update: WE DID IT!

So, our blogging has become a little slack, but I just wanted to let all of you out there in internet land know that WE MADE IT TO CANADA!  That's right, we completed all 2,660 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail!  We arrived at the Northern terminus of the trail/Canadian border on September 21st around noon with a fantastic group of about 15 other hikers!  We plan to finish up the blog not only for anyone out there reading, but also for ourselves as an account of our journey that we'll be able to look back on for years to come.  Thanks a million for following along, for your thoughts, prayers, support, and words of encouragement.  And stay tuned!

Eagle Creek

day 127 ~ Eagle Creek Alternate [PCT miles 2138.1 - 2155]

The Eagle Creek alternate trail is another one of those things you hear about along the entire trail.  Again, it is difficult to fathom that we've actually come this far!  The trail features dozens of waterfalls; most notably, Tunnel Falls.  The trail was blasted out of the canyon walls.  We walked along the path, a couple of feet wide, with sheer dropoffs to one side, and a hand cable for safety on the other side of the trail.  Tunnel Falls was a spectacular waterfall that rises hundreds of feet high, and the path lead us through a tunnel that was blasted out behind the falls. 

The Eagle Creek trail has been rated as one of the top dayhikes in the country.  Obviously, this is no secret, as we passed literally hundreds of dayhikers on the trail.  On a daily basis, we normally don't see many dayhikers, so the constant stream of people became slightly frustrating.  Some oblivious people spread across the trail in groups of twos and threes, others rudely shoved past.  All of them smelled so fresh.  After living in the woods, unnatural smells are overly apparent, so the scents of laundry detergents and perfumes overwhelmed our sniffers.  I'm sure that our hiker stench overwhelmed them as well, which gave us a strange sense of  humerous satisfaction.

The trail dumped us into a bustling parking lot, where we passed a picnic table of hikers and pizza and cookies.  We were invited to join.  Red Oak and Buttercup were out doing trail magic for our buddy Zissou.  All three of them hiked the Appalachian Trail on 2010, the same year as us, but we didn't meet them then.  We hung out for a few, until heading into the town of Cascade Locks via a paved pedestrian path.

An RV park on the Columbia River permits hikers to camp for free.   We setup and showered, and settled in to relax for the rest of the evening.  We were happy to run into some hikers that we hadn't seen in a while, including Masshole and Midway, and lots of new faces as well.

Thunder Island Brewery and the local watering hole kept us entertained for the evening.  We didn't really accomplish any of our chores, but this is our last Oregon stop...they can wait, we've got some celebrating to do.

beautiful Ramona

Day 126 ~ miles 2111.7 - 2138.1

A missed alarm led to us slumbering until 8, and we didn't leave camp until 9; not a very productive start to the day.  Miles were slow and an intense creek ford slowed us down even more.  We had to walk way upstream looking for a safe place to cross, hoping to find a place where we could rock-hop across.  No such luck, so we ended up walking across the cloudy, glacier-melt stream.  Apparently a couple of weeks ago, a hiker was killed while crossing a log over the same stream, when a gush of water swept him off. 

A loop trail to Ramona Falls parallelled the PCT for 2.1 miles, so we decided to take it.  Ramona Falls were stunning, and their beauty literally brought tears to my eyes.  Under the dark forest canopy,  the rushing falls stood so tall and wide, surrounded by green mossy rocks.  A cool mist sprayed us as we ate lunch and gazed at the dancing drops of water.

After our morning of lollygagging and trip to the falls, it was time to get serious.  We hiked 21 more miles, well beyond sunset.  Views of Mt. Hood amazed us as we left it behind.  We ran into a couple we met in the desert, Chimp and Rain Dance, and they are actually attempting a yo-yo hike, (hiking the trail in one direction then the other in one season) an incredible feat!

We arrived to the very crowded Indian Springs Camp after dark.  We're trying to complete all tasks as quietly as possible, as to not wake anyone.

best breakfast

Day 125 ~ miles 2107.5 - 2111.7

Today we indulged in what we would rate as the best breakfast on the trail.  The Timberline Lodge breakfast buffet is one of those legendary things that you hear about for the entire trail; it's hard to believe that we actually made it!  The dining room was full of hikers, skiers, and vacationers.  We sat with Thor and Fern Toe for a two and a half hour dining session.  Our bellies were filled with Belgian waffles with fruit and fresh whipped cream, cheesy eggs, home fries, artisan cheeses, sausage and bacon, fresh baked bread, fruit, and smoothies, among other delicacies.

In a food induced stupor, we lounged on the expansive lodge patio and watched the skiers on the spectacular Mt. Hood.  It's apparently the only year-round ski resort in the country.  It's also where the outdoor scenes of The Shining were filmed.  For hours, we sat on the patio, making phone calls, talking with hikers, and doing chores.

As they say, all good things must come to an end.  Around 4:00, we headed away from the Lodge and just hiked a few miles to a nice lookout where we camped with Forest.

always take candy from strangers

Day 124~ miles 2077.5 - 2107.5

The morning's elevation profile looked so easy, so we started out hiking real fast.  Thirty minutes or less into hiking, I tripped over a rock going full speed and launched into the air and flew several feet before I hit the ground.  I landed on my hip, which fortunately still has some padding left.  "Are you OK?," Moonshine asked; I could detect the worry in his voice.  All I could do was laugh hysterically, which quickly turned into a laugh-cry.  I was in pain, but I was not injured.  Just like a small child, I was probably more scared than anything, but the image of me launching through the air was hysterical to me.  Moonshine was relieved, and he started laughing as well, as my laugh-cry continued.  Several minutes later I was finally able to get up, and I laugh-cried my way down the trail.

We ran into a super sweet mother and daughter out on a day hike around the beautiful Timothy Lake.  They were familiar with the PCT, and the daughter hopes to hike it after high school.  After chatting for a few, they asked if we wanted some chocolate; bingo!  They'd said the magic word and we hit the jackpot.  They happily unloaded their fancy Whole Foods chocolates and cookies on us.  We walked down the trail awhile, then took a break and devoured all of the delicious goodies.

We had lunch with Can Can and Bandit, and jokingly discussed hiking all the way to Timberline Lodge tonight, 15 more miles.  After lunch, our pace was better than expected, maybe we could make it to the lodge, though we couldn't commit to it.  I think we both had food and beer on the brain, as we got closer to the lodge, we realized that we may actually be able to make it by dark.  Let's do it, we agreed.  Yup, the day after I did my first 30 mile day and claimed I would never do it again, I did it again. The last mile was torturous: we could see the majestic Timberline Lodge as we hiked up a super steep incline of soft sand. We setup our tent in. stand of trees a short distance from the lodge and headed inside the huge castle-like structure. We arrived to find many hikers, including Can Can and Bandit, and we joined them for a tasty, but expensive, dinner.  We had a great time catching up and hearing about each others' hikes before we headed out into the darkness to find our tent. 

first thirty

Day 123 ~ miles 2047.5 - 2077.5

After 5 miles of easy morning hiking, we arrived at a side trail to Ollalie Lake Resort.  We simply couldn't pass up the opportunity for some non-trail food, especially since it was only a tenth of a mile off the PCT.  The resort was situated at one end of Ollalie Lake, and across the lake was a most breathtaking view of Mt. Jefferson.  The snack selection in the store was limited and pricey, but we each found a few items of interest and devoured them.  We ran into Can can and Bandit at the resort; they're a couple that we met the first day of our hike and haven't seen them since.

Overall, it was an uneventful day.  We'd picked up a free frisbee at the brew-fest; Moonshine's been so mad that we carried it out of town.  "We'll never play with this on the trail."  Well, I took it out at lunch and we had fun tossing it around with Princess, Mr. Sandals, Tidy Camper, and Firecracker. 

Moonshine's back has been improving daily, but he has still not fully recovered.  Firecracker was kind enough to perform another chiropractic adjustment.  Afterwards, judging by his actions, I'd say he felt like a new man.

Throughout Oregon, Moonshine has been talking about hiking a 30 mile day, pretty much just for the sake of doing it.  We didn't plan to hike 30 miles today, and we certainly didn't wake up super early to get a head start on the day.    We just happened to be making good time today on the mellow terrain.  Nearing the end of the day, bumping up our mileage to 30 sounded miserably unappealing.  We continued hiking and in good time, so I figured we may as well get the 30 mile day over with. We may never walk 30 miles in a day again in our lives!  I don't feel particularly accomplished, but I'm sure our bodies will remind us of our feat tomorrow.

watch what you say

Day 122 ~ miles 2024.6 - 2047.5       

The alarm sounded and I knew we had to get up and make decent mileage today.  I peered out of the mesh tent wall to see a beautiful pink and orange sunrise, right beside the majestic Mt. Jefferson.  Back to sleep I quickly went, fortunately only for 30 minutes.  The morning miles passed quickly, as we'd hoped for, as we walked toward Mt. Jefferson.  We saw a wildfire from above, a couple of miles away from the trail, as a small scouting plane flew around in circles overhead repeatedly. 

A real ass-kicking climb consumed most of the day after lunch.  Our fitness level is so optimal that we can usually just breeze right through a thousand+ foot climb, barely getting winded.  This ascent took a little more effort.  When we finally reached the top and went over the mountain, we were surprised to see a large amount of snow on the North side of it.  Never did I imagine that I would be walking along in the snow in August, being swarmed by mosquitos!  While hiking through the snow, I noticed a handprint.  "HA, HA, someone fell," I said aloud to Moonshine.   The words were barely out of my mouth when I lost my footing and slipped, recovered, only to lose my balance again and fall on my butt, arms flailing all the while.  Once I realized that I was OK, we both burst into laughter.I suppose I should watch what I say! 

The evening miles were much more painstaking that the morning ones.  We didn't hike as far as we'd hoped, but the day was full of some absolutely incredible scenery.

getting back into the swing of things

Day 121 ~miles 2003.2 - 2024.6

It was just one of those lazy and slow kind of days on the trail, to start, anyway.  Sleep is usually much more restful on the trail; even though we felt well rested leaving Bend, we slept in until 8 today.  Also, our tent was dripping with condensation and our sleeping bags damp. Sleeping in gave things a little more time to dry out, but we still had to pack them up pretty wet, which sucks.

