8/28: (6.5 miles) Today my mom and I spent some time around the Odell Lake Resort using WiFi, eating breakfast, the classic resupply stop things. We drove down to a laundromat a couple miles away (thank you mankind for making cars) at a RV Park. Around noon we loaded 3 other hikers we had met nearby (Sacagawea, Chatty Kathy, and Blue- who were hitching up to Cascade Locks for a "fair" called "Trail Days") and my mom dropped me off at the trailhead crossing of Highway 58 where I met my uncle. My mom was taking the other 3 hikers back to Salem with her and they had someone meet them from Portland to take them to Cascade Locks. My uncle and I started hiking from the highway and made it about 6 miles past the Rosary Lakes to the Maiden Peak Shelter that night. Fortunately we were indoors for the night because it rained pretty hard! There were 9 hikers in total in that shelter that night. [Also- I forgot to check in with my GPS this night (probably because I didn't have to set up my tent) so....sorry about that]
8/29: (22.6 miles) My uncle and I headed out this morning and had to deal with a slight bit of sprinkling (not really too bad). The major downer of today was that it was bitter cold and windy all day. We hiked about 3 miles to the junction with the Eugene to PCT trail, then took that about 2 miles to the nearest road. My uncle's girlfriend had camped there and picked us up there. I refilled on some beautiful no-filtration-needed water from their car and they drove me up to Charlton Lake (skipping about 7.9 miles of the trail- really about 5.9 if you count the 2 miles I hiked to the road). The rest of the day from here was just bitter cold and windy. Thanks to the "boost" from my uncle I was able to do more miles than I had originally planned on that day (putting me now ~10 miles from Elk Lake Resort instead of ~15). I set up camp at Horseshoe Lake that night around 8pm and just barely avoided the start of the rain.
8/30: (10.5 miles) It rained all night off and on but here's the thing about Oregon rain: it rarely "torrential downpours"- most of the time it just drizzles. That morning I wasted time getting out of my tent because....packing up in the rain is not one of my fortes (nor favorite interests). There were still a few dry spots under some trees nearby so I set my stuff there while I packed up my tent (my tent has to be one of the first 3 objects to go in my backpack because of the way I pack it). When I went to move some of these objects into my backpack, I found that I had the extreme misfortune of placing my stuff on a yellow jacket nest. Wahoo. Moving my stuff disturbed them and apparently they had a real interest in my hat (which was on the ground at this point) and started "kamikaze-ing" it. Hundreds of bees were swarming around the area and at least fifty of them were fully interested in attacking my hat for about half an hour. Apparently the rain meant nothing to them. Finally they calmed down and I quickly grabbed my hat and the other important things and shoved them in my backpack before heading out. (I left a SmartWater bottle and pen behind because they were literally on top of the nest and hmm....Leave no Trace....or....get stung? Sorry LNT advocates, but I'd rather just have my hands be cold this morning and not throbbing with other forms of pain). I hiked the ~10 miles to Elk Lake Resort in drizzling rain, extreme cold, and wind continuously (only stopping for about 5 minutes for a stupid, damp break). Fortunately Elk Lake Resort was still doing their breakfast buffet at 11:45 when I showed up and my family picked me up at 4pm for the start of my birthday zeros! Talk to you guys later!
Monday, August 31, 2015
Sunday, August 30, 2015
BIRTHDAY ZEROS!!
Starting today and continuing on until the morning of September 4th I'll be taking BIRTHDAY ZEROS!! (For those of you dying to ask- my birthday is September 2nd and I'll be turning 23). I'll be doing my summaries post either tonight or tomorrow but otherwise I'll be "MIA" in La Pine and Bend. See you guys back on trail on the 4th!
Saturday, August 29, 2015
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Thursday, August 27, 2015
Chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool
8/23: (8.4 miles) Today my dad joined me! I got up, packed up, and made sure I was at the Mazama Restaurant when it opened (7am). I had 2 pancakes (Really, Mazama? Who doesn't have chocolate chips?), 3 eggs, and bacon. Around 9:45 my dad and step mom showed up and we drove a detour around the fire closure on the PCT (the PCT is closed from the North connection to the Rim Trail up until Highway 138). We had lunch (burgers and milkshake) on the way and started just after noon. I've hiked through plenty of "wildfire smoke areas" before, but the smoke was so thick here that you could smell it (which I didn't mind- campfire smoke is my favorite smell), but it also burned your throat after breathing it. Fortunately, we camped at a higher elevation where the smoke wasn't an issue. My dad did a great job keeping up with my 3mph pace, but I made sure we started with a low day.
