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07/01/02
We basically hiked through the Desolation Wilderness today. I can see why people like it. There are so many mosquitoes that hiking is really fun. Seriously, it's relatively flat and low. I don't much care for it.
Lots of flowers in bloom: lupine, lots of larkspur, Indian paintbrush, goldenrod, heather, and others I can't name.
It's good to be hiking with Yogi again. She pointed out we've been on the trail together more than 650 miles. Wow! We've been catching up on what happened between Tuolumne and Echo Lake, both trail gossip and our lives.
Met a guy named Seon ("See On") who's looking into to the PCT next year. He was southbound, so we had a limited time to talk. Also met a ranger named Mary with a dog.
I'm in a difficult spot right now. I'm under my sleeping mosquito net, but my torso and legs hang out. To keep the mosquitos off, I have my legs in my silk liner, then my down bag over my body like a blanket. I'm roasting hot. The mosquitos can bite through the silk, so I need the bag. They can fly under the bag, so I need the liner. Ug.
There's a mosquito inside the perimeter. I have to go.
One last thought. When I went to see Minority Report, the showed a promo (not really a preview) for a remake of Solaris staring George Cluney. I can't stop thinking about it. I hope it's good. I has the potential to be great.

07/02/02
Did my first successful yogi today.
Yogiing is when you get something you want, but don't directly ask for it. Doing it in the presence of Yogi made it even better. Yogiing is not a bad thing to do. Here's how it went.
When we got to Barker Pass, there were two cars in the lot, one with California plates and one with Texas plates. Based on the accent of the woman we spoke to yesterday at Dick's Pass, we left the note with info on calling Daniel on the Explorer with Texas plates. We got to thinking that they might not get back to their car in time to make the call, so we were thinking of plan b: day hikers.
Near Twin Peaks, we met Ric and R. with their young son. I asked them where they came in from. Barker Pass. Did they have the California plates? Yes. Good. I told them we left a note for the other people to make a call for us. We could make a call for you. We've got a cell phone. Really? That would be great. Let me write down the details.
And with that, I'd completed my first yogi.

Later in the day, we met up with Pete and Ed. They were camped not far from where we had dinner, the headwaters of Squaw Creek. We continued just a short distance to a nice sandy spot for camping.
Tonight is the earliest I've camped, in relation to dusk, on the whole trip. We have just 12 miles to make before 2PM tomorrow, so there's time for early camping. I have a nice view to the east, past Squaw Valley's lifts to Lake Tahoe from my sleeping spot.
Now that I've been doing it for a while, I can tell you about my bed routine. Plus, I have lots of journal time.
First, we decide where we are going to sleep. Usually it's within sight of the trail because that's our scouting point. I put down my Tyvek ground cloth, then my Thermarest pad after I inflate it. It's supposed to be self-inflating, but it's not. It's actually self-deflating.
I then empty a lot of stuff from my pack onto the ground cloth: my journaling stuff, music, sleeping bag, misc. clothes, headlamp, and water. Sometimes I put out the trail information if I think I'll have time to look at it before conking out.
I use my GoLite jacket as a pillow and put my raingear at my feet to raise them a bit. I get out my silk liner and down bag and put them on top of my pad. My down bag is in a plastic bag in my pack. I use that bag to hold all the stuff on the groundsheet that I might need. The bag keeps everything dry should I get dew. It also keeps it in one place. It looks like a pack explosion, but it's home.

07/03/02
Our first cold night in a while, although it wasn't that cold. The wind blew most of the night too. All in all, it was good night. Got up early and out of camp by 6:15. We were off to meet Daniel and Eddy at Donner Pass. Did lots of ridge walking, which I love.
Saw lots of dayhikers coming up the trail. Some seemed interested in us, others not.
Yogi scolded a young girl for cutting switchbacks. I just said, "Bad. Bad."

We got to Donner Ski Ranch, where there is a phone. I checked my messages first. The refund from my amended tax return came in, which is good news since I need new shoes. Then I got a series of messages from Daniel. Both our trail contacts (including my yogi) got the message through to them. Plus, Daniel and Eddy are getting a room in Truckee, which means showers!
I called them on their cell and changed our rendezvous location to Donner Pass rather than Donner Summit on I-80 because Yogi and I wanted a real lunch. If we'd hiked onto I-80, we would have had to have had a trail lunch.
The rendezvous was easy, and we got a lot done. A town stop with a car makes it easier. Even got some DMV stuff out of the way. Got new hiking shoes too.

While searching for dinner, we were told that it would be more than an hour wait for the nice restaurant with awful live jazz (OK, in my book that's a double redundancy...). Daniel and I poked around a bit while Eddie and Yogi went back to the car. We found Andy's, a diner moved to Truckee from the East Coast. The food was great, in that straightforward American kind of way.

Tonight in the small hotel room are Daniel and Eddy in the queen-sized bed, Yogi and I on the floor on either side of the bed, and Shayna and Doc, the two greyhounds, in the area in front of the door.

07/04/02
Since were were in town, we couldn't resist breakfast. Went to Andy's diner again and had a great breakfast. I got garlic fries instead of hash browns, and they were great.

Cupcake, Daniel, Eddie, and Yogi headed back to the trail.