It was the kind of day that we just couldn't go more than a couple of miles without taking a break for something: water, stretching, bathroom, etc.  Time passed quickly, while the miles dragged by.  A pack loaded full of 5 1/2 days of food and plenty of water for a dry stretch of trail surely didn't help matters.

For most of the day, we hiked through the most expansive burn area we'd seen, which meant no shade.  Views of Mt. Jefferson and the dramatic surrounding peaks made the day more aesthetically pleasing.  We sort of got our act together after lunch and started making better time. 

To add a little excitement to our day, a bee decided to sting my right lower calf.  I screamed and ran, unsure of what was going on.  The pain was so intense; I looked down and brushed the bee off of my leg.  The stinging continued for several minutes.  That hadn't happened to me in years!  Also, we spotted a trail "celebrity" on the trail today: Scott Williamson.  He's hiked the PCT multiple times, and was the first person ever to complete a yo-yo hike of the trail (hiking the trail, arriving at the terminus, and turning around to hike back in the other direction).  He is apparently attempting to set a record for the fastest known Southbound thru-hike; despite the fact that he's attempting a speed record, he still moved over to let us go by while we were ascending.

Where water is scarce, it's sometimes wise to cook dinner at a water source; that way, we don't have to carry water to cook with.  We utilized this strategy this evening, then hiked straight towards the stunning and glacier-covered Mt. Jefferson, as the trail was lit by colors of orange from the wide open sunset view.

R&R

Days 118 & 119 - zero miles in Bend, OR
Day 120 ~ miles 1989.5- 2003.2

Our goals in Bend included rest, sample Bend beer, and get Moonshine's back feeling better. We coincidentally ended up in Bend during their annual Brewfest, a 3-day festival devoted to tasting craft beers, mostly from Oregon.  I'd say we definitely achieved our Bend beer-tasting goal.  But we had to remember that Moonshine needed to rest his back, so we had to find a balance between rest and play. 

Even with plenty of relaxation and bedrest, Moonshine wasn't noticing any improvement.  He decided to see a chiropractor, and after calling around to several who were all booked, was finally able to make an appointment.  He returned from his appointment looking defeated.  The chiropractor didn't bother to hide the fact that he was highly offended by the odor of Moonshine's shoes and clothes (some of our clothes maintain an odor even after washing).  He barely touched Moonshine, and didn't even perform manual adjustment, but instead used something called an activator.

We checked out of our second overpriced hotel room, wanting to stay another day to ensure that Moonshine was in hiking shape, but not wanting to pay the ridiculous hotel rates.  Back to the Brewfest we headed, scoping out potential camping spots in the city park.  We chatted with a super generous guy, Kirk, at the homebrew tent, who extended an offer to stay the night at his home.  We took him up on it, and were treated to amazing hospitality.  Kirk had 4 homebrews on tap, and we talked late into the night about our adventures on the trail and homebrewing. 

The next morning, Moonshine's back was feeling better.  After enjoying a homecooked breakfast, Kirk drove us a little closer to the trail so we could hitch out from there.  So long, Bend, it's been fun!

The route to McKenzie Pass from Bend took two roads, so we had pretty good luck getting two hitches.  When we arrived to the pass, Chef and Jerry Can were cooking up delicious burritos and Windsong was making margs.  We sat with some other hikers, ate and drank, and headed onto the trail.

We looked out into the endless lava rock field that we painstakingly walked across.  We passed mile 2000 with Jambi, and I really didn't care about the milestone.  Camped in a burn area, hope no snags fall on us!

heading to Bend

Day 117 ~ miles 1981.5 - 1989.5

Luckily we woke up to no rain.  Our wet things were packed away; we were going to the city of Bend today.  We'd originally planned to hike an additional 17 miles and travel to Bend via Santiam Pass, but we were looking to get into town as soon as possible.  Since my neck pain has dramatically improved, Moonshine's lower back has been causing him increasing pain.  He felt that he definitely couldn't walk the extra miles today, and it's not like the man to complain, so I was pretty concerned.  Thoughts inevitably flooded my head of a hike-ending injury.  Anyway, we were lookIng forward to a warm, dry bed, and a visit to the chiropractor for Moonshine.

We arrived to the pass, and after waiting around a bit, we got a ride part of the way to Bend, into the town of Sisters.  Thor, Ferntoe, and Sad Fish rode into town with us and we went the brewery there, Three Creeks.  After lunch and a beverage, we quickly found a ride into Bend, and were dropped off right in front of our hotel, which was right by the strip club.  We did our chores and settled into our cheap hotel room for a relaxing evening.

three soaking wet sisters

Days 115 & 116 ~ 1931.6 - 1981.5

The trail meandered through several lakes, where the mosquitos were miserably plentiful.  Clouds threatened in the sky, until they finally unleashed their wrath.

We entered the Three Sisters Wilderness, which contains three beautiful, towering volcanic mountains.  Not long after entering the wilderness area, it began to rain.  It was a cold, driving rain, and not just a shower.  We walked through the rain for hours, miserable.  We couldn't  take any breaks; if we stopped walking for even seconds, we would get chilled.  We wanted to stop, but we figured we were already soaking wet and it couldn't get any worse, so we continued on.  These are the kind of days that make me wonder what in the hell I am doing.  What a relief it was to get warm and dry when we finally ended our day.  The Three Sisters were beautiful, depsite the rain.  Definitely a place to come back to in better weather.

a quick adjustment

Day 114 ~ miles 1914 - 1931.6

The hiker campsite at Shelter Cove was nearly abandoned when we woke up at 7.  After organizing food and packing up, we indulged in coffee drinks and pastries, followed by a hot shower.

Just as we were making our exit, Firecracker and Tidy Camper arrived. My neck had really been bothering me for the past few days, and yesterday Moonshine was even having to put my pack on for me. Knowing that Firecracker is a chiropractor in  real life, I asked if she knew any good chiropractors in Bend.  "Me!" she quickly responded.  She laid me on the grassy lawn, snapped into total professional mode, and massaged and adjusted my neck.  We stuck around for a bit longer and had another coffee drink from the espresso bar, and  then hit the trail.

Over lunch, we watched storm clouds build and got rained on a bit. In late afternoon/early evening with 7.5 miles to go for the day, we took a break.  As we started to hike, it started to thunder and drizzle.  The storm chased us all the way to our campsite, but we somehow managed to dodge all but a few raindrops.  The tent was setup by Charlton lake just in time for another bout of rain. 

walking the Oregon Skyline

Day 113 ~ [pct] miles 1881.5 - 1914

The Oregon Skyline Trail was listed on out map as an alternate route to the PCT.  The route would travel by a couple of lakes, which sounded perfect for a hot day.  As we hiked by the first lake and campground, we felt right at home, surrounded by people in camo with huge trucks.  I think it was a family reunion.  We wanted to swim, but the beach area had been taken over so we just did some people-watching while we ate lunch.  The trail became difficult to follow, but eventually we found our way, and hiked onward toward Shelter Cove.

A couple that we met on the Appalachian Trail, Dirt Stew and Dormouse, are hiking the PCT Southbound this year.  we knew we'd run into them soon, and were hoping that we wouldn't miss them while on the alternate route.  We happened to run into each other on the Oregon Skyline Trail, so we all sat and chattted for awhile about our hikes.

Finally, we arrived at Shelter Cove Resort, where several hikers had taken over the hiker area.  The resort was nice, with cabins and RV spots, right on  beautiful lake.  The resort had setup some rickety picnic tables behind the store for hikers, and it smelled like sewage.  We picked up our package and gorged on pizza and ice cream before setting up our tent at the hiker campsite.

morning coffee

Day 112 ~ miles 1861.4 - 1881.5

It had been agreed upon that we would sleep in to reward ourselves for our strenuous day yesterday.  It was chilly out, which was perfect for sleeping in.  Thor and Fern Toe had the same idea, so we all had a leisurely morning beneath the peak of Mt. Thielsen.  We made hot coffee for the first time on the entire trail, what a treat.  We must do this more often.

sugary meditation

Day 111 ~ miles. 1834 - 1861.4

It took so much willpower to make myself get up while it was still dark out, but I didn't have a choice.  We had to turn out 27 miles to the next water source, over what turned out to be some really difficult terrain. 

The morning miles were slow, across the overabundance of steep ups and downs around the rim of Crater Lake.  It was fun hiking with Thor and Ferntoe, and the breaks were plentiful to snack, take photos, and just to take in the beauty of the Lake.  Crater Lake lies within the top of a collapsed volcano, Mt. Mazama.  The water is the deepest blue.  The trail took us probably halfway around the rim of the lake, before we got our final glimpse of the spectacle and hiked on. 

Into business mode we switched, after a lengthy lunchbreak with a short nap.  Toward Mt. Thielsen and a creek of the same name we headed, motivated by our thirst and limited supply of water.  I snapped into the zone after a short break, during which a large amount of Sour Patch Kids were consumed.  I outhiked Moonshine, and he was physically unable to catch up with me as we ascended Mt. Thielsen.  I was hiking so fast, so effortlessly and mindlessly.  I'm not sure if it was the sugary candy that fueled me up the mountain, but I was definitely in some sort of amazing meditative state.

The sight of the creek beneath the sharp and dramatic peak of Mt. Thielsen was a thing of beauty after an exhausting day.

into Crater Lake

Day 110 ~ miles 1811.25 - 1833

Seventeen-ish fairly easy miles led us to Mazama Village in Crater Lake National Park, where hikers had taken over the picnic tables in front of the general store.  We retrieved our package of food from the bustling store, full of firefighters, hikers, and vacationers.  According to the firefighters, there are 20-something fires currently in the park, though none of them  affect the PCT at this time.  After indulging in the usual (chips, ice cream, soda, etc.) and organizing our food, we quickly did laundry and showers and headed back to the trail in the company of Thor and Fern Toe, who we hadn't seen in several days.  We hiked, mostly in the dark,  to the last on-trail water for 27 miles, where we'll call home tonight and rest up for an exciting, yet long and waterless day tomorrow.

tiny frogs

Day 109 ~ miles  1785 - 1811.25

It's never easy to get up when it's cloudy outside, even in real life.  It's particularly difficult when you have to look forward to packing up all of your wet or slightly damp belongings. And the swarms of blood-thirsty mosquitos don't help either. That was the scenario this morning, so we were pretty slow to rise.  Our tent kept us dry for the most part, although our things were moist from condensation.