8/24: (16.7 miles) Today was our biggest day. And we really had no choice because we went from one water source (Thielsen Creek) to the next water source (Horse Spring). We carried 3 liters of water each and were still able to keep up the 3mph pace. In the last hour before the campsite my dad got service (he has AT&T and I have Sprint/roaming on Verizon. I have a couple bars almost all over the trail). So he took an hour or so to make some phone calls related to work. We got to the campsite and relaxed before the big hike down to water (~0.5 miles off trail and down ~300 ft in elevation). If it weren't the latest water in 16 miles, I wouldn't have done it. After filling up on water we set up camp and went to bed.
8/25: (15.3 miles) Detour day. We heard a bit the previous day about an alternate trail (the Oregon Skyline Trail) that cuts off ~8 miles of the PCT and dumps you out right at Shelter Cove Resort (whereas if you take the PCT, you have to do a 2 mile road walk or side trail to get to Shelter Cove). The main hiking app I use ("Guthook's Guide") knows nothing about this alternate. Fortunately I have my paper maps (which have a whole separate section for the alternate) and the Halfmile app that has the GPS waypoints (and will tell me if I'm on the trail or not and how far along the trail I am). The trail was tough, but I like to imagine the part of the PCT we skipped was tougher. We made it to the Cresent Lake campground (water spigots!) and basically relaxed there all day. I set up my hammock and both my dad and I read for most of the afternoon. At about dusk- as we were cooking dinner- a guy from another campsite where there was a large group camping came over and offered us chicken fajitas. Of course we said "yes!" Just as it was dark and we were laying in tents going to sleep a couple hikers came by and joined us at our site. They cooked dinner, set up their tent, and shined their headlamps everywhere. Not cool- but we couldn't really complain too much.
8/26: (11.2 miles) Today we made breakfast and left camp before the other hikers got up. We did our miles easily and made it to Shelter Cove Resort by lunchtime! Unfortunately, all Shelter Cove Resort has for food (other than grocery-type food) are hotdogs, pizza (they had one option- spinach and mushroom), and breakfast burritos. So we had hotdogs. Later we had one of the pizzas for dinner (it was alright) and a full bottle of Martenelli's that we split. We spent most of our time at Shelter Cove Resort being frustrated with the speed of the WiFi. It sucked. Then we left for the hiker campsite and set up our tents.
8/27: (ZERO) My dad is getting picked up today by my step-mom and my mom is coming to meet me here. We're hanging out at Odell Lake Resort where she's reserved one of their "hotel rooms". Shower, laundry, good WiFi, here I come!
[If you can identify what the title of this post is taken from WITHOUT GOOGLING, bonus points to you]
8/24: (16.7 miles) Today was our biggest day. And we really had no choice because we went from one water source (Thielsen Creek) to the next water source (Horse Spring). We carried 3 liters of water each and were still able to keep up the 3mph pace. In the last hour before the campsite my dad got service (he has AT&T and I have Sprint/roaming on Verizon. I have a couple bars almost all over the trail). So he took an hour or so to make some phone calls related to work. We got to the campsite and relaxed before the big hike down to water (~0.5 miles off trail and down ~300 ft in elevation). If it weren't the latest water in 16 miles, I wouldn't have done it. After filling up on water we set up camp and went to bed.
8/25: (15.3 miles) Detour day. We heard a bit the previous day about an alternate trail (the Oregon Skyline Trail) that cuts off ~8 miles of the PCT and dumps you out right at Shelter Cove Resort (whereas if you take the PCT, you have to do a 2 mile road walk or side trail to get to Shelter Cove). The main hiking app I use ("Guthook's Guide") knows nothing about this alternate. Fortunately I have my paper maps (which have a whole separate section for the alternate) and the Halfmile app that has the GPS waypoints (and will tell me if I'm on the trail or not and how far along the trail I am). The trail was tough, but I like to imagine the part of the PCT we skipped was tougher. We made it to the Cresent Lake campground (water spigots!) and basically relaxed there all day. I set up my hammock and both my dad and I read for most of the afternoon. At about dusk- as we were cooking dinner- a guy from another campsite where there was a large group camping came over and offered us chicken fajitas. Of course we said "yes!" Just as it was dark and we were laying in tents going to sleep a couple hikers came by and joined us at our site. They cooked dinner, set up their tent, and shined their headlamps everywhere. Not cool- but we couldn't really complain too much.
8/26: (11.2 miles) Today we made breakfast and left camp before the other hikers got up. We did our miles easily and made it to Shelter Cove Resort by lunchtime! Unfortunately, all Shelter Cove Resort has for food (other than grocery-type food) are hotdogs, pizza (they had one option- spinach and mushroom), and breakfast burritos. So we had hotdogs. Later we had one of the pizzas for dinner (it was alright) and a full bottle of Martenelli's that we split. We spent most of our time at Shelter Cove Resort being frustrated with the speed of the WiFi. It sucked. Then we left for the hiker campsite and set up our tents.