Daniel and Eddie took us up Hwy 40 to our departure point. We were hanging out saying good-bye when Iron Chef showed up in a Pooh Corner vehicle! Pooh Corner is a trail angel place on Donner Lake. It was great to see him. He'd had some time off with his fiancé, Sandy.

The three of us, Yogi, Iron Chef and I, set off for I-80, about 4 miles. It was quick and scenic hiking, and we were there before we knew it. We used the phones and restrooms as needed, watched a Filipino woman fall flat on her face, and got out of there as soon as we could.
Our next destination was Peter Grubb hut, a Sierra Club hut 4 miles from I-80. We were anxious to check the register to see who had been through when. Got some good scoops and met a lot of day hikers while we had lunch there.

The skis were at Peter Grubb hut.

The rest of the day didn't have such distinct destinations. We easily got in 20 miles. The terrain is lower, 8000' or so, and the ups and downs are easy, 500' max. per change. After what we've hiked, they feel insignificant.
Cooked dinner in a high, exposed place with a view to the north. We moved on, passing Peter and Ed camped near a stream with the heaviest mosquitoes of the day. The Canadians don't seem to mind the mosquitoes. It was all we could do to get water and get out of there. Chef bolted. Yogi and I saw him when he'd stopped at our proposed camping site.
We liked it and are camped on a ridge covered in mule's ears and lupine. To the north, just below the ridge is a soft cornice of snow just below the edge where the trees start.

I wish I knew my trees better: there are pines and firs. I know some of them are hemlocks, I see what looks to be a low, small ponderosa pine, and there are some Douglas firs. When we arrived, there were a few Clarke's Nutcrackers making lots of noise.
When I'm propped up on my elbows, I'm at eye level with the top of the vast area of flowers. Lying down, I'm below the surface of the amazing display.

Today, I'm happy to be hiking the PCT.
The new shoes' first day was good. I think they will work. Hopefully they will last.
Noises from distant fireworks displays drifts up to our location, but we can't see them.

07/05/02
Dawn was beautiful on the ridge. The pink clouds that preceded the sun lingered as I made sense of my morning, moving, stuffing, and shuffling. Yogi and I left Iron Chef in his bag when we set out. He likes to get a late start, but he still does the miles.
We walked through lots of active forest harvesting areas. They were ugly.
21 miles by 3PM got us into Sierra City in time to get our boxes. Yippee.

The free hiker camping is down by the river. We share a bathhouse with people who live in the RV park. Lots of bad vibes. Even though it was Mountain Mike's first time to meet Yogi and I, he bought us dinner! How nice is that.

07/06/02
A lot to write about today.
Got up early, given that we were going to wait until 7 AM for the "English" place to open up for breakfast. So what did I do? I grabbed a second shower in the RV bathhouse. The water was nice and hot. Afterward, I made my way back down toward the river and got back in my sleeping bag! Yogi and I left everybody else sleeping when we broke camp and headed out.
I first had the English banger breakfast: two eggs, two bangers and hash browns. I also had a side of grilled tomatoes. It was among the best breakfasts I've ever had. I then had a second banger breakfast 'cause I could.
Ben joined us at some point. He was at the kickoff, but had to take 3 weeks off, and has been traveling fast. To be clear about what he's done: Ben has hiked the same (presumably) 1200 miles I have, but has taken 3 fewer weeks to do it. That's some traveling. The fast people are how we get information about what's going on behind us, and who might be where.
Weekender also joined us at some point.

We finally got out of town, catching a ride back to the trail in a white, diesel pickup, the same description of the vehicle we arrived in. Our hike for the rest of the morning would be up and around Sierra Buttes, a formation we'd seen in the distance for a few days.
Within our first few miles, I saw a rattlesnake, my first siting ever. I had headphones on for the climb, but heard the rustle of leaves to my right. The snake was trying to get away from me and not trying to coil. I was not scared at all. I gave Yogi the heads up and continued. Not at all what I thought an encounter with a rattler would be like.

A few more miles into the trail, I looked up the switchbacks and saw a bicyclist. I got out my camera and continued forward.

There were two of them. They stopped to let me, the uphill traffic, pass. I stopped. I asked if they knew they were on the PCT. They said yes. I asked if they knew that bikes were not allowed on the PCT. They said yes.
I kind of lost it a bit. I started screaming at them. I was very angry. When I pointed out that there were jeep roads providing the same access, the front rider, who is the one I exclusively talked to, said that the jeep roads were not technical enough.