The trail was so nice this morning; it was nearly flat, and we were able to cruise faster than usual.  The aroma of a campfire lingered in the air from the nearby fires.  By lunch, we had hiked 15 miles, quite an accomplishment for our late start time.

Our lunch was cut short by a sudden increase in fire-related helicopter and plane activity nearby.  We could see a lot of smoke in the distance, so we decided to move along. 

The afternoon hiking was unfortunately not so gentle.  A long, and at times steep, ascent led us to the top of a ridge, from where we spotted 4 fires.  Thousands of tiny, thumbnail sized frogs covered miles of the trail this evening, leaping off the trail as they saw us approaching.  Hopefully we didn't squish any!  We cooked dinner at a stream and hiked on a few more miles.  We'll be carrying lots of water tomorrow for a waterless stretch to Mazama Village on Crater Lake.

storm on the mountaintop

Day 108 ~ miles 1759 - 1785

Many unfamiliar faces were spotted on the trail today.  Apparently lots of thru-hikers have skipped ahead on the trail due to fires, many of them up to Ashland.  We're hoping that the trail doesn't get too congested, but today it seemed that way.  In addition to fires we've seen around Ashland, there are several fires in Northern California that have closed some sections of the trail.

A small and rare shelter made a nice spot for a break, and the freshly stocked cooler of Cokes inside made it even better!  It was just what we needed on this day when we were feeling particularly exhausted.

We arrived to a road crossing, and the option to walk a couple of miles down the road to the Fish Lake Resort and restaurant was so tempting but we resisted the urge.  A sign stood in the middle of the trail read that the trail here was closed due to fires.  Another hiker called the Forest Service and confirmed that the trail was actually open. 

We gathered our water for the evening and headed up the trail, unsure what the conditions would be like.  A pretty substantial climb up to the ridge felt almost effortless, and we conquored it in no time; what an amazing feeling of strength.  Atop the ridge, we camped with Signal, a hiker we met way back in the desert.  As we cooked dinner and prepared for bed, thunder rolled in the distance and the sky darkened. Just as we'd gotten settled in our tent, it began to downpour and the wind whipped.  Lightning flashed and thunder crashed, as we thought  that the top of the mountain probably wasn't the safest place to be.  And of course the thought of more fires crossed our minds, but hopefully these drenching rains will prevent that.

guilt-free

Day 107 ~ miles 1735.9 - 1759

One of the best things about long-distance hiking is the food.  When's the last time you sat down to eat an entire pizza?  Maybe never?  Even better, we can eat an entire pizza without feeling bad about it, and follow it up with a pint of ice cream if we'd like.  And of course it would be accompanied by a soda.  Other town staple foods include burgers, milkshakes, fries, potato chips. 

Town stops are so highly anticipated, mostly due to food.  Leading up to town stops, much conversation is centered around food.  What are you craving? Where are you going to eat in town?  Having a smart phone affords us the luxury of scoping out reviews and menus online, so we can be sure to go to the best restaurant and get the best value.  But then often times, there's only one or two restaurants in town, which mAkes it easy.  We usually don't complain about food; our standards are lowered by extreme hunger and we are mostly pretty easy to please.

We eat as many candy bars as we want every day.  And Little Debbies and cheap breakfast pastries and chips and soo many M&M's, all varieties.  We just have to remember to brush our teeth.  It will be a sad, sad day when our guilt free eating comes to an end.

don't cry over spilled chowder

Day 106 ~ 1727 -1735.9

All of the hikers in Ashland were abuzz about the fires, with some talking about skipping up the trail due to potential danger.  We checked the Pacific Crest Trail Association website multiple times for updates, and the trail to the immediate north was open, although it was recommended that we avoid a section we would get to in a few days.

Eventually, in the afternoon, we were able to pull ourselves away from the luxuries of town.  As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Unfortunately, we didn't make it back downtown to redeem our free breakfast.

The post-town sluggishness was apparent as we hiked so slow, our packs heavy with food.  From the smoke, the sky was an eerie color, and a low thunder rumbled constantly in the smoke cloud.  The air smelled of smoke and ash rained down on us as we walked, a creepy feeling for sure.

Eventually, we arrived at the first water source out of town and were done for the day.  I was excited about cooking with the new, giant cookpot, and also excited about the fancy health food store soup mix that I was going to cook in it.  It was pretty much ready to serve, when somehow the pot ended up on its side on the ground, right beside a big pile of corn and potato chowder.  I tried to salvage some from the ground, but spruce needles were mixed in throughout.  At least we were sort of satiated from just coming out town.  I tried not to, but I just couldn't help it, the tears started flowing.  LookIng forward to a restful night of sleep and getting back in a good rhythm tomorrow.

falling in love with Ashland

Day 105 ~ zero in Ashland, Oregon

I fell in love with Ashland, Oregon today.  An unattractive layer of smoke lie over the city from the nearby wildfires.  We caught the bus into downtown and took care of some business: shoes for Moonshine and a new, huge cookpot!  We've outgrown our old one.  A couple of nights ago was the last straw, as I was starving and exhausted, and cooking a meal that filled the pot to the brim.  As the tortellini cooked, it grew and began to rise above the top of the pot.  Every time I stirred it as gingerly as possible, and precious tortellini dropped onto the ground.  I was so frustrated, hence the new pot. 

We wandered around the city, which was bigger than any other trail town we'd been to, but yet not too big, and the public transportation and pedestrian friendly nature of Ashland made things easy.  The place was bustling; a well known Shakespeare festival takes over Ashland for a month or two every summer.  As part of the festival, we watched an incredibly talented high school Mariachi band perform in the city park.

The remainder of the day was spent sampling Ashland's beers, as we visited three different breweries. 

We spoke with many locals, all exceptionally friendly!  The brewer at Standing Stone Brewery gave Moonshine a private tour of the place, as they had a lengthy chat about careers in beer.  A couple we met gave us a voucher for breakfast at their restaurant.  The good vibe and charm of the city of Ashland and its residents was extraordinary....I really love this place!

As usual, an unrestful, but productive and fun day off.

safely to Ashland

Day 104 ~ miles 1712.5 - 1727

Somehow, we all slept through the night.  I thought I'd be tossing and turning with fear and anxiety.  We awoke early, feeling safe and without any signs of fire in the immediate vicinity.  As we climbed the ridge, we could see a large plume of smoke in the distance.  A trail angel had left a cooler of sodas at the top of our morning climb, so we stopped with Thor and Fern Toe to enjoy one.  Speedily, we hiked toward the highway, and ended up at Callahan's lodge.  We enjoyed our free beer with Thor and Fern Toe, courtesy of Callahan's, and headed out to the highway to find a ride into Ashland.  One of the first cars to pass by stopped and picked all 4 of us up and dropped us off at the Super 8, where we'd already reserved a room that all 4 of us would share.

Our hotel was a few miles outside of downtown, so we did our usual chores and planned to have a pretty laid back evening in the room. Across the street was a familiar scene:  10 or more hikers crammed into a hotel room hanging out. We all went over to see some hikers that we hadn't seen for awhile, and stayed for a couple of hours goofing off and catching up.

Our day ended with amazingly delicious pizza in bed, and a couple of hours of flipping through TV channels, and really finding nothing to watch.  Looking forward to a day of rest tomorrow!

a wild welcome to Oregon

Day 103 ~ miles 1684.6 - 1712.5

Today was a day that we would obey the alarm. The goal was to stage ourselves as close as possible to Ashland for our hike in tomorrow. We were off at 6am, and were enjoying the cool temperatures. Sideways commented on some pink clouds in the distance and I remembered an old saying that I had heard. "Pink sky at night sailors delight, pink sky in morning sailors take warning". We laughed about it because it looked pretty nice to us.

We made great time hiking and we found ourselves covering the 15 miles to the CA/OR border before noon. It was surreal approaching the sign because to this point I hadn't considered the PCT ever being anything but California. The state was so long and challenging, we are in disbelief that we actually hiked the  trail through it. We recorded ourselves performing a rap song written to Will Smith's Fresh Prince of BelAir, describing our experiences through the lovely state of CA. Thor and Fern Toe were our hype crew in the background of the video. Everyone was in good spirits, and I felt especially energized by the crossing. Not long after entering OR we reached the seemingly less significant 1700 mile mark. The miles are starting to go more quickly again.

We stopped to eat lunch and while we were cooking we saw some very dark clouds starting to build. Thunder started rolling, and  we waited for Oregon to welcome us with drenching rain. We managed to dodge the bullet while we ate, and figured we needed to start moving. We were climbing up to a ridge that we would be exposed on for miles to come, and we could see ground strikes being produced by a storm cell we were walking into. We actually stopped at the treeline to allow  the storm to move on while others hiked by, seeming to not mind the hazardous conditions. Once we felt "safer" we proceeded onto the ridge.

We met some other hikers at a spring where all the talk was about the smoke we could now see rising just a couple of miles south of us. We all felt a little uneasy about it, but we knew we should be walking away from it. More thunder was booming, and some fast moving clouds brought in heavy rain. We quickly said our goodbyes, and literally took off running down the trail. There was no cover and the rain was coming in sideways. Lightning was striking too close for comfort, causing us to flinch and duck as we ran. Each bolt was followed by an immediate sharp crack and a boom that sounded like the report of a cannon directly over our heads. We kept moving until we were well away from the intense cell.
As we rounded a bend we could see three more fires starting on the next ridge over. This brought feelings of anxiety because we didn't know exactly where the trail was going, and there were fires in front and back of us. Our new plan was to push even farther to town to put as much distance as possible between us and the flames. Within minutes could hear the sounds of planes and helicopters coming to work the fires. The fire closest to us seemed to be the largest and was recieving a lot of attention from the helicopters. We watched them take turns dumping fire retardant chemicals as we hiked along. Everyone was stuck between disbelief and amazement. More fires began to come into view and we ended up counting seven total.
We appeared to be hiking in a safe direction until the trail made a hook back behind the ridge that was burning. We reached a road and saw a search and rescue K9 handler who I approached to get the scoop. He said the PCT should be fine heading North, but that we should keep moving because there were several spot fires that hadn't kicked up yet. We were off again with the comfort of somewhat "official" word.