8/27: (ZERO) My dad is getting picked up today by my step-mom and my mom is coming to meet me here. We're hanging out at Odell Lake Resort where she's reserved one of their "hotel rooms". Shower, laundry, good WiFi, here I come!
[If you can identify what the title of this post is taken from WITHOUT GOOGLING, bonus points to you]
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
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Tuesday, August 25, 2015
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Monday, August 24, 2015
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Sunday, August 23, 2015
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Photos Uploaded
Just updated the photos folder:
https://drive.google.com/folder/d/0B_-6KdFaC6WiZDdZaE5zaE9TdFE/edit
Merriment
8/21: (23.4 miles) My family dropped me off at the trail at about 8:20am and I started hiking. Today was another non-eventful day of hiking. But I did figure out the secret to doing lots of miles without batting an eye: podcasts. I usually hike an hour at a time then take breaks in between the hours so hour-long podcasts are great! I'm listening to TED Talks (which is sometimes lacking when it's only audio), VergeCast (by The Verge), and Serial (a true story about trying to prove a "murderer's" innocence on a case that happened 15 years ago). I only hiked one hour today without listening to a podcast. When I set up camp I met a couple who is section-hiking Oregon. They had too much food so they gave me lots of candy bars, dinner they had already cooked, etc!
8/22: (26 miles) New record! Today was a lot of annoying ups and downs. Again, nothing too out of the ordinary. Didn't have any podcasts left. I did see one day hiker talking to some other PCTers and was told by the PCTers that he is Billy Goat- a thru-hiker legend. Apparently he's done the PCT around 7 times (starting in '89), the AT around 3 times and the CDT around 3 times! He's logged over 43,000 miles of thru-hikes! This night I reached Crater Lake and Mazama Village! WAY too many hikers here (~40!). Fortunately most of them will be far ahead of me when I take my birthday zeros. Camped at the $5 hiker site in the campground. I start hiking with my dad tomorrow!
Saturday, August 22, 2015
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Friday, August 21, 2015
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Thursday, August 20, 2015
Luxurious camping
8/17: (0.8 miles...yeah) Today I hung out in the hostel for most of the morning. I packed up my stuff and set it out of the way, then headed off to the library to do some computer usage. Afterwards I went back to the hostel and hung out in the common room. I found out that I chose to send my box to the Green Springs Inn (which is closer to the PCT, but after Ashland). I wanted to sort through my box while I was still in town so a guy at the Green Springs Inn said he'd bring the box back to Ashland when he got off work, but that wouldn't be till around 4pm. So I hung out longer in the hostel. Check out time was 11am and I hung out there till around....2pm. Yeah. They eventually kicked me out and I went to seek somewhere else I could leave my pack while I explored downtown. Turns out the Ashland Outdoor Store is very hiker-friendly: they have a hiker box, 10% hiker discount, and a place where you can leave your pack. Plus, after I got my box, they let me sort through it there. Finally I had a burger and fantastic milkshake at Ruby's before I headed out. Within 1 minute of sticking my thumb out for a ride, a biker offered me a ride back to the trail (his house was a block away). He's a former JMT hiker and when we got to his house there was a family of deer in his backyard! In downtown Ashland! I started hiking after he dropped me off and saw a nice, comfy tentsite pretty soon and decided to camp there (especially since I wasn't planning on heading out until the next day anyway). Still close enough to get plenty of 3G so I spent the rest of the night watching YouTube videos and being lazy while I digested burger and milkshake.
8/18: (22.3 miles) Being in Oregon is great. In some ways, it's still just like California (bloody hot, some snakes, fine dust everywhere), but there's one great thing about Oregon: lots of shade. Every now and then you hit an exposed section of trail where there's nothing but dead grass, rocks, dust, and lots of sun, but a tenth of a mile later you'll be back in the lush forest. That's what today was. In and out of the desert and forest. As I neared 7pm, I realized I might be able to make it to Hyatt Lake Resort before they closed (but I had no idea when they closed). I got to the paved road around 7:50pm and got a ride almost right away. We got to the resort at 7:55pm and...closed. Both the store and the restaurant with no one in sight. So the nice guy took me down to the Hyatt Lake Campground (where I was planning on camping anyway). The Hyatt Lake Campground is probably the nicest campground I've stayed at so far. Water from spigots, flushing toilets, plenty of outlets, and FREE SHOWERS.
8/19: (20.4 miles) Today was pretty much the same as yesterday (desert-forest-desert-forest...repeat) but much more lush forest (which was much appreciated). Wasn't anything special that happened today...another day of hiking. Camped at South Brown Mountain Shelter with a few other hikers. It was basically a tiny log cabin with a dirt floor. There was a wide shelf that went around the inside of the cabin that I slept on with another hiker.