Throughout the entire conversation, he was very condescending, and did one of the thing I hate the most: tell me that I shouldn't be reacting the way was and that my anger was wrong. That my feelings were wrong..
I gave him my main points: Bikes are not allowed, they cause erosion, and foremost, they are a physical threat to hikers who are not expecting them.
At some point he threw his credentials at me, like they mattered. He did trail work, donated to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and ran his own business. He also mentioned that he'd taken a lot of seminars, some of which had to do with controlling emotions. Yogi suggested later, half humorously, that they might have been court-ordered. I wish I'd thrown these credentials at him: I'm a drag queen and I've taken, uh, drugs, to highlight the absurdity of using credentials to justify riding bikes on the PCT.
We bickered for a while. I focused on why they should not have bikes on the trail, and he focused on the different ways we were handling the situation. In his eyes, I was always wrong, and he was always right. Except it is against the law to have a bike on the PCT.
At some point, he resumed talking. I could tell it was going nowhere I wanted to go. I interrupted him with a Fuck You.
I was angry, and I did let him speak when he was not putting me down. At some point, I just stopped talking. The trail in that section was narrow, and off-trail was steep and unstable, so I had them at an impasse.
He said that they'd give me about 10 minutes, then they'd figure out a way to go around me.
I then said, more to get my point across than anything else, I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to go down with you to talk to the authorities. He said there was no way I could keep up with them at 15 mph. I said there'd be no way they could go 15 miles per hour if their bikes were smashed up. He took it as a threat to him. I was eyeing the quick release to his front tire.
I knew my anger was not serving me too well. I took some time to calm down a bit and let it all go.
I started walking toward them and said that I was just going to walk past them. Yogi followed me, and it was over.
I hope they don't ride on the PCT again, and I hope they tell their friends that it's not worth the hassle of dealing with the nasty hikers.

As I walked on, I replayed the main parts of the encounter, forming regrets about things I didn't say, all the way to the jeep road.

We took lunch right next to the jeep road, which was stupid because weekender were out with their off-road vehicles and their SUVs driving around kicking up dirt. By the end of lunch, I'd worked through most of the issues from the encounter.

We continued on around Sierra Buttes, and I noticed two guys walking down. I told Yogi I wanted to hang around, that there was something in their gait. I was right on. We had a great time talking to, then walking with, Rusty and Andy.
When Yogi and I were alone again, I told her it's called gaydar.

We'd left them at their car, but then they pulled up as we did the short roadwalk. Andy offered us some fruit and cookies. I took an apricot and declined on the cookies. When they were pulling away Yogi said, "Next time, take the cookies." It was nice to talk with other gay men.

Not soon after that we actually saw a Forest Service employee. I asked about bikes on the trail. Carla looked it up and said it would probably be a $150 fine, but the judge would ultimately decide. She also took a report. None of us expect to catch the guys, but I hope the report might contribute to getting additional funding for more enforcement.
Walking on from there, we entered mountain biking hell on the trail. There were tracks all over the place.

Camped at a high spot to the south of the trail. Had hoped to get in a big day, but we had to settle for 20.
I haven't mentioned it in a while, but the wildflowers are amazing. We see flowers most of the day.

07/07/02
Got an early-ish start and had an uneventful day. Walked through flowers most of the day, except when we were in dense forest. Even then, we had some nice blooms. These thumbnails will have links to the flower page someday. 11/10/02: They're done!
    
Iron Chef finally caught up with us at dinner. He had done 32 by then. I gave him some water so he could eat with us.
The three of us continued on the trail. Later Chef and I branched off to Fowler Lake for water. The lake was half-covered in lily pads. We sent a heron flying with our arrival.
We walked back to our packs and caught up with Yogi, who had selected a camp.
As I journal, I can hear what only can be a bear in the woods to the west. It's getting closer to camp. Should be a long night.

07/08/02
No bear problems last night.

Here's a moment from today:
I've been hiking uphill for 4 hours and it's really hot. Lori B. is on the minidisk and, as I bend down to smell the white lilies for the first time, she sings, "How long does it take for my heart to stop breaking?" The sweet smell of the lilly filled my head as the words filled my heart. I choked up and could have sat down and cried. But there were thousands of feet to climb, and company to keep. Great moment.

Here's some data for today, for you data junkies who've been having trouble getting a fix in my journal: Yogi and I did 28.7 miles today. First we lost 2600', dropping to the Middle Fork of the Feather River (2,900' elev.), then we climbed over 3000' to get out of there. After dinner, we climbed another 1000' in 2.6 miles to get to camp. We started walking at 6:15AM and got into camp at 8:30PM. There were many breaks, including 45 minutes for lunch and an hour for dinner. Enough of that.

I saw so many lovely flowers today, many of them I was seeing for the first time. We had white lilies all day.
  
They'd just pop up here and there. Most stalks were on their first bloom. At one point the trail was on fire with Indian Paintbrush:

Saw lots and lots of other flowers too. The tiger lilies were spectacular, and the dogwood, while fading, was still a thrill to hike through. I could do without the mosquitoes though.
It never got too hot today, and, although I am a delicate flower when it comes to heat and direct sunlight, it didn't bother me too much. I made sure to drink lots of water. I was not keeping track, but I think I drank 8 liters today.
Another great moment today was the combination of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A Adagio on the headphones while walking through a small area of burned trees marked in white and light blue for harvesting. The slightly sad music played off the emptiness of the landscape which was amplified by moving through the landscape. Music and motion is a good thing, whether dancing or hiking.
Today was a heavy music day. I listened a lot for two reasons: We had lots of climbing, and I have new minidisks, two that I made, and one from Tom. I don't think hiking all the time with music is good, but on such a long hike, it brings some variety.

07/09/02
Something very big ran past our camp in the trees last night. Not sure what it was.

We had only 16 miles to Belden, but Iron Chef had reminded us that the Belden PO is open from 9-1. I had packages there. Yogi had shipped to the resort and had no time restrictions.