We stopped for dinner, and planned on hiking as far as we could after we ate. A bit of rain fell while we sat, and lightning could be seen to the north of us. Our goal of hiking several more mile was halted by a strobing electrical storm on top of the peak we were climbing. It was dark, and we were physically and mentally drained. We didn't want to end up in another mess, so we called it a night on the side of the trail. Looking forward to being in the safety of town tomorrow.

steep and sultry

Day 102 ~ miles 1664.5 - 1684.6

Lots of people ask us why we want to hike all day, every day for months.  Today I really had to ask myself the same.  It was one of the most difficult and hot days on the trail, and every mile seemed like a chore. 

We woke up early to a parade of hikers passing our tent that had stayed the night in Seiad Valley.  We didn't hesitate for as long as usual before letting the air out of our luxurious inflatable sleeping pads.  The mosquitos served as motivation to pack up and start walking quickly. 

The ascent was relentless.  By 7am we were drenched with sweat and already taking a break.  Fortunately, we weren't in it alone.  Other equally miserable hikers joined us at all of our breaks; luckily we were all able to laugh and joke about our peril.  Two brothers, Bomber and Siesta, had secretly carried out sodas and placed them in a cold spring...incredibly satisfying, and amazing that they would haul all that weight up the mountain!

An extra long lunchbreak was in order, and close to 10 other hikers had the same idea, so we all ate together near a spring. As we ate, the day grew hotter, and we faced yet another climb from the spring.  It was a steep one. and it was so ridiculously  hot that we had to stop and recuperate in the shade after hiking only about a mile.

It was a shorter mileage day than we anticipated.  Hoping for a good night of rest, tomorrow's a new day!  Oh yeah...we now have less than 1000 miles to go, AND we'll cross the Oregon border tomorrow!

hiker box jackpot

Day 101 ~ miles -1643.7 -1664.5

An 18 mile descent stood between us and Seiad Valley.  Since it was all downhill, we thought we would cruise right into town.  For this reason, we ignored the early alarm and slept pretty late.  Not many miles into our day, we crossed a footbridge over a swimming hole we just couldn't pass up.  It wasn't even hot out yet, and we were in the shade, but the pool was too perfect and we were too dirty.  The water was cold, like take your breath away cold, which was probably a good thing because we couldn't stay in long. 

Frequent breaks slowed us, and poison oak slowed us further.  Despite the blazing heat, I stopped to put on leggings to protect my legs from the pesky plant.

The PCT goes right through the town of Seiad Valley, as part of a 7 mile road walk.  A road walk is usually unpleasant; the shock on your feet and knees is always noticable.  This road walk was particulary miserable due to the extreme heat!  Two cars stopped and offered us rides which we declined; the road is the trail, so we stuck to it.  Our water could be likened to the temperature of a hot tub. 

Not a lot to the tiny (population 320 per the sign) town of Seiad Valley; just a store, post office, and RV park.  We arrived to see about 20 hikers sprawled out on the lawn of the RV park in the shade. The grassy lawn was so inviting, we walked next door to the store for ice cream and cold drinks and plopped on the shady grass.  We lounged around for a couple of hours, chatting with lots of hikers.  Most important to be done during our stop in town was buying more food to sustain us until our next stop, Ashland.  Several hikers had received boxes of food in the mail (also known as a mail drop), and some of them had extra that they planned to put in the hiker box.

We haven't seen a hiker box in awhile, and we've been missing them!  It's a box in a location frequented by hikers (general store, hostel, etc), where hikers can discard their unwanted/extra goods; the concept that "one man's trash is another man's treasure".  We were able to pick up almost all the food we needed from the hiker box! 

To beat the heat, we didn't head back to the trail until almost 8:00.  A huge climb awaited us out of town.  We walked until we could barely see, and luckily found a semi-flat spot.  We'll conquor the rest of the climb in the morning.

White Marble Mountain

Day 100 ~ miles 1620.3 - 1643.7

Whoa, 100 days on the Pacific Crest Trail!  We slept for around 10 hours last night, it was so good!  The terrain was difficult, but we were up early, felt well rested, and were able to make  good time as we hiked through the White Marble Mountain Wilderness.  Still just livin' the life!

goodbye, sleepy little town

Day 99 ~ miles 1607.6 - 1620.3

It seems that we never get out of town as early as we intend to.  We awoke in the park early, at 6:30, and slowly packed up our belongings.  We had loosely arranged an 8am ride back to the trail that we didn't want to miss.  The town was so quiet, we wandered the empty streets in an attempt to get something to eat.  Even the coffee shop and grocery store were closed!

As trail time usually goes, our ride ended up departing town around 9:30, and we were back to the trail by 10.  A huge group of hikers was getting back on the trail, around 10 of us!  Our sluggishness was extreme, and it didn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.  We trudged over the exposed trail, with temperatures much warmer than they have been the past several days.  Lunch break couldn't come fast enough, and neither could camp.  After several days of too little sleep, we decided to keep it to a short day and make a good night of sleep priority.  Several deer have wandered right by our campsite by a small pond, including a big buck.  We're in the tent before dark, and I can't recall the last time that happened...very exciting!  Hopefully we'll be well rested tomorrow.

sleeping in the city park

Day 98 ~ miles 1597.1 - 1607.6

The morning miles to the highway flew by, and before we knew it, we had arrived.  The traffic on the highway into Etna was nearly non-existant.  Luckily, one of the first cars to pass by scooped us up, and away to Etna we went.  Our only business in Etna was a good meal and to resupply for the next section of trail.  After grocery shopping, we stopped into the Etna Brewing Company for delicious brews and food.  Hikers trickled into the brewpub until we eventually had nearly taken over the patio.  Our original plan was to head back out of town this evening, but as the clock ticked and the fun continued, we realized that our plan was probably unrealistic.  The hiker party moved to the city park, which generously allows hikers to pitch their tents for $5.  About a dozen hikers congregated at picnic tables in the park, and carried on until dark.  Sleeping in a city park is a new experience, and it feels a bit uncomfortable and strange.  Back to the trail tomorrow, for real!

perfect weather

Day 97 ~ miles 1571.1 - 1597.1

For the 3rd night in a row, we are bundled up in our sleeping bags, and I couldn't complain a bit.  We both slept through our 5:30 alarm, or at least pretended to.  As the sun rose above the mountains and shone on our tent, we began to slowly wake up.  A cool breeze blew through the mesh walls of the tent, and we were perfectly cozy and content in our puffy down sleeping bags.  It was the perfect weather for sleeping outdoors.  What I later realized once I was up and hiking in the perfect sleeping weather, was that it was also the perfect hiking weather (this could cause a dilemma at times).

Wide open views impressed us all day long.  Hiking up and down all day, we definitely earned the scenery.  Most days, I find myself fixating on the maps at every break; checking on where's the next water or landmark, how many miles have we hiked today, what the elevation profile looks like. I didn't look at the maps all day for some reason, and was totally disoriented all day, not knowing how far we'd gone. It was kind of nice being oblivious to what was coming up ahead on the trail, maybe I should do it more often.  We continue to get peeks of Mt. Shasta, and it almost seems as if we may never escape her. 

After two longer days than we're accustomed to, and also because of our late morning, we decided to take it a bit easier today.  We picked up water and hiked on into the sunset to find the next available spot suited for camping.  Three or more miles later, our eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness, and we finally found a flat spot.  We did our camp chores in the dark, something I really dislike.  Another night of perfect sleeping weather!

feels like fall

Day 96 ~ miles 1541.9 -1571.1

Whoa, what is going on?  It's July, and as I write, I'm bundled up in my sleeping bag, nearly all of my clothes on, just a couple of degrees away from shivering!  A cold wind is blowing.  These mountains are crazy.  After being disturbed throughout the night by the gusty winds whipping our tent around, we awoke to blustery weather requiring our coats.

We camped by a lake.  The lake with the cool weather and plentiful conifers was reminiscent of the Appalachian Trail through Maine.

All day, the fall-like weather kept us going for our longest mileage day in history!   We hiked in our jackets for awhile, as the clouds drifted in front of the sun and a cool breeze blew.  I suppose that the mostly flat terrain helped a little in our mileage achievement.

thru-hikers are gross

Day 95 ~ miles 1516.5 - 1541.

Thru-hikers are gross.  Yes, it's true...it's difficult to maintain a standard of hygiene when you live in the woods and your resources are so limited. 

Normally, we shower once every 5-7 days, sometimes less frequently.  In the meantime, we use baby wipes and/or rinse off in streams if the time/mood/conditions are right.  Baby wipe baths and rinsing in streams are not adequate long-term substitutes for actual bathing!  Most of the time, we really stink.

We wear the same clothes day after day after day (with the exception of socks and underwear, we do carry a change of each of those).  Laundry is usually done as often as bathing, or less frequently.   Our shirts get so crusted with salty sweat; sometimes they could likely stand up on their own.  Many of the laundry facilities along the trail are old, require maintainance, etc.  Often times, our clothes come out of the washer dirtier than they went in!

Imagine the condition of your bedding if you never washed it.  Couple that with your rarely bathed, sweaty body, sleeping on that same bedding every night.  Our sleeping bags stink!  Oh, and our backpacks are gross too.

We poop in a hole in the woods, which actually is probably more pleasant than most public restrooms.  I really don't mind it a bit.  But then, we carry out our used TP in a ziploc bag.  I know that many of you are repulsed by this, but realistically, the TP would take forever to break down out here in this dry climate, and an animal would likely dig it up anyway. Of course, there's nowhere to wash our hands, so hand sanitizer it is! 