8/20: (9.9 miles) Small day today. Pounded out the miles. Everything was going pretty well until I came to this section of the trail that was just fields of lava rocks. The trail was covered with "lava rock gravel" which isn't even close to stable and isn't what I would call "comfortable to walk on". And trekking poles don't help because using trekking poles on the hard, sharp rocks will destroy the tips (so I just carried the poles). I got to Highway 140 around 12:30pm and got picked up by family around 1:30pm taking me home with them to Klamath Falls. Shower! Laundry! Computer! Home-cooked food!
8/18: (22.3 miles) Being in Oregon is great. In some ways, it's still just like California (bloody hot, some snakes, fine dust everywhere), but there's one great thing about Oregon: lots of shade. Every now and then you hit an exposed section of trail where there's nothing but dead grass, rocks, dust, and lots of sun, but a tenth of a mile later you'll be back in the lush forest. That's what today was. In and out of the desert and forest. As I neared 7pm, I realized I might be able to make it to Hyatt Lake Resort before they closed (but I had no idea when they closed). I got to the paved road around 7:50pm and got a ride almost right away. We got to the resort at 7:55pm and...closed. Both the store and the restaurant with no one in sight. So the nice guy took me down to the Hyatt Lake Campground (where I was planning on camping anyway). The Hyatt Lake Campground is probably the nicest campground I've stayed at so far. Water from spigots, flushing toilets, plenty of outlets, and FREE SHOWERS.
8/19: (20.4 miles) Today was pretty much the same as yesterday (desert-forest-desert-forest...repeat) but much more lush forest (which was much appreciated). Wasn't anything special that happened today...another day of hiking. Camped at South Brown Mountain Shelter with a few other hikers. It was basically a tiny log cabin with a dirt floor. There was a wide shelf that went around the inside of the cabin that I slept on with another hiker.
8/20: (9.9 miles) Small day today. Pounded out the miles. Everything was going pretty well until I came to this section of the trail that was just fields of lava rocks. The trail was covered with "lava rock gravel" which isn't even close to stable and isn't what I would call "comfortable to walk on". And trekking poles don't help because using trekking poles on the hard, sharp rocks will destroy the tips (so I just carried the poles). I got to Highway 140 around 12:30pm and got picked up by family around 1:30pm taking me home with them to Klamath Falls. Shower! Laundry! Computer! Home-cooked food!
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Post via SMS August 19, 2015 at 10:58PM
Tonight I'll be camping at the South Brown Mountain Shelter (PCT mile 1760.8)
Post via SMS August 19, 2015 at 10:58PM
Tonight I'll be camping at the South Brown Mountain Shelter (PCT mile 1760.8)
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Post via SMS August 18, 2015 at 11:04PM
Tonight I'll be camping at the Hyatt Lake Campground (PCT mile 1740.19)
Monday, August 17, 2015
Oregon paradise (kinda)
8/14: (6.6 miles hiked) I guess I shouldn't write posts about days before I actually finish hiking that day. The original plan was to hike halfway up the huge hill out of Seiad Valley, camp there, then continue the next day. Then I found out about a road that cuts off a couple miles of the PCT and might be a nicer grade. I started walking along that road and after about half a mile I got a hitch (just for the next mile). Then we picked up more hikers and transferred to another vehicle that took us half the road walk (about 6 miles). As soon as we got out of that truck, another truck came by and took us all the way up to the PCT! Boom! 15 difficult miles of the PCT eliminated! I camped with these other hikers I hitched with (there were surprisingly about 13 of us that all crammed into each truck).
8/15: (22 miles) Today was lots of uphill, then downhill, then uphill, etc. And bow hunting season started today so there's plenty of trucks full of camo-clad hunters on the myriad of dirt roads we're crossing. Today was another day of pushing myself to hike to the next break after every hour (even though the desire to stop seemed to come every 40 minutes). But the best part about today- OREGON! I crossed the Oregon border just after 7pm and camped 0.4 miles afterwards near a dirt road. And as a little celebratory present, a truck was driving by and offered us ice-cold mini Gatorades! We asked them if they were going into Ashland (shot in the dark, but worth a try) and they said no. But they mentioned plenty of hunters will be heading back to I-5 tomorrow (Sunday) after the first weekend of hunting.