We got 8 miles in pretty early, and I saw that if I hauled, I could make it to Belden in time to get to the PO. So I left Yogi behind and hauled. I had an almost 4000' drop into Belden. It was very hot, but there were two things that made it enjoyable, wild thimbleberries and the results of lots of exercise. I'd seen the wild thimbleberries blooming, and as I dropped, essentially the season changed. Although I was in a hurry, I stopped to pull the ripe delicate berries off the plant and pop them in my mouth. The taste was not spectacular, but they were my first wild thimbleberries, so they were special.
The amounts of exercise I've been doing have had a positive effect on my libido. I feel like a young man again. Hiking alone combined with the easy downhill, the inviting cadence, and my revived fantasy imagination made for some exciting hiking. It's been one of the surprises of my trip, and nobody seems to write about it, so I'm including it.

Got into the equestrian trailhead below the railroad tracks at about 12:35. I'd made good time, but the PO was a mile down the road. My body could not resist the pit toilet at the trailhead.
I continued on, not stopping as I passed the resort. I tried some futile hitching to the PO, but the traffic was sparse and traveling fast. It was broasting hot on the road, but I started walking. Next to the road, I noticed ripe blackberries in the bushes along the river, but knew I was tight on time, so I passed them up.
I made it with time to spare. Iron Chef was at the PO. Dorothy was glad to have me pick up my 4 boxes.
I was faced with the problem of getting them back to the resort where Chris was going to meet us. Dorothy let me stash them behind the PO, which was really just a converted house. I left Iron Chef and set out to return to the resort, picking handfuls of blackberries as I went. They were hot in my mouth from the sun.
Yogi had taken up in the closed bar with permission of the people running the resort. I joined her, and we began some of our tasks. She wrote 16 postcards while I got to only four.
We were waiting for Chris Lombardi, a friend of mine. He was driving from the Bay Area to hike this next section, to Old Station, with us.

I asked a group of the resort employees if one of them could give me a ride to the PO and back for $5. The woman agreed, and I soon had my boxes.

I began sorting through my bounce box. My bounce box was way too big. I included stuff that would have been easier and cheaper to buy if I needed them. So, I made two boxes of stuff to go home with the goal of using my food resupply box as my new, smaller bounce box. I was not able to let it all go, but I did reach my size goal.
Ben showed up and we chatted. At 5PM, the bar filled up, and by 6PM, there had been two brawls.

Since Chris was arriving with a car, Yogi and I had formulated a plan: Got to Quincy for our town needs. We'd arrived into Belden early, why not take advantage of the opportunity?

Chris arrived and agreed to our plan. Quincy is where Yogi first spent time when she got injured last year, so she knew the town a bit. We found a room at the Lariot in East Quincy. It was not ideally located, but since Chris had a car, we were OK. Got pretty late by the time we finished dinner.

07/10/02
It was great to sleep in, but I could only make it until about 7:15. I got on the laptop to get to the endless tasks. Lots of task kept all of us busy until we left for Express Coffee Shop. I had a Chinese Omelet with artichokes, which was great.
The next stop was the PO where D-Low showed up. He'd hitched in from Bucks Summit Road. It was great to see him.

DLow looking cool. Wonder if J.Lo is missing him.

Went the the Laundromat next and saw Harley who was visiting his aunt and uncle east of Quincy.
We were in Quincy's health food store when Chris spied a map with a sign that said Katie & Tom's Progress. Katie, who is hiking the trail as Raven, used to manage the produce department! It's a small world.

We then found the 'hippy' restaurant, a real find. Yogi went to the pizza place to get a pastrami sandwich. D-Low showed up, and we had a great meal on the lawn, under umbrellas, in the heat.
The heat was amazing. It was 110 degrees in Belden when we got back there. Nothing much had changed.

Left Belden Resort with Rush, who may have gone back to meet up with Doc & Llama.
It took us 4 hours to go 6 miles because it was uphill in the sun in the heat. We managed.

As I write, I am hot in my bag, trapped by mosquitoes again. Having Chris along reminds me of what good shape I'm in.

07/11/02
The thing about the people who bring horses into the wilderness is that some of them think they can leave the heavy trash they create in the wilderness. We got into Myrtle Camp fairly late, but in the morning, I could see lots of junk: wire, a hammer head, half buried liquor bottles and cans. They can carry it in. Why can't they carry it out? I think it's because they are so hung over from drinking and eating things like Dinty Moore, that they don't care or just want to get back to other comforts. Abandoned trash is just another reason I think pack animals should not be allowed in the back country. I know I'll probably hear from responsible packers, but, as is most often the case, a few ruin it for the rest. And yes, backpackers leave trash too, but not the volume or type.

I was hiking along and a beautiful quail jumped out in front of me, dragging its wings, squawking, and making a lot of dust. In other words, it was trying to get my attention, which meant there was a nest or young nearby. I started looking for the little ones as mom continued to squawk on the other side of the trail. Soon there were tiny quail running in all directions. Mom had given the "get out of there!" order. I hope I didn't cause any suffering.
I'm hoping Chris is getting what he wants from joining us. I assumed he wanted a taste of hiking the PCT. He's pretty tired, but I also recognize that Yogi and I are in pretty good shape. Since we are going slower than we planned, Yogi and I have to get food in Chester. Looks like that's where Chris will be leaving us too.

Chris after he lost his hat.