We use hand sanitizer often, but really all it does is smear around the dirt already on our hands (hopefully it's killing some germs, too).  Underneath our fingernails are always brown with grime. Oh, and you should seeand smell our feet!     

We blow snot rockets, and use the same bandana every day to deal with our snotty secretions.

I am not complaining by any stretch of the imagination; we have fully embraced the thru-hiker filth, and we are so much more appreciative of the little things because of it.  So next time you step in that shower or sit on that toilet, take a moment to appreciate what you have!  We are doing this by choice, but there are plenty of people that are not afforded these luxuries, without a choice.

 

salapoles

Day 94 ~ miles 1506.5 - 1516.5

Per usual, it took half the day to drag ourselves out of town.  After a few last minute chores, we were driven to the trailhead by the manager of the hotel where we'd stayed.  On the way into to town, a swimming hole under a bridge had tempted us, but we had been on a mission.  Before hitting the trail, we hung out by the swimming hole, but today was cloudy and too cool to consider getting in.  Eventually, back to the trail it was.  Our usual low mileage out of town would be the case today.  Camping alone by a pond populated with lots of really cool half-salamander, half-tadpole creatures.

keep Shasta weird

Day 93 ~ zero in Mt. Shasta

Typical day off, full of chores and food, thunderstorms, and  live music, in the very eccentric town of Mt. Shasta. And new shoes for me, also.  I've completely outgrown my old shoes (which are a size bigger than I normally wear).  With increased miles and serious heat, my feet are swelling out of control!  Post-storm, the music and plentiful dancing attendees at a free summer concert series in the City Park kept us very entertained.  Eventually, we moved up front and joined the dancers, as we moved to the music at the base of the magical mountain, shrouded in clouds. Mt. Shasta has been so friendly, with a great vibe, but also with a wonderful weirdness about it.

learning about Lemuria

Day 92 ~ miles 1489.6 - 1506.5

Town day!  We've been really excited about our stop in the town of Mt. Shasta; we've heard it's a neat place.  We were afforded with views of the mountain that is its namesake for much of the day.  The trail has cut to the West, so we were able to view Shasta from a different vantage point.  Some say you can see a sleeping lady on top,  in the contours of the mountain; today was the first we saw of her.  A rattler a couple of feet off the trail startled us early this morning; a little adrenaline definitely helps you wake up!

The miles went quickly and by early afternoon we were at the road.  We walked a little over 2 miles, eating loads of roadside blackberries along the way, to a small market in the town of Castella.  Our plan was to camp in Castella, at the Castle Crags State Park campground, and head to Mt. Shasta in the morning.  First, we needed some sustenance: ice cream and soda. 

A picnic table sat across the parking lot from the market, and we strolled over to find out which hikers were sitting at it.  Quickly, we realized that the people at the table were not thru-hikers, but young drifters.  They claimed to be living off the land,  which included hiker boxes, and had big knives on their sides.  Last night, they'd killed and eaten a rattlesnake; they had put the snakeskin on a tree branch, which they shook in our faces, along with the separated rattle.  It was an interesting crew, and whether they intended to be or not, they were quite entertaining.

The Castle Crags campground was our next stop, half a mile.down the road. Us and Thor and Ferntoe had the hiker site all to ourselves.  We attended a ran ger presentation on Mt. Shasta, the volcanic mountain,that covered climbing the mountain and the culture and folklor surrounding the pinnacle (if you're bored, Google "Lemurians").

We'll be off to the town of Mt. Shasta tomorrow!

oaked out

Day 91 ~ 1468.7 - 1489.6

Poison Oak, Poison Oak, Poison Oak.  It consumed our minds today as we traipsed through corridors of it.  At times, the plant was draped across the trail.  It slowed us tremendously.    My eyes and mind tired, and it seemed that they couldn't keep up with my hiking pace.  I couldn't differentiate the plants before I brushed past them.  Eventually, every plant looked the same.  Total. Mental. Exhaustion.

Our day ended shorter than we had planned.  The plan was to cook dinner at the last water source that we would pass today, and move on. We arrived to the water source; a footbridge between tall and steep canyon walls led us over a creek.  Between those canyon walls was an irresistable, deep and clear swimming hole.  It could serve as refreshment and hopefully wash off any Poison Oak toxins that may be on our skin. While I performed my cooking duties, Moonshine went down for a swim.  In the meantime, Thor and Ferntoe arrived.  After dinner, we hung around chatting and decided that we couldn't pass up such a beautiful place to camp.  I hadn't yet gotten in the water, so as dusk was approaching, I laid down in the rushing rapids.  I kicked and hollered like a child.  I felt so free and invigorated. We camped under the stars aside the rushing stream.  A perfect ending to a not so perfect day.

another bear sighting

Day 90 ~ miles 1445.1 - 1468.7

We didn't hear the alarm go off today, and the sound of rain drops on the tent took away the guilt of not getting up. Upon looking out of the tent door, I was greeted by Thor and Fern Toe cooking breakfast and two flashes of lightning from an approaching storm. With new found energy to break camp more quickly, we gathered our things and started walking as the rain began to fall harder.

Not long into our walk we got our best view of Mt. Shasta yet. Sideways stepped off trail to take some pictures with nice purple flowers in the foreground. While I was gazing at the massive volcanic mountain, I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye. "Bear! Bear!" I yelled trying to get Sideways' attention while following the bear's movement with my pointed finger. Too late. The bear ran into the bushes, not to be seen again.

The day transitioned from a cool rainy morning into a hot humid afternoon. There were a lot of exposed areas causing us to get more wet from sweat than the rain this morning. Finally we reached a good water source where we camelled up (drinking as much as you can at a water source to lessen the amount you have to carry) and washed some of the dust off of ourselves. Campsites have been more scarce on this section, but we were lucky to find a pretty good one tonight. Just us two here to enjoy the thrush singing and the sound of the stream.

-Moonshine

another bear sighting

Day 90 ~ miles 1445.1 - 1468.7

We didn't hear the alarm go off today, and the sound of rain drops on the tent took away the guilt of not getting up. Upon looking out of the tent door, I was greeted by Thor and Fern Toe cooking breakfast and two flashes of lightning from an approaching storm. With new found energy to break camp more quickly, we gathered our things and started walking as the rain began to fall harder.

Not long into our walk we got our best view of Mt. Shasta yet. Sideways stepped off trail to take some pictures with nice purple flowers in the foreground. While I was gazing at the massive volcanic mountain, I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye. "Bear! Bear!" I yelled trying to get Sideways' attention while following the bear's movement with my pointed finger. Too late. The bear ran into the bushes, not to be seen again.

The day transitioned from a cool rainy morning into a hot humid afternoon. There were a lot of exposed areas causing us to get more wet from sweat than the rain this morning. Finally we reached a good water source where we camelled up (drinking as much as you can at a water source to lessen the amount you have to carry) and washed some of the dust off of ourselves. Campsites have been more scarce on this section, but we were lucky to find a pretty good one tonight. Just us two here to enjoy the thrush singing and the sound of the stream.

-Moonshine

a search for the "pool"

Day 89 ~ miles 1423.5 - 1445.1

We'd stayed up last night a little later than usual, hanging out with other hikers at the state park, but we still managed to rise early.  It was a super hot day, and swimming was definitely in order.  The guidebook pointed out a "pool" as part of a stream that we would hit around lunchtime, perfect.  When we arrived to the unsuspecting spot with Thor and Ferntoe right behind us, we wandered around in search of this "pool" that we thought would have been pretty obvious.  A diagram pointed us in the right direction, but all we found was basically a mud puddle.  Disappointment soon set in as we all realized that the pool didn't exist.  A shady spot was quickly found, where we all ate together and joked about the "pool".

We hiked on into the afternoon, as storm and rain clouds threatened, and made our way to a campsite listed on our maps.  It turned out that there really wasn't much of a campsite, just a forest service road.  Campsites were really slim due to logging slash covering the forest floor, so we reluctantly setup right by the road with a great view of Mt. Shasta, where Thor and Ferntoe joined, as well as another hiker.  We watched as the sun set and cast a strange shadow from the mysterious mountain: a perfect prism of
darkness, coming from the very top of the mountain.  None of us had ever seen anything like it; we are very intrigued by Mt. Shasta and all of the lore that surrounds it, we hope to learn more about it soon.

race against the clock

Day 88 ~ miles 1407.4 - 1423.5

Since we hiked until after dark last night, we slept pretty late this morning.  The extreme heat totally sapped our energy, and I felt as if I could sleep forever.  What a fine site the stream that we crossed this morning was: the first on-trail water source for the last 33 miles.  We did it, we survived the infamous Hat Creek Rim.

Our next stop was Burney, a small town about 7 miles off the trail, to buy food for the next section of trail.  Fortunately we didn't have to stand on the heated, unshaded asphalt for too long before a kind gentleman picked us up.  Of course, our first priority was to eat; we've learned the hard way that it's not wise to go to the grocery store hungry, especially as a thru-hiker!  We dined at an all you can eat pizza/salad bar, paired with a huge fountain soda with unlimited refills, it definitely hit the spot!  Then to the grocery store, followed by loitering outside while we organized our food.  Thru-hikers do a lot of loitering; consider having no car, no home, no place to stay.  We've got to have somewhere to hang out, preferably in the shade.  The people of Burney were incredibly friendly, and our town experience was short but enjoyable.

Back to the trail, we hiked a mile or so until we stumbled upon a "water cache", which was more like a hiker's wildest dream!  A picnic table with shade, solar shower, cabinet stocked with canned food and toiletries, stove to cook on, and cooler stocked with sodas were just some of the amenities available.  We had to get to the Burney Falls State Park store before it closed to pickup a package.  Time was running short, so we couldn't stay to enjoy the cache.  We hiked quickly to the state park. and figured that the trail to the store there would be clearly marked.  We hiked and hiked , until we stopped to check our maps; we should've already arrived at the store, we thought.  We had missed the trail by more than a mile, and only had 20 minutes to retrieve our package.  We took off, nearly running down the trail and made it to the store with only minutes to spare.  After that near-fiasco, we sat outside of the store with several other hikers to relax.  The ranger kindly asked us to leave after dark, so we hiked a short distance into the woods where we're camped with Thor and Ferntoe.

tears at the cache

Day 87 ~ miles 1381.5 -1407.4

It was a known fact that today would be miserable.  When the alarm sounded at 4:30, the misery was already apparent.  We ignored the alarm for a few moments, though we both knew it was in our best interest to get ourselves up and moving.  We were on trail by 5:45, a record, I do believe.