8/16: (~15 miles hiked) After last night's "good news" of a possible ride into Ashland, we decided to break near every road we could. I was hiking with a guy named BeerBaron and a girl named Pumpkin. We would have to do 26+ miles otherwise to get to Ashland. We left camp at about 7:30am and got going. The first road we came to had a car but no people (we saw the people later but they weren't going to Ashland). Soon we came to a junction of 3 dirt roads or so. We waited there for about 20 minutes and....nothing. Then we hiked 5 miles nonstop to the next junction of roads (taking a road shortcut at one point, cutting off about a mile of the PCT). We waited here for nigh on an hour and....nothing. Well, not really "nothing". About 3 cars came by (all going the opposite way) but gave us grapes and a ginger ale! We decided to walk the road from here as it seemed about the same as the PCT but possibly less steep (and with the possibility of a hitch). After a couple hours there was finally a car going our way and he gave us a ride all the way into downtown Ashland! We got pizza right where he dropped us off and stayed at the Ashland Commons Hostel. Had some dinner with other hikers at the Standing Stone Brewery and it was a good time :) .
8/15: (22 miles) Today was lots of uphill, then downhill, then uphill, etc. And bow hunting season started today so there's plenty of trucks full of camo-clad hunters on the myriad of dirt roads we're crossing. Today was another day of pushing myself to hike to the next break after every hour (even though the desire to stop seemed to come every 40 minutes). But the best part about today- OREGON! I crossed the Oregon border just after 7pm and camped 0.4 miles afterwards near a dirt road. And as a little celebratory present, a truck was driving by and offered us ice-cold mini Gatorades! We asked them if they were going into Ashland (shot in the dark, but worth a try) and they said no. But they mentioned plenty of hunters will be heading back to I-5 tomorrow (Sunday) after the first weekend of hunting.
8/16: (~15 miles hiked) After last night's "good news" of a possible ride into Ashland, we decided to break near every road we could. I was hiking with a guy named BeerBaron and a girl named Pumpkin. We would have to do 26+ miles otherwise to get to Ashland. We left camp at about 7:30am and got going. The first road we came to had a car but no people (we saw the people later but they weren't going to Ashland). Soon we came to a junction of 3 dirt roads or so. We waited there for about 20 minutes and....nothing. Then we hiked 5 miles nonstop to the next junction of roads (taking a road shortcut at one point, cutting off about a mile of the PCT). We waited here for nigh on an hour and....nothing. Well, not really "nothing". About 3 cars came by (all going the opposite way) but gave us grapes and a ginger ale! We decided to walk the road from here as it seemed about the same as the PCT but possibly less steep (and with the possibility of a hitch). After a couple hours there was finally a car going our way and he gave us a ride all the way into downtown Ashland! We got pizza right where he dropped us off and stayed at the Ashland Commons Hostel. Had some dinner with other hikers at the Standing Stone Brewery and it was a good time :) .
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Post via SMS August 15, 2015 at 12:00PM
I accidentally left my SPOT GPS in Seiad Valley so I won't be checking in for a few days. I will post whenever I have cell service.
Friday, August 14, 2015
Randomness
Now is about the time we're seeing more and more southbounders (SOBO). The crazy thing about SOBOs is that to start the PCT they have to drive to Hart's Pass in WA, then hike 30 miles north to the Canadian border (and northern PCT terminus), THEN they can start their hike. Manning Park in Canada is only 8 miles from the PCT northern terminus but it's illegal to enter the US via the PCT (but not illegal to enter Canada via the PCT- as long as you have the proper forms).
I met a SOBO today named Chopstakes (because apparently he has no utensils and uses his tent stakes as chopsticks. Gross.) with this awesome shirt a few NOBOs made for him at Crater Lake. In case it's hard to read, it says:
"I'm SOBO!
I don't know:
- Next water
- Campsite
- Your friends"
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Tres Months
Three months! THREE! Yesterday as I was hiking I kept thinking "what, am I crazy? How have I been doing the same boring thing for 3 months? I just get up everyday and walk all day until I go to bed at night." But here I am. And Oregon is on the horizon! I have 36.8 miles till the Oregon border and less than 1000 miles left till Canada! Motivation level is about the same as last time (but a little bit spiked because I'll be entering my home state).
But this next leg of the journey will be a whole lot better because in Oregon I have friends/family hiking with me almost every day. Plus I am taking about 4 zeros at home in Bend, OR for my birthday! This'll be great.
Eat my dust
8/12: (23.7 miles) left early from Etna. Got a ride up to Etna summit at around 8:30am for $5. Absolutely no smoke in the air and the views were incredible! Maybe better than the Sierras'! I'll let my pictures argue that for me. Ridge-waking all day long (not my favorite) and at about 5pm I hiked over a ridge that suddenly plunged me back into the gloom of wildfire smoke, long ago burned-out forests, and insane heat & humidity. Not fun. But I made it to my campsite just after dusk near an old, boarded-up ranger cabin. One of the boards over a window was gone and I was very tempted to climb in and spend the night in there but I figured the rodents probably had called dibs.
