climb, as always. There is nearly always a long downhill into town and then a huge climb out of town. This one was nearly 4,000′ and took me nearly all morning. I went through Castle Crags Wilderness and then entered the Trinity Wilderness. Once … Continue reading »

On June 22, I continued on a long downhill section and did an easy 24.5 miles into the tiny town of Castella. It was an easy and fast walk and I listened to the traffic on I-5 for miles before I got to the bottom of the hill. The last few miles into town were … Continue reading »

Coming off the saddle where I camped, I hiked along a ridge overlooking a beautiful meadow filled with tall grass and wildflowers. In the middle of the meadow, about 100 feet in elevation below me was a black bear, foraging for food. This was the first bear I had seen the whole hike. It was … Continue reading »

After Hat Creek Rim, Seven and I got an early start to make it to Burney Falls State Park before lunch. Along the way we encountered a bit of heaven: Wild Bird Cache, which should actually be called an oasis instead. It had the usual cold drinks and candy bars, but also a solar shower, … Continue reading »

I needed the extra water bottles from Old Station because we were about to enter a 33 mile waterless section called Hat Creek Rim. This section is notoriously hot so Seven and I got up at 5 am and were hiking by 5:30. We were making good time and having a great conversation when before … Continue reading »

After leaving Feather creek, I did a big climb to leave the valley and soon entered Lassen national park. The area in general is very volcanic and I took a short side trip to see the Terminal Geyser. There was a lot of steam and some noise but I didn’t see any water spouting up. … Continue reading »

When I woke up near clear spring, Red Bass, Thunder Thighs, and Ice Cream were still sleeping so I packed up my stuff quietly and headed out. The trail was mostly flat and the morning was cool so I moved fast and got some miles in early. I usually wake up around 5:30 and am … Continue reading »

Even after my longest day, I was still feeling energized, which was good because I started the day with a big climb out of the river valley.  Lot of the morning was spent hiking through more forest, with soft ground and good cushion. Gone are the granite landscapes of the Sierra mountains. At these lower … Continue reading »

After spending a restful night in Truckee and having an amazing breakfast the next morning, Merkel, Horizon, and I got back on the trail while Mama Merkel hung out with Papa Merkel. Horizon and Merkel both had plans to stay in Truckee through the end of the weekend so they decided to slackpack (I.e. day … Continue reading »

Jacob got up early on Friday morning and met me at Kennedy Meadows North before 10 am. He had looked at the weather forecast and knew there were storms in our future starting that afternoon so as soon as he got there, we went for a quick hike. Not knowing the area very well, we … Continue reading »