The pond we were expecting camp near was dry, and the next on-trail water is 11 or so miles. So tomorrow, we are going down to Lost Lake to fill up on water. The off-trail miles are no fun, but these are necessary.

07/12/02
The old jeep road down to Lost Lake turned out to be a bust. Yogi and I set out just after 6AM to get water for the three of us, but we could not find the road after a short while. Yogi did not want to bushwhack to the lake. I could have gotten us there and back. Instead, she offered to go back 3 (or so) miles to Cold Spring. She carried back 12.5 liters in her empty pack.
While we were waiting for her, Liz and Simon passed camp. They'd taken 3 days off in Quincy. They seemed more interested in chatting than in the past. They both looked good.
The first water expedition allowed Chris to sleep in, rest I think he needed. We left camp at 9AM.
Ran into a bunch of Boy Scouts at Humbug Road. I didn't hassle them at all. I didn't say anything.

While we were there, DLow arrived. We hiked about a mile then had lunch together. It was nice because there were only flies bothering us, no mosquitoes. They may buzz and land, but they don't stick their sharp noses into your skin, spit through it, and start sucking blood.
Lunch is always a cold affair for me. Today I had some rye crackers with almond butter, a few slices of full-fat soy cheese, a yummy apple, some potato chips, and a couple of small tastes of other things in my food bag.

DLow hiked on after lunch, but we agreed that we'd meet at the creek on the way to Carter Meadow. He usually takes a 3 hour break in the afternoon. When we got there, Yogi stayed at the trail junction, and Chris and I went down for a .5 mile water expedition to Carter Meadow. We were starting another 11 mile waterless stretch, so we needed to get enough for those miles and tonight. DLow was napping when we arrived.

Chris and I returned to the junction and cooked. Yogi had a Lipton dinner, what she normally has, Chris cooked a lentil and risotto dish with habenero and anchovy, and I made a millet dish. I soaked the millet starting at lunch. I used the oil from a can of sardines to sauté shallots and garlic, then added the millet for cooking. I added a little curry powder, dried veggies, sunflower seeds and dried fruit. Soy sauce gave it the final flavor boost it desperately needed. It was OK.
DLow passed through as we were cooking, and we agreed to meet at Butt Mountain, just under 4 miles and 900' of elevation gain away.

We set out, but didn't make it.

There are caterpillars eating the ceanothus on the side of the trail. These black creatures were also crossing the trail. It was impossible not to step on them.
The terrain is definitely volcanic, and we've had good views of Mt. Lassen all day.

Butt mountain has proved the source for lots of jokes and humor.

07/13/02
Last night, clouds seemed to be building over our camp site as soon as it was dark. I lay in my bag watching the stars disappear. I turned out to be nothing.
Having Chris along has given me the opportunity to hike with really long breaks. I find it impossible to slow my hiking pace. Instead, I move along then wait. Sometimes I drop my pack and hike back south to walk with Chris.
Yogi went ahead this morning. After lunch I crossed her 10AM scratch in the dirt of the trail, so I knew she was way ahead. At 10AM, I was starting a 1 hour wait for Chris miles earlier. Chris' feet are really hurting. He has lightweight, breathable shoes, so he does not have blisters. They hurt from the constant walking. It's not a new problem for him, except that of other trips he usually has time to stop and heal, not do big miles day after day.

Oh, we hit the halfway point of the trek from Mexico to Canada today. Now that's something to celebrate.

We went into Chester, a town that's not in the Town Guide, and barely mentioned in the Book of Lies. Chester is a great town stop. The grocery store had lots of variety, including organic stuff. They even had wheat-free, sugar-free, dairy-free cookies that I can eat. There's an OK sporting goods store in Chester too. I finally got a pair of lightweight running shorts, although they are still more like trunks. I got tired of looking for the perfect pair, so I just bought some. Now I can wash my pants and not have to wear wool tights when it's 95 degrees outside, and even hotter in the Laundromat. Chester has pay showers, a 'laundermat', a PO, lots of restaurants and, if you are really dirty, or want to have lots of fun, a manual car wash.
Chester's near Lake Amadore, which apparently is a destination for many people.
Had a really great dinner at Benassi's at the east end of town across the river.
Watched the end of a stupid Andi McDowell and Liam Neeson movie, then Swordfish, and Hollow Man on the hotel TV. Hollow Man was as bad as the previews led me to think it was. Swordfish was better than I thought it would be. Halle Berry is gorgeous in it.

07/14/02
Had an OK breakfast at the Kopper Kettle Cafe. We figured out that they couldn't change Cafe to Kafe, or they'd have the initials KKK. Judging from the other patrons, those initials might have been good for business.

Chris got a ride back to Belden from the lady in the next room at our hotel.
Me, I got some kind of bites. I have five bites on my right leg which have swollen to differing degrees. I think they are spider bites, and I think I got them in my bed at the hotel. I'm thinking I won't die.