8/13: (25.4 miles) new record! And today is also 3 months in! Hard to believe that I've been doing practically the same thing everyday for 3 months. Kinda bordering on existential crisis here... Nevermind. Today I got up a little late and got going around 8:45am. I decided that- to make up for it- I'll make sure to hike 3 mph all the time and limit all my breaks to 10 minutes (which means no reading). And it worked. I got to the Grider Creek Campground just before 8pm and saw the first human I had seen all day- another hiker. Nothing special at this drive-in campground: pit toilets, fire rings, and picnic tables. Not even water spigots but the creek was right nearby.
8/14: (10.8 miles) This morning I did the 6.6 mile road walk into Seiad Valley, CA. This is the last stop before Oregon! Also, Seiad Valley's Cafe is home to the famous pancake challenge: if you can eat 5 pancakes (each weighing a pound), you get them for free. Hardly anyone (hikers included) have completed it. They estimate around 25 people in the whole existence of the restaurant (only 2 in the last 7 years). I got myself 3 REGULAR-sized chocolate chip pancakes and will be heading out of here around 5pm to do the last 4.2 miles of the day (halfway up the horrible, steep hill out of Seiad Valley). Oregon, here I come!
Thursday, August 13, 2015
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Wednesday, August 12, 2015
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Tuesday, August 11, 2015
A couple updates
I've updated a couple of the links on the sidebar.
First off, my gear list should be updated with what I'm carrying now (minus food, of course). Here's the new list: http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=20983
Also, my graph of progress now also includes a projection based off my current average. It projects when I'll finish the PCT (this doesn't include the zero days I'll be taking for my birthday, of course). Here's that link: https://goo.gl/N4dQ2r
First off, my gear list should be updated with what I'm carrying now (minus food, of course). Here's the new list: http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=20983
Also, my graph of progress now also includes a projection based off my current average. It projects when I'll finish the PCT (this doesn't include the zero days I'll be taking for my birthday, of course). Here's that link: https://goo.gl/N4dQ2r
"What do we do? We hike, hike, hike."
8/8: (9.7 miles) Today the other hiker ("SupperClub") and I checked out of our hotel, then hiked to downtown Dunsmuir for burgers. We got delicious burgers and milkshakes, then headed back the opposite way (past the Dunsmuir Lodge) to Manfredi's- a convenience store close to I-5 where we were hoping to hitch from. We did a small bit of shopping (a couple drinks and a couple snacks for the trail), then went outside to wait for someone to offer a ride (as recommended- probably not a good recommendation- by the cashier). Fortunately, someone did come to offer a ride! Even better- it was a thru-hiker with a rental car (something you don't see everyday). So we got back on trail around 12:30pm and started hiking- the wrong way (we started going down a side trail that the PCT signs were definitely pointing to, but it wasn't right). Fortunately, we caught it within about 10 minutes, backtracked, then hiked the proper way. I decided to stop and camp before the big uphill and therefore stopped pretty early (about 7pm) but still satisfied my "half-day-out-of-town" philosophy. SupperClub decided to tackle the 5 miles uphill that night and moved on.
8/9: (20.6 miles) I am definitely glad that I saved the 5 miles of uphill for today. I couldn't have done that last night. Today was one of those days where there wasn't a lot of motivation to be had. Some of the songs that come into my head: "Just keep hiking" (the "legs" version to Dory's "Just keep swimming") and the first stanza of "Put one foot in front of the other" . You're bored? You're tired? That's too bad- you've got miles to cover. Fortunately there was a tiny bit of trail magic at parking lot crossing (a nearly spent water cache and what used to be oranges) to brighten the spirits. I camped at Porcupine Lake which was definitely beautiful the next morning! (See picture below)
8/9: (20.6 miles) I am definitely glad that I saved the 5 miles of uphill for today. I couldn't have done that last night. Today was one of those days where there wasn't a lot of motivation to be had. Some of the songs that come into my head: "Just keep hiking" (the "legs" version to Dory's "Just keep swimming") and the first stanza of "Put one foot in front of the other" . You're bored? You're tired? That's too bad- you've got miles to cover. Fortunately there was a tiny bit of trail magic at parking lot crossing (a nearly spent water cache and what used to be oranges) to brighten the spirits. I camped at Porcupine Lake which was definitely beautiful the next morning! (See picture below)
8/10: (24.3 miles) Today was kinda frustrating. I got going pretty early and got lots of miles in, but the PCT decided to be very uncooperative and very inefficient today. I hiked 24.3 miles today and roughly (very roughly- mostly from my coordinates and a Google search) made a progress north of 9.2 miles. I walked a ridge at one point that, instead of going north and over the ridge, it wrapped around and made a U-turn going South. At some other points, I walked for miles of trail going either directly South, South-East, or South-West. Like I said- frustrating. I need to keep reminding myself that the PCT is one of the "National Scenic Trails" which means it takes the scenic route (they're not called the "National Efficient Trails" or "National This-Was-Planned-By-An-Engineer Trails"). Also tonight was not a great night as my tent got attacked by a mouse (or some sort of rodent) all night. This has happened before (the night I camped at Hat Creek before Old Station a mouse/rodent chewed into my tent, ate a large chunk out of my tortillas, pooped in my tent, then left- fortunately I was just about to get more food). So now I have about 4 mouse-sized holes in the walls of my tent and for some reason the mouse/rodent liked the bottom of my sleeping bag (there was a hole chewed in the bottom of it and a handful of down was pulled out and strewn about the bottom of my tent). Let's see if REI will replace that...