When we awoke, it was actually chilly.  It was pretty dark; our noses dripped and hands were numb as we hiked away from Subway Cave.  The air heated up quickly as the sun rose and we climbed up to the Hat Creek Rim.

Our first break was taken up on the rim at some rest/observation area that seemed close to abandonment; it was there that we caught our first glimpse of Mt. Shasta.  Through the haze, Shasta appeared as just a snow-capped peak, levitating above the meeker surrounding mountains.  The base of the mountain was invisible through the sultry haze in the air.

Our water capacity has dwindled in recent miles, as our bladders have been destroyed by misuse and UV rays.  I left out of Subway Cave with 3 liters of water, and Moonshine 4.  Probably not as much as we should've carried, but our capacity was maxed out and we didn't have a choice.  We were doing a great job of rationing our water, but as the heat of the day increased, we wanted to drink more and more.  Around 11 or 12, the heat was becoming unbearable and we were both feeling pretty rough as a result.  In perfect timing, we arrived to Forest Service Road 22, where Cache 22 was fully stocked with water!  Tred, who maintains the cache, welcomed us into the shade of the "twigloo" and gave us each an ice cold Peace Tea.  I literally cried.  For the past bit of hiking, all I'd been thinking about was our lack of water.  What a relief.  Tred informed us that the day's high temperature would be 104, the hottest day of the year.

And guess who else was so perfectly positioned at Road 22?  Coppertone!!  We enjoyed root beer floats in the shade with several other hikers.  To avoid the hottest part of the day, we hung out there for hours.  We hiked out around 6 and walked until dark.  Just about 3 miles until we'll get to a water source tomorrow.  The Hat Creek Rim provided us with some beautiful,  wide open views, but we're glad to have it behind us.

gettin' tubed

Day 86 ~ miles 1356.6 - 1381.5

Another HOT, HOT day on the good ole' PCT.  Finally, we're beginning to feel like ourselves and things are getting back to normal, if you catch my drift. 

The hiking was easy, despite the heat, and we were able to crank out some quick miles. For most of the day we wandered through an old burn area.  Burned up trees don't provide any shade, so that was fun.  Water was a bit scarce; we considered it as a practice run for our big waterless stretch tomorrow.  We had a big hiking day to position ourselves well for a 33 mile stretch without on-trail water: thr Hat Creek Rim.  It's the current hype on the trail. 

Our day ended at Subway Cave, where water was a little more than a quarter mile off-trail.  Of lesser importance was the Subway Cave, a lava tube through which we walked a loop trail underground.  We entered the cave at dusk, and our weak headlamps did not provide the light that we desired inside.  Although neither of us spoke of it until later, we both wanted to turn around shortly after entering.  It was such a creepy feeling! The pitch black, dead silence, damp coldness, and narrowing corridors made for quite a memorable experience, but we're so glad we went all the way through.

Big, hot and dry day tomorrow that we're not too excited about.  Alarm's set for 4:30, yay!

volcanic surprise

Day 85 ~ miles 1338.4 - 1356.6

The day started with a pity party in the tent.  My stomach hurt, I was absolutely exhausted, even after a long night of uninterrupted sleep, and the tears were flowing.  Moonshine coaxed me out of the tent as I tried to calm my emotions.  The last thing I wanted to do was hike, but I knew I didn't have much of a choice.  We're racing against Mother Nature, and if we're going to make it to Canada before the snow does, we need to move.

We've had views of the volcanic Mount Lassen for several days.  We knew we'd enter Lassen Volcanic National Park, but we'd never heard anything about it.  We crossed over the park boundary and decided to take a short side trip down the Terminal Geyser trail to check it out and eat lunch.   Never have either of us seen a geyser, and it was legit!  We could smell the sulfur well before we could see the constant flow of steam escaping from below the surface of the earth.  Signs everywhere warned of the potentially dangerous volcanic conditions.  After lunch, we decided to travel another side trail, which skirted a mint-green colored acid lake surrounded by bubbling mud pots.  What a surprise!  Never did we expect to be wandering around this kind of volcanic activity today, or at all on the trail.

Still weak from our illness, we were somehow able to push through the extreme heat and have a sort of decent day of hiking.  Camping with several other hikers by a nice stream, hoping to continue to gain energy tomorrow.

another day of recovery

Day 84 ~ miles 1335.1 ~ 1338.4

We lazed around until exactly checkout time, trying to muster the strength to get back to the trail.  Despite all of our rest, we were still exhausted.  We made our way to a picnic table outside of our hotel and took a while to work on rehydration.  I drank as much ginger ale and Gatorade as I could stomach and we made our way out to the road.  Before long we had a ride back to the trail, though I was secretly hoping that we wouldn't get a ride so I could rest a little more.  Upon arriving to the trailhead, we sat again, attempting to gather the energy and motivation to walk.  We struggled to walk a mile or so on the totally flat terrain, before we had to sit down and rest.  Our energy was nearly non-existent.  We hiked a bit further to a spring, where we decided to take a long break, and eventually just decided to stay the remainder of the day. 

Near the spring were huge bags of Sugar Pine cones.  A crew showed up to collect more.  They told us they sell the cones for 50 cents each!

We were preparing for an early night into the tent, when Thor and Ferntoe surprisingly showed up!  We hadn't seen them since the High Sierras, and were glad to be reunited.  They hung out for a bit and hiked on for a couple of miles.  Hoping for more energy and miles tomorrow.

sick day

Day 83 ~ zero in Chester

Unfortunately, we were forced to take a sick day in Chester.  Not how we prefer to spend our days off, of course, but we had no choice.  Typically, our days off are not restful at all.   Today was quite the opposite; we did not leave the bed until the evening, when we forced ourselves to go grocery shopping.  I still hadn't eaten a thing by that point, and nothing sounded appetizing, but I had to buy my food for the next stretch of trail.  We were glad to see that we haven't been missing out on anything good on television.  We flipped channels like it was our job!  I choked down a couple of slices of pizza before bed (probably not the best choice for my first meal).  Moonshine's appetite is nearly back to normal.   Trail rumor has it that several other hikers have been ill with the same, yuck.  Back to it tomorrow.

an unfortunate halfway celebration

Day 82 ~ miles 1318.8 - 1335.1

A huge milestone was surpassed today...THE HALFWAY POINT!!  An unimpressive monument stood at the point that was once halfway; reroutes of the trail change the halfway point often.  We took a short break at the monument to review the trail register and snap some photos.  In our excitement to reach the halfway point and to get into town, we missed the off-trail water source where we'd planned to fill up.  Our lack of water served as added motivation to hike faster.  It was hot, but fortunately we were in the shade for most of the day's miles.

We sat by a stream to rehydrate, and arrived to the road into town early afternoon in good time.  Finding a ride into town didn't take too long, and we were dropped off in the middle of the small town.  After finding that most of the hotels in town had no vacancies, we booked a room at a lower quality, but still unfortunately pricey, inn.

We settled into our ant-infested room quickly, and got started on getting ourselves and our clothes clean.  I ran across the street to the grocery store to pick up something to eat.  No requests from Moonshine; no ice cream or beer?  Weird, I thought.  When I returned to the room, he was lying in bed, claiming to be cold and achy.  Not long after started the gastrointestinal symptoms, I'll let you use your imagination.  Was it something we ate? Couldn't be, it was all nonparishable trail food.  I stayed outside of the contaminated hotel room chatting on the phone, occasionally peeking in to check on Moonshine.  Eventually I decided that I should probably get something to eat, but suddenly a ton of bricks hit me and I crawled into bed, only to have the same violent, explosive symptoms hit.  Luckily Moonshine's objective symptoms had subsided, so I had the bathroom all to myself.
  After being up all night, I don't think we'll be going anywhere tomorrow.  Not the halfway celebration we had planned on!

shaking the post-festival blues

Day 81 ~ miles 1296.4 - 1318.8

We have now realized that it is only going to get darker at 5am as we make our way north the trail. We slept in a little bit, and didn't start hiking until 7:30. There was still five miles and a couple of thousand feet left in the climb out of Belden. We felt sluggish, and the rare humidity and plentiful mosquitoes were not helping. The sky was overcast all morning, and began to darken as we reached the top. We definitely had the post-festival blues!  It opened up with a little shower that didn't last long. It was very nice after the muggy morning, but in the end contributed to that effect once the sun came back out.

We met two new hikers today, and saw an old face too. After lunch at an awesome, gushing spring (named Cold Springs), our moods lightened and the post-festie blues were gone.  The day over all was rather uneventful compared to the last couple, and another rain shower has shortened it. The tent is set up and Sideways is cooking in the rain. We will be dining indoors tonight.

-Moonshine

vacation is over

Day 80 ~ miles 1289.5 - 1296.4

We woke up early at the festival, but had no problem going back to sleep for a couple of hours after a run to the port-o-john.  We eventually packed up our stuff to find that we had inadvertently set our tent up on a pile of puke in the dark last night. Luckily, the Tyvek ground cloth was the only thing that touched it.  A few swipes of a sanitizing wipe had it back as good as new. The smell that followed the unearthing required an immediate evacuation of the area.

We said our goodbyes to Gregg and the others that we met at the campsite. We left out of the festival grounds with a vague recollection of how to get back to downtown Quincy.  We got directions from a guy hitching up his camper on the side of the road, and we were off. We walked the whole way in because we thought it wasn't worth trying to hitch. The grocery store came into view after about a mile of walking.  After picking up a few odds and ends, we started our search for "the Mexican restaraunt on Main Street". We walked down and back in the blazing heat, but no Mexican in sight. After asking a local on the sidewalk, we discovered that the restaurant was in the shopping center with the grocery store. It was too far and too hot to go back. We had to settle for Subway because it was right there and conveniently on the road we had to get a ride back to the trail on.