The hitch out of Chester took longer than I thought, and Yogi and I were standing in the morning sun for all of it. I eventually made a sign that said, "8 miles" so people would know that we weren't looking to go far. We got a ride.
At the trailhead, Happy JO had left a note dated today wishing hikers a happy halfway. He'd also left two small bottles of water for thirsty hikers. We may get to see HJ again after all.
Yogi had a similar idea and left Pepsi for thirsty hikers with a happy halfway note that asked them to pack out their cans.
The rest of the morning and into the afternoon was pretty level and exposed at times. The exposed parts came from logging. I'm sorry: harvesting.
Before too long, we were in Lassen National Park. We cooked dinner at Terminal Geyser, which really is a fumarole. Fumaroles have steam, not boiling water. The smell reminded me of Esalen, hot springs on the Big Sur coast that I frequent.


A few miles further on, I had Beck's Nicotine and Gravy on the headphones when a light green lake with a pink and red shore came into view. Beck got paused, and I took in the surreal landscape, made even more interesting because of the hissing steam, boiling, roiling water, and plopping mud pots.

Green lake, red shore, and hot mud bubbling with trees.

I'm sleeping tonight on top of a picnic table in Warner Valley, part of the NP. We have pit toilets in the morning, running water, and trash cans. This may be the best campsite I've been at on this whole trip.
When I journal, which is just before I go to sleep, it is my test period to see if I will need to deploy the sleeping chamber (my bug net for sleeping). I don't think I'll need it tonight.

07/15/02
Warner Valley was a great place to sleep. It was actually cold in the morning. It seems like a long time since it's felt cold in the morning. I don't know why it was cold since the rest of the day was in the 90s.
The morning walk was flower-filled. Saw lots of tiger lilies which I used to think were rare and exotic. This trip has shown me they are just another flower. I still love them.

Near a lake in Lassen National Park, possibly Horseshoe Lake, lupine lined the trail, and the smell of lupine filled the air.
We moved through Lassen NP pretty quickly. I guess it's a pretty small park.
Yogi and I set the goal of getting to Old Station by the closing of the post office, 4:30, so that we could get our packages today and hit the trail tomorrow at the normal early time. We met our goal by hiking 24 miles by 3:45. Lassen is small, and it's also flat, at least for the PCT segment.
DLow, Happy JO, and Gerad were here when we arrived at Hat Creek Resort near Old Station.
There's no restaurant here! I ate out of the store and from the town food in my resupply box.
In addition to my resupply box, I had a package waiting from my friend William who lives in LA. He's a funny writer looking for a publisher. His letter was great.

Yogi, Arno, and I are camped out just outside the resort.
Arno pulled in after they had left. He hadn't seen anyone in a while and was really interested in talking, which was actually OK.

07/16/02
I usually journal at night just before I sleep, as I am tonight. I also like to present the day in the order it unfolded, but I won't tonight.

I am in a very comfortable bed with 100% cotton sheets, three pillows, a hand-stiched quilt, a view of the half moon through a window in a cozy attic room. A fan is gently moving the perfect temperature air. My stomach is full of real, home-cooked food. My clothes, washed yesterday, are clean again. I am happy, relaxed, and content in Fall River Mills.

Yogi, Arno, and I woke up in the Forest Service land just outside of Hat Creek Resort. It was nice in the pre-dawn hours to have a toilet to walk to. Yogi and I got a little bit of a late start, but were in no rush. We left camp around 6:45AM. Arno had to wait around for the PO to open.
Before we crossed the highway, we came across what looked to be a volcanic sinkhole, but was really a cave. I guessed that it was part of a lava tube. We poked around a bit then headed out.
Across the highway in the Devil's Half Acre, was the Subway Cave. We dropped our packs and hiked the worthwhile distance to them. We should have brought our headlamps because it was an extensive lava tube. Very cool.
Our hike today took us up Hat Creek Rim, a fault formation that means no water on the trail, or near the trail, for 30+ miles.

One of the most enjoyable parts of Hat Creek Rim was the views. The geology created sides that are quite steep. Hiking north, Mt. Shasta looms 80 miles to the north. Once in a while, I'd shift my view from Shasta 150 degrees to look back a Mt. Lassen. To the west of the trail is a drop-off of a thousand feet, or so, in a very short distance.
Yogi & I were walking along through the hot dry section knowing there was a reliable water cache. Amigo had announced it at the kickoff, online, and there was a note outside of Old Station. As the day passed, we got closer and closer to Cache 22, which was just past Forest Route 22. We ran into three southbound section hikers who confirmed the water cache was there. They also said there was a cooler with ice and fruit. Even better.
We got to Cache 22 at dinner time to find that presumably DLow, Happy JO, and Gerad had eaten the last of the fruit. Bastards! We were happy to have the water and the two lawn chairs, a real luxury on the trail, as we set about cooking our dinner.

Cache 22 on Hat Rim -To hot, thirsty hikers it was a little bit of heaven.

When everything was cooked and ready to eat (Yogi and I have pretty good timing at this point.), a man with a white sack walked up to us. It was Dad Amigo carrying water to top off the cache. Mom Amigo followed closely. They are Will and Mary Snyder, and they invited us to come to their house for showers, laundry, dinner, a bed, and anything else we need. We didn't hesitate in accepting. I finished signing the guest book, packed up, and headed back down the trail to the waiting car.
We got a tour of the area before arriving in their house in Fall River Mills.

07/17/02
Had a filling breakfast at Hal and Kathy's after having the BEST night of sleep so far on the trail. The bed was comfortable beyond belief, the house was quiet, and I was ready for a good sleep. I didn't wake up once. Will drove us to stash water where the PCT crosses Cassel Fall River Creek Road, then drove us back up to the rim where we exited.