8/11: (5.3 miles) Skip day! Today I packed up and hiked to Highway 3, then hitched (despite all doubts everywhere- it only took me about 30 minutes of hitching) to Etna. This allowed me to skip about 40 miles of trail and hopefully that'll boost me enough to get to all the places in Oregon when I want to. Hanging in Etna for the rest of the day and staying at the Alderbrook Manor's Hiker Hut. $25/night for a bed, shower, laundry, computer use, etc! Boom.
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Monday, August 10, 2015
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Sunday, August 9, 2015
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Saturday, August 8, 2015
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Friday, August 7, 2015
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Retrospect
8/2: (10 miles) Hiked to Burney today. Easy 3.5 miles to the road, then got a ride into town at about 11am. I stayed at the McDonald's on the WiFi till about 6pm (it wasn't very fast WiFi so things took a while). Got another ride back out and convinced them to drop me off at the Burney Falls State Park (where my box was and also about 8 miles farther down the trail). I picked up my box, sorted through food, then I was back on the trail again (aiming to go another 5 miles or so to the next campsite). Got there late and everything was uneven (not nice camping). But I made it work.
8/3: (16.2 miles) Have you ever woken up in the morning and been frustrated that the dream you just had isn't what your life is like? That was this morning. So the rest of the day I kinda just lazily hiked, taking breaks whenever I felt like it. Lots of reading. I camped about 7 miles earlier than I would've on a better day (7 miles being the next water source). But on the up-side I got to camp early (before 8) and took my time making dinner and such. On an interesting side-note: I camped next to another random hiker, but that hiker was the first human I had seen in 24 hours (which may be the longest in my life).
8/4: (17.9 miles) Another semi-lazy day. Today I mostly just got bored. There was a lot of "ridge walking" later in the day and as beautiful as the scenery is, it gets a little tiresome. Not much else to say about today. Just another PCT day.
8/5: (23.5 miles) Alright, time to make up for that laziness. I got up "early" (early for me) at 7 and got going by 8:30. Just a little bit of walking put me on the downhill for most of the day. This downhill was in the thick of a forest with lots of undergrowth and lots of forest! It was a nice, cool, fast-paced hike down the hill to lunch. I stopped and had lunch at Ash Camp next to the McCloud River, then booked it up the steep climb out of here. Made it up the hill and to camp just before 8! Boom. [Also, today was the day that I really started noticing smoke from the wildfires. It's everywhere. I first thought it was fog or that I was hiking through a cloud but it was too thin to be either of that. You'll see this in some of my most recent pictures]
8/6: (19.8 miles) Got up early again to tackle the day. Last night some hikers got in late to my campsite (~11pm) and were talking loudly most of the night, then left early (and loudly) at ~5am so my sleep didn't go as well as planned. A bit of downhill today to water (last water for the next 10 miles) then lots of uphill. Last big uphill before Castella! Hiked up the uphill as quickly as possible and made it about 1/3 down the other side by 1:30pm (when I usually have lunch). Instead of having lunch, I decided to wolf down the rest of my snacks and try to bust it to Castella for a good meal (I was 7 miles away). I made it to the road to Castella at 4:15pm and got a ride in 45 minutes later. Unfortunately "Castella" turned out to not be much more than a gas station and convenience store. So I bought some snacks and a deli sandwich before camping at the Castle Crags campground nearby.
8/7: (ZERO) Today I'll be taking a zero. I would prefer not taking an entire day off, but another hiker offered to split a hotel room with me (and he's a little bit slower) so that's what we're doing tonight. Plus I usually stay overnight anytime I stop at town to get a box, but I haven't stopped overnight in a town (or showered, slept in a bed, or done laundry) since Chester (9 days ago). So that's what I'll be doing today.
8/3: (16.2 miles) Have you ever woken up in the morning and been frustrated that the dream you just had isn't what your life is like? That was this morning. So the rest of the day I kinda just lazily hiked, taking breaks whenever I felt like it. Lots of reading. I camped about 7 miles earlier than I would've on a better day (7 miles being the next water source). But on the up-side I got to camp early (before 8) and took my time making dinner and such. On an interesting side-note: I camped next to another random hiker, but that hiker was the first human I had seen in 24 hours (which may be the longest in my life).