Since there were a lot of people leaving the festival and heading back to the Bay area on Highway 70, we figured it would be no problem getting picked up. We were mistaken. There were lots of people leaving, but no one stopping. One nice woman offered us a ride, but was unfortunately taking an exit before reaching Belden. Then, out of the blue, Celeste, who gave us a ride to the festival yesterday, pulled into the gas station to pick us up! She and her friends just so happened to be going back up to Belden and hanging out at the river. It was perfect, and we got to catch up on everyone's good time at the show last night.

The beach and the river were calling our name once we got back to the trail and we succumed to its draw. It was the hottest part of the day, and the high was 104 . After swimming and hanging out for a while, two more people that we had met at the festival showed up at the river.  We bought an awesome t-shirt from last night.  They print them with hand carved linoleum plates that they hand paint each time. They do a lot of work for Lagunitas which is one of our favorite breweries. It felt strange but awesome to know several non-hikers hanging out this afternoon.

We were finally able to get our packs on at about five and start trudging up the hill. The climb was 12 miles and 4500 feet. It didn't take us long in the blazing heat to realize that we weren't making it to the top. There was a campsite 7 miles in, so we stopped there. The mosquitoes were thick and relentless. Our chores were done while under attack, and dinner was eaten in the safety of the tent.

-Moonshine

Ain't Life Grand

Day 79 ~ miles 1272.5 - 1289.5

There was a short climb today before we began our descent to the Feather river in Belden. We had heard of an electronic music festival/rave that was going on over the weekend at a resort, which the trail passes right through. We figured we would get to see the residual effects of what had gone on over the weekend once we got down there. The last 5 miles of the hike in were extremely steep and hot. Poison oak lined the trail so constant vigilance was necessary.

When we arrived at the  Belden Town Resort, we saw all of the weekend's attendees milling around and waiting on the roadside for their rides to come pick them and their stuff up. There were people in costumes, bathing suits, and other rave attire. A good portion of them looked to be in some form of altered state, and we felt sort of the same way, but our brains were fried by the sun.

We made our way to the restaurant where we took a seat off to the side and just enjoyed being motionless for a few minutes. We saw some familiar faces, including our old friend Midway, who had enjoyed the weekend festivities along with some other hikers we knew. They all had a blast and were heading back to the trail today. We decided to get something to eat with Pixel and Shazam, and there were burgers all around.

During lunch a topic of conversation that has been popular for the last few days came up once again. The High Sierra music festival was going on in Quincy, 30 miles away, and today was the last day. Widespread Panic was headlining, so it was a very tempting proposition. Sideways began to look for tickets on Craigslist and Stub Hub, but there was nothing in the price range we were willing to pay for single day passes. By the time we got there, Widespread would probably be all we'd see. It was a great opportunity though, and Sideways had been bugging me to go for several days, so I said, "Let's go try to hitch." We quickly ate our last bites and we were on the highway with thumbs out.

Our excitement faded as the clock ticked on the burning asphalt. An hour had passed and no ride had come along. We were just discussing giving up when a gold Mercedes with a single female pulled up to the exit of the resort. She was going down to the High Sierra Festival, and had room for the both of us. We both rode in the back seat since there was stuff in the front, and I tried to maintain a conversation over the wind coming in all four windows that had deafened Sideways next to me.

We made it down to the festival grounds around 4:30-ish and parked right outside the gate.  We scored VIP wristbands and strolled through the gate. "Is this really happening?!" we thought. 

We contacted a friend from Reno, Gregg, who we figured was likely at the festival.   He was, and we found him pretty quickly.  After a few minutes of catching up over a beer, we stashed our packs in his friend's VW and headed into the festival grounds just in time for Trampled by Turtles, a great band that we've seen several times before.  In the VIP area, we ate free sandwiches, as many as we could, and enjoyed being close to the stage.

Between bands, we wandered around and saw some fellow hikers.  We returned to our stageside VIP spots for Widespread Panic.  The show was awesome!  Somehow, we managed to find our way back to our belongings after the show.  We setup our tent and crashed out hard after an extra exciting day.

-Moonshine

alternate adventure

Day 78 ~ miles 1250.9 - 1272.5

Today started out pretty much like any other day; we didn't have any idea the excitement that awaited us this afternoon.  Strewn about our campsite were some old cables, a rusty hopper, and other unknown objects.  We learned that it was an old gold mining site, and that the Feather River was one of the best known for gold mining.

We climbed and climbed in the heat; it was a long way up from the Feather River.  By a spring, we took our midmorning break; Landslide, Handbrake, Pixel, and Shazam all eventually joined us there.  Handbrake mentioned that an old friend would be arriving at a nearby campground this afternoon, and invited us to the campsite for some food and drinks.  We thanked him for the invite, but thought that we probably wouldn't be joining the party.  Our maps pointed out an alternate to the PCT, which was a road that passed by small stores, camgrounds, cabins, and restaurants, all situated around Buck's Lake; this is where the campsite was.

We hiked on and my wheels started to turn, motivated by my hiker hunger; how could we pass up this opportunity?  I realized that our next resupply point was a town 30 miles from the trail, and we only needed to buy 2 days of food; that's a lot of trouble for a little food.  With a little convincing, Moonshine agreed that it would be best to buy our food at a much closer store, on Buck's Lake.   Joined by Shazam and Pixel, we sat in the shade to study the map; the 4 of us decided we were taking the alternate route and hiked together until we got there.  The road was much busier and windier (more dangerous) than we expected.  Shazam stuck his thumb out, and immediately we had a ride.  First stop was business, so we could play later.  We bought our groceries and waited a bit for Handbrake to arrive.  Impatience was setting in, and we didn't want to wait all day, we were hungry.  When we decided that we couldn't (didn't want to) wait any longet, we quickly got a ride down the road to our next destination, a restaurant.  We sat on a lakefront deck and had a delicious meal, while watching the holiday weekend bustle on the lake.  After our meal, we all went down to the lake to swim.

We quickly got back to the trail and hiked a couple more miles to our home for the night.  A couple who we hadn't met, Wilbur and Shady, were there camping as well.  We instantly connected with them, and had the best time telling stories and belly laughing.  It's an amazing experience to connect with someone so instantly like that. Sadly, they're traveling south, but we think our paths will cross again someday.  An unforgettable day on the trail, for sure!

black bear!

Day 77 ~ miles 1224.8 - 1250.9

I slowly came out of my dream to the sound of quiet beeping from Sideways' wrist watch alarm clock. I rolled over and we looked at each other, both almost instantaneously falling back asleep. Five a.m. came quick, and there wasn't  yet much  sunlight where we were camped. We repeated this a couple of times before a successful attempt was made 40 minutes after the original alarm sounded. The first thing to pop into my head was the opening song to the play Oklahoma: "Ohhh what a beautiful morning ohh what a beautiful day....". This has been a popular one for me and Sideways to sing on the trail, after seeing our local high school's production of it just before leaving the beach. It usually reflects the mood we are in, but that was not the case this morning.

We started with a decent climb today and stayed mostly in the cover of trees. As we were walking I spotted some bear tracks in the soft duff layer on the forest floor next to the trail. I pointed them out to Sideways, and we both gazed at them for a moment wondering if it might still be around. We moved on since there was no bear immediately in sight. Not far down the trail, we came across a rather large pile of mountain lion scat. We talked about how eerie it is to know that several of those cats have probably laid eyes on us since the beginnig of the trail. Now sufficiently paranoid, I was scanning the forest for any sign of danger. We rounded a bend in the trail and something dark caught my eye down the hill. Staring back at me from a safe distance was a 300 pound black bear. As Sideways approached I directed her attention to him, just as he bolted in the other direction. We were above him, so we had a great view of the action. We both agreed we had never gotten to see a bear running at full speed for so long. It got our adrenaline going and it was comforting to see a wild bear with a healthy fear of humans.

We ended our day by the Feather River, where we cooled off and rinsed out some clothes.  The river was wide and deep, and a more enjoyable temperature than most others we've been encountering.

-Moonshine

happy Independence Day!

Day 76 ~ miles 1200 - 1224.8

Big climb this morning!  We woke up early, as to beat the heat.  After topping out, the difficulty of hiking eased up a bit.  We were feeling strong, happy, and well rested.  The miles were going fast and the hiking was good.  Oh yeah, we had almost forgotten that it was Independence Day!  It's really easy to lose track of the day/date out here, which is awesome.  Who just gets to wander around in real life never knowing the date or day of the week? (So our apologies for any missed birthdays or other occasions).  For both of us, I think this would be the first time ever without the usual July 4th festivities. 

We talked to a couple of Southbound thru-hikers who told us of the mass amounts of snow in Washington.  Most southbounders had rearranged their plans due to the impassable trail up north, so we may start seeing some of them.

Overall, a really hot and uneventful day in the wilderness.  Still just livin' the dream!

another swimming hole kinda day

Day 75 ~ miles 1197.5 - 1200

I awoke early and wandered around the quiet little town until Moonshine finally crawled out of the tent.  Over breakfast, our jaws nearly hit the table as we viewed the local meteorologist tell of the forecast: the high temperatures would range from 98-103 over the next week, including today.  We had to conquor a really big climb coming out of town, and we didn't want to do so in 100 degree heat, so we decided to wait until it cooled off a bit to hike out of town.

After finishing up our town chores, we went down to the local swimming hole in the RV park.  It was awesome!  Papa Bear joined us as we cooled off in the chilly water.  We relaxed on the porch of the general store with sevetal other hikers for the remainder of the day.  Moonshine gorged on the Gutbuster, a one pound hamburger, while I sprung for the smaller version (one of the best burgers we've had on the trail!).  It was finally beginning to cool off a bit around 6, so we decided we better make our way back to the trail.  One last stop before we got back to business, a Moxa treatment for Moonshine.  Moxa is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that entails burning dried mugwort against the skin.  Moonshine has been having some left knee pain.  Moxa, a hiker, is currently studying Chinese medicine, and offered to give him a treatment.  It was awesome to watch, hopefully he'll have good results.

Once back to the trail, we began our ascent.  Darkness was falling quickly, and I hoped we'd find a place to camp soon.  I am not so keen on night hiking, as my lack of coordination and clumsiness make it difficult enough to hike in the daylight.  Just as it was getting dark enough to require use of our headlamps, we found a small flat spot, not a bit wider than our tent.  We made it work, and we'll finish out the climb tomorrow.

an unexpected alarm

Day 74 ~ 1177.5 - 1197.5

We were both startled awake at 3am by some large mechanized vehicle very closeby, and the sounds of branches cracking.  We popped up to look out of the tent; had we mistakenly camped on a road?  Was someone driving right through the woods?  Turned out that we were camped about 100 yards to the south of a very active logging road.  The loggers started at 3:00 sharp and were going non-stop.  In hindsight, we should have just gotten up, but instead we tossed and turned until 5, while getting small bits of sleep in between loads of timber rolling by.

The hike into town wasn't too strenuous, other than the extreme heat.  We hiked along to the sounds of chainsaws, and large trees falling to the ground.  We were looking forward to cooling off in a swimming hole on the way into town, which hastened our pace.  An alternate route into town led us through a campground, where the creek had been dammed to make a swimming hole.  Several campers were relaxing in their beach chairs on the bank.  We were so hot, we didn't hesitate to jump right in.  The campers offered up a cold one, and of course we didn't turn them down.  That's been happening a lot lately, we must look thirsty!

After cooling off, we mosied into Sierra City, a tiny, quaint town, where we saw lots of unfamiliar hikers, and a few familiar faces.  What a weird feeling, who are all these people?  We want our old crew back!  There were no inexpensive rooms available in town, so we pitched our tent in the backyard of a cafe/inn.  We ended up at the local watering hole for food and drinks, where all of the new faces had also congregated.  We had a really great time, and stayed up far past hiker midnight.  Maybe these new hikers aren't so bad after all. 

hey, NorCal!

Day 73 ~ 1156.5 - 1177.5

Well, it's officially summer, and it now officially feels like it. It was so hot today; probably just as hot as it ever was in the desert!  A local guy told us it was going to be 95.

I believe that we have officially now entered into Northern California!   Central California presented the most beautiful, jawdropping scenery that we've ever seen, but not without a challenge.  We are relieved to have the most difficult behind us, and excited about a more mellow trail.

We actually passed right by an interstate rest stop today, where we took a long break.  Quality people watching ensued, and we also rinsed out some filthy articles of clothing.

Luckily, the terrain was pretty gentle, without the elevation varying too much.  The climbs and descents were short and fairly gradual. Much of the trail was without shade.  A slight breeze seldomly blew through and cooled us a bit.  Even though the walking was a little easier, the heat is so draining.  We wanted to get a little closer to town today, but long breaks and high temps didn't allow for that.  Sierra City tomorrow!

sun-daze

Day 72 ~ 1139.8 - 1156.5

Usually hiking into town is so easy; most of the time it's downhill, and we have some extra pep in our step, motivated by the treats that await us.  Well, I think we started the day with some extra pep, but it faded pretty fast.  We knew we had some climbing to do, but it proved to be much more difficult than we anticipated.

The day heated up fast,  and most of the trail was without the shade of trees.  The heat sapped our energy, and my appetite.  As we neared the road at Donner Pass, I was dazed and slow, likely dehydrated.  We were in need of food for the next section; we were tempted by the thought of going into the town of Truckee.  A quick internet search revealed no cheap lodging options for the night, so we would stick to our original plan. 

The Donner Ski Ranch had posted signs at the trailhead that they were open for lunch, just 200 yards down the road.  We treated ourselves to yet another mediocre burger, but the staff is generous enough to give thru-hikers a beer on the house.

A guy who was dining at the Ski Ranch, Viper, with his 2 children, recognized us as hikers and struck up a conversation.  He drove us a couple of miles down the road to the general store in Soda Springs.  Still feeling totally out of sorts and in a fog from the heat, I had a really difficult time figuring out what food I wanted and how much we actually needed.  The store owner picked up on my distress, and generously gave us some fruit for free.

Viper brought us back and allowed us to organize and pack our food in his ski lodge.  Their vacation was over, so they were cleaning out the fridge.  They unloaded ice cream, among other things, on us.  We walked up the road to the trail, where we sat around in the shade and talked with some hikers.  As the day began to cool a bit, we hiked a short distance before setting up camp.

a word on trail etiquette

Day 71 ~ 1116 - 1139.8

The hiking today was amazing, and we were able to put in some bigger miles...our biggest day since our marathon into Kennedy Meadows!  What a great feeling.

We saw so many day hikers today, as we entered the beautiful Granite Chief Wilderness.  A note on trail etiquette: if you are approaching a hiker head on, the person going uphill has the right of way; step over and let them proceed!  It seemed as if everyone we encountered today was unfamiliar with this unwritten rule.

We hiked along a ridge with stunning views of Lake Tahoe.all day.  I feel so captivated by the massive electric blue body of water; I feel this is surely a place we will return to visit someday. 

We were unaware of an 8 mile section of trail with no water.  This portion of trail was exposed, and it was hot!  Luckily the wind was whipping, which kept us cool and helped us to conserve our limited amount of water.  As we move north, it seems that the drought in California is becoming more apparent.

Hopefully we can maintain this momentum!

a marmot encounter

day 70 ~ 1096.6 - 1116

we started out the day by entering the Desolation Wilderness. We were informed by a sign at the trailhead at Echo Lake that this wilderness area is the most heavily used per acre in the US. This is believable judging by the number of hikers we saw on the trail.

After a short climb in the morning, we descended to, and walked beside, multiple mountain lakes. The most beautiful one was Aloha Lake. Rock islands with pine and fir growing on them dotted the lake, and there was a backdrop of snowcapped peaks, remniscent of the high Sierra. Not quite as tropical as the lake's name suggests. We had to keep moving to overcome the day's big climb up Dick's Pass.

We planned to have lunch at the top of the pass, and I arrived before Sideways. I picked a spot in the shade and rested my trekking pole against a tree. Once she arrived we decided it was too cold in the shade and moved out into the sun.

After we finished eating, Sideways was taking nap when a visitor arrived. A marmot was making its way across the field directly towards Sideways. I woke her up to look, as it approached within a couple of feet of her. I scared it away, only to have the same thing happen several more times. We had fun for a little while taking pictures and video of the daring marmot, but it eventually became a nuisance. We knew it wanted our food, or worse yet, to chew on our gear for the salt.

While I was keeping an eye on the marmot, I noticed that my trekking pole that was resting against the tree had been blown over by the wind. I thought to myself that the handle might be of interest to the marmot because of the salt on the handle, but no worries, "I'm keeping an eye on him". About 10 seconds later I turned around to check on the marmot's whereabouts, and noticed the trekking pole was no longer laying where it fell. A split second later I noticed the bottom end of the pole protruding from a nearby bush and wiggling around in mid-air. The image was so comical that I almost started laughing, but I realized that real damage was probably being done. I exclaimed, "The marmot has my trekking pole!", and took off running across the rocks in my socks towards the bush. Sideways popped up from her nap, confused to see me tugging on one end of my trekking pole while the marmot was holding the other working the handle over like corn on the cob. I got it free and saw the quick work he had made of the cork grip. I was pretty upset at first, and didn't want to see the humor in it while Sideways laughed hysterically. I got over it quickly since the damage has no bearing on the performance of the pole. I don't view marmots as being the cute fun loving creatures I once did.

-Moonshine

we got our Plinys!

Day 69 ~ miles 1092 - 1097

As tempted as we were to take another day off in this friendly little town, we knew we had to get back to the trail today.  We made one more stop to find Pliny the Elder, and our search was finally successful!  This beer is considered by some to be the best beer in the world, and we've been hearing of the hype for a couple of years, but there's no way we'd ever get this beer out east.  Even though it was nearly $10 per pint, we couldn't resist each buying a bottle to take back to the trail.  After a couple of last minute errands and phone calls, we made our way back to the trail. There was Coppertone, pouring up root beer floats.  We turned down the floats, but took advantage of Coppertone's chairs, where we sat and drank our Plinys and conversed with him and other hikers.  The beer was great, but we're not so sure it lives up to its reputation of the best beer in the world.  We hiked only a short distance; we were a little exhausted from all of the excitement of town.  Back to the grind tomorrow.

a fun day in SLT

Day 68 ~ zero in South Lake Tahoe

We had planned to take a day off here, and hoped that everything would go our way today.  We finished our chores early, so we'd have the rest of the day to do whatever we pleased.  We purchased an all day bus pass for the city so we could minimize walking, an important aspect of a day off trail.  We headed down to the casino area again, hoping for better luck this time.  We started with lunch; we ate the best pizza we've had on the trail at Basecamp Pizza (we've had a lot of pizza, so that's saying something!). 

We then  headed to Harrah's for the whole casino experience.  Imagine living in the woods by the sun with no noise or light but that provided by mother nature, and then walking into a bustling casino.  Neither of us had ever been in a casino, but it was quite the sensory overload; flashing lights, loud noises, people everywhere.  We decided to try our luck, but stuck to only the penny slot machines.  We didn't win any money, but took full advantage of the free beverage service.  Before getting too sucked in, we called it quits and headed back to South Lake Tahoe.

We stopped by the public beach, where a standup paddleboard competition was in progress.  We watched the paddleboarders for awhile before returning to our room.  We hung around for awhile and realized we needed to eat, but most places closeby were already closed.  We walked to a bar across the street and ordered food to-go.  The friendly bartender there conversed with us about the trail and craft beers.  He gave us a free beer, and escorted us to another bar in search pf a highly sought after beer we had discussed, Pliny the Elder.  The bar didn't have the beer, but he bought us a drink and returned to his bartending post at the bar across the street.  Another local bought us a beer before we headed back to the motel.  Between the friendliness of locals and entertainment, I'd say this place has lived up to its reputation of an excellent trail town!