Hiking was dry, hot, and uneventful. Except we did see two osprey, and two osprey nests. We also walked by some lovely water. I suspect it was artificial since the area had a fishery and a water pumping, or hydro plant.

Today, we had 24 or 26 miles to Burney Falls and we got a late start, so I was pretty sure we were not going to make it.
We didn't.
We camped about 4 miles from Burney Falls in the driest, dustiest stretch of trail. So why are there mosquitoes trying to eat me alive? I have the sleeping chamber deployed, and I'm sweating in my sleeping bag which I need for bug protection even though it's probably more than 80 degrees this evening.

07/18/02
As I we were going to sleep last night, we started hearing a strange screeching noise from an animal. I first thought it was gremlins, but they don't exist, so I had to come back to reality.
The noise was aggressive, like it was trying to drive us off. Night had fallen, but the dark shadows I saw moving through the night told me that birds were making the noise. They came back to drive us off twice. Neither time woke me up because I was hot and having an itching fit and hadn't gotten to sleep in the first place.

The mosquito bites I got during the night had swollen by morning. My left hand was swollen on the left side and my right wrist is swollen on the right side.

We made it into Burney Falls by 9AM. First we checked out the falls, which, for the most part, have the largest volume of water of any falls in California. (During peak melt times, Nevada and Vernal falls in Yosemite have more, but then they dry up.) The falls also come from some interesting geology.

Burney Falls: The view from near the parking lot. No backpacking required.

When we honed in on the concessions, I ordered fries from the limited, overpriced grill menu, then paid a lot for what I needed in the store. They did have my box.
It was around this time that I got grumpy. I was uncomfortable from the bites, swelling and heat. Plus the staff at Burney Falls' concessions all seemed pretty uptight and miserable. One lady with lots of eyeliner did let me start a hiker box. I don't care if she takes it home; I just didn't want to throw that food out.
Being among the throngs of shiny, happy, bulging people visiting and fishing at the state park probably also contributed to my bad mood.

Something good did happen. Yogi, who thinks ahead and can anticipate situations we want to avoid asked to review our schedule. We quickly got to the point of seeing that we were going to get into Etna on a Saturday. Etna's so small, the PO probably doesn't have Saturday hours.

Out of nowhere, I remembered that I had the phone number and address for a cheap place to stay in Etna. A solution was in site. I called them. They took an informal reservation and said we could get boxes shipped or forwarded there. They also gave me the Etna PO phone number. The PO confirmed that they were closed on Saturday. She said I could write them a postcard and have my general delivery parcel forwarded. Cool.
Next, I called my Dad to see about the package. I thought that he had to have shipped it by now. I got him on his cell phone. He was in line at the Carmel PO waiting to mail my Etna package! We changed the address, and all is well.

A shower lifted my mood, as it often does. I even felt a little shiny, so maybe the people were bugging me a little less. Tim, who I hadn't seen since Mojave, came up to us. We finally got out of there at 1PM.
Early on I saw another Osprey and its nest. They make quite distinctive nests. Osprey nests are usually on the top of a large dead tree and always large.

Friends have been asking me to share more what I'm feeling. Feelings are hard on the trail. They seem the same day after day. It's one of the reasons I write about my town stops a lot more than the trail: On a day-to-day basis, more different happens in town. On the trail, we get up, hike, eat, hike, eat, hike, eat and sleep.

07/19/02
Lots more white lilies lining the trail during our walk all day long. It was another day of flowers, some I'd never seen before, others I'd seen thousands of, all enjoyable.

We are discussing going into Dunsmuir on Sunday night and staying Monday night too, a true zero-mile day. Our plan to camp just outside of Dunsmuir on Sunday night is thwarted by the various restriction that prevent us camping in the last 8 miles of trail leading up to our exit point. We'll see how our hiking goes. We did 21 miles today, not a bad number, but shy of what we could have done given the terrain.
We are hiking in mountains between 5000-6000' with lots of fir forest. Today I witnessed the physical and moral devastation of clear cutting and timber harvesting. Plus, it's just plain ugly. What has not been touched, even though it's second growth, is enjoyable and even pretty at times. The moist spots have the densest, greenest, abloom plants.

It seems there is a large bear walking at least parts of the PCT between us and DLow. We've seen its prints, scat, and scavenging along the trail. Right now, the bear is off trail.

We camped at the high point where 38N10, a road named by an obscure statewide numbering system, crosses the PCT. It's not actually a road where we are camped. It's a former road, so it's safe. I climbed further up the former road to catch the sunset and to journal. Mt. Shasta is dominate to the right of the setting sun. I see layer upon layer of mountains to the west.

Shasta during the day

I found out that Yogi eats peanut butter and potato chips. She also showed me her technique, which I documented for historic purposes. She prefers Peter Pan and Wavy Lays, but took what she could get from Burney Falls. This link opens a new window and shows it all.

Now for some trail news I've been meaning to write about. I got an email from Coach, who is off the trail. He says he went too fast, plus had gut problems that set him back. He plans to finish next year.
Little Ewok and Sundance were seen leaving, then returning south to Tuolumne Meadows. They are probably off the trail.
Many people I've hiked with are in front of us: Gottago, Happy JO, DLow, Don & Leslie, Pur Boy, Iron Chef and others.

07/20/02
When the southbounder north of Belden said that Section O would be a lot of bushwhacking, he meant it. The Book of Lies divides the state of California into 18 sections, then assigns a letter to each section. The divisions make little sense, but I did not read the front material in the book.

After dinner we did 4 miles with over 1,000' of elevation gain. That alone isn't so bad-all in a day's hiking. But, there were flies, gnats, and mosquitoes. It was 90 degrees in the evening shade. Plus the trail had lots of poison oak.
So here's my experience of it all. It's hot, but I want to get to camp, so I'm traveling fast. The bugs also contribute to my speed: I have this, perhaps mistaken, belief that the faster I travel, the fewer bugs I'll have pestering me. I'm pretty good at spotting and dodging poison oak, but going fast makes it harder, plus, it's all over the place, at ankle level, thigh level, hand level, chest level, eye level, and even hanging overhead. Now, it's not the worst poison oak I've had to negotiate, but combined with the other irritants, it was not a good time. Oh, I was leading, and nobody's been through the trail for at least a day, so there were lots of spider webs across the trail, made thicker because the trail is so overgrown.
I had to get that out.

We woke up to lots of smoke obscuring the views we had at sunset. There's a fire somewhere, but we have no way of knowing where.
We actually had a destination this morning: Grizzly Peak. There is a fire lookout station there, and I thought that we could get information about the fire to allay my imaginings of trying to survive a forest fire, McGyver-like.

Silly me. Apparently California does not have people in its fire lookout stations. We fly planes to monitor our forests. Grizzly Peak Lookout Station was well-abandoned, although there did appear to be a functioning solar powered weather station up there. Too bad it couldn't tell us how hot it was. The views of Shasta were great from up there.
From there, we hiked down and down. At our lowest point, the McCloud River, was 2,320'.
I'm feeling better about my trip today than I was yesterday.

07/21/02
I get sore feet after back-to-back days of 25 or more miles. They just ache, but not bad enough to stop me. After a short time walking, the achiness goes away.

Lots of up and down today. Can see Castle Crags in the distance.

07/22/02
This layover day in Dunsmuir has been great. I washed my sleeping bag and backpack, the first, and probably only, time on the trip. My sleeping bag really needed it.

Karen at a new raw food restaurant got lots of good food for me. I got a great kale salad, and an organic mango to die for. All in Dunsmuir.

Ran into Bug today at the burger joint.

07/23/02
What a quick day. My Dad called the hotel at 6AM because I forgot to call him last night, and he got a busy signal last night as I worked on the web site and did email.
Ug.
I was up until 2AM. Dad's providing good support, and we did need to talk.

I got a little more sleep after his call, but it was not as restful as it could have been because I'd set up a 10AM ride back to the trail. I had the guy's number, so I could change it, but I wasn't sure how early I could call. I still had lots to do before getting out of town.
It all worked out, and we got to the trailhead at about 11:15AM. It was hot, but not as bad as it has been.

We set off into Castle Crags State Park. If you drive I-5 in this area, you get a flavor for the fantastic granitic rock formations that try to fly into the sky. Then we climbed and climbed.

The back of Castle Crags.

Finally met Grungy. He was south bound with his wife Vivian. She may be able to help me when I get off the trail in Oregon. They gave us the scoop on water, but we still carried a lot.

I think in some ways town stops and zero-mile days make hiking a long trail harder. I know I need the rest, but I also feel like I get soft.

Those thoughts come around when I try to understand why I'm feeling sad.
While I can try to blame the sadness on the town food that I shouldn't have eaten messing with my emotions, it's really tied more to my trip, and my life right now.

I'm having thoughts of quitting the trail. It's a choice I can make, and I don't think I'm anywhere near making that choice. Thinking about it brings up a lot though.
I chose to hike this trails so that I would have accomplished something in my life. If I don't finish, do I remain 'unaccomplished?' When I'm done with the PCT, whether I quit or finish (or get off the trail), I have the task of re-forming my life.
One of my greatest fears is running back to how my life used to be. It would be the easiest, most tidy, solution. There are many positive changes I've made in the last three years that I'd like to keep, but the rest of my life was not working.
So, if I quit, I get to start the task of re-forming sooner, not a thrilling prospect.
There's more to write about, but I'll save you, or save it for another entry.
I do know that hiking 1500+ miles, which I've already done, is an accomplishment. It's just that it's shy of my goal, and the goal seemed reasonable.
I'll wait and see how I feel after getting off the trail to go to Breitenbush with my friends. Being with them, listening to what they have to say, and doing some deep relaxing should give me a fresh perspective.

Yogi and I just watched the near-full moon rise in two minutes over the crags. Amazing.

07/24/02
It's finally cool again. The sun has some intensity, but the nights are cool.
Saw 11 hikers today, all southbound. Two, RJ & Shawn, were section hikers. The rest were just out in the mountains.
Got good glimpses of massive Mt. Shasta all day.

After dinner, after we crossed a road, I heard somebody shouting down to me, so now we are camped with Slim Tim and his sister (who doesn't seem to have a name). This should be a good place to experience the full moon tonight.
Slim Tim started the CDT this year, but had to get off because of drought and Colorado