8/4: (17.9 miles) Another semi-lazy day. Today I mostly just got bored. There was a lot of "ridge walking" later in the day and as beautiful as the scenery is, it gets a little tiresome. Not much else to say about today. Just another PCT day.
8/5: (23.5 miles) Alright, time to make up for that laziness. I got up "early" (early for me) at 7 and got going by 8:30. Just a little bit of walking put me on the downhill for most of the day. This downhill was in the thick of a forest with lots of undergrowth and lots of forest! It was a nice, cool, fast-paced hike down the hill to lunch. I stopped and had lunch at Ash Camp next to the McCloud River, then booked it up the steep climb out of here. Made it up the hill and to camp just before 8! Boom. [Also, today was the day that I really started noticing smoke from the wildfires. It's everywhere. I first thought it was fog or that I was hiking through a cloud but it was too thin to be either of that. You'll see this in some of my most recent pictures]
8/6: (19.8 miles) Got up early again to tackle the day. Last night some hikers got in late to my campsite (~11pm) and were talking loudly most of the night, then left early (and loudly) at ~5am so my sleep didn't go as well as planned. A bit of downhill today to water (last water for the next 10 miles) then lots of uphill. Last big uphill before Castella! Hiked up the uphill as quickly as possible and made it about 1/3 down the other side by 1:30pm (when I usually have lunch). Instead of having lunch, I decided to wolf down the rest of my snacks and try to bust it to Castella for a good meal (I was 7 miles away). I made it to the road to Castella at 4:15pm and got a ride in 45 minutes later. Unfortunately "Castella" turned out to not be much more than a gas station and convenience store. So I bought some snacks and a deli sandwich before camping at the Castle Crags campground nearby.
8/7: (ZERO) Today I'll be taking a zero. I would prefer not taking an entire day off, but another hiker offered to split a hotel room with me (and he's a little bit slower) so that's what we're doing tonight. Plus I usually stay overnight anytime I stop at town to get a box, but I haven't stopped overnight in a town (or showered, slept in a bed, or done laundry) since Chester (9 days ago). So that's what I'll be doing today.
Thursday, August 6, 2015
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Wednesday, August 5, 2015
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Tuesday, August 4, 2015
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Monday, August 3, 2015
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Sunday, August 2, 2015
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The Result of Addition (i.e. this is a SUMmary post)
7/29: (19 miles) This morning I hung around Chester some more. Had some cereal for breakfast at the trail angel's house, then went to the famous Pine Shack Frosty for a milkshake, then Burger Depot for lunch. Got back on trail about 12:30 and IT WAS HOT! Slow progress the rest of the day but made it all the way to the drive-in campground for the night.
7/30: (19.4 miles) Started out the day in the best way: hiking about 0.5 miles backwards to Drakesbad Guest Ranch for breakfast. Buffet style with French Toast & continental everything else! Delicious! Sat on their measly Wi-Fi for too long (couple hours) then started hiking at about 11. At this point it was WAY too hot and I stopped for breaks often. Was still so full from breakfast that I skipped lunch. It was a boring, flat hike out of Lassen Park and I set up camp next to the "famous" (in reference to Wild) Hat Creek. Gonna get to Old Station in the morning!
7/31: (15.3 miles) Low day, but a high day considering that I'm doing it out of a town. Hung around in Old Station for a while. First stayed around the post office waiting for a box till 1:30 (my food was already there, but I had bought new socks and they had yet to arrive). Once I got the socks I headed down the street to another small store/resort that let me use their Wi-Fi. I stayed there chatting to the owner and using the Wi-Fi for about 5 hours. Then headed out and met some other hikers at JJ's restaurant for dinner. I got a burger (a really good one, but still not extraordinary) and all of us split the cost of a tray of cinnamon rolls! The girl who was waiting our table was astonished with how fast I ate mine. Then I headed out and night-hiked the remaining 8 miles or so till the campsite.
8/1: (22.1 miles) the miles of today were done not because I'm being ambitious but out of necessity. 0.7 miles from last night's campsite is a canyon where you can hike down a steep and treacherous 0.5 mile trail to a water source. Not ideal at all, but it's the last water source for 21 miles. So I did it. Fortunately some trail angels have placed a cache 8 miles into that stretch so I only carried about 3 liters. Had lunch at the amazing cache (not just water- there were chairs, a trail register, and it was all enclosed in an arrangement of sticks making it look like a large beaver dam). Cameled-up and hiked the next section. There was a cache next to a paved road about 8 miles later and it was also awesome (perfect timing too- I had about 1 liter left and was getting worried). Saw an amazing sunset and pushed on into dusk before I set up camp. Burney tomorrow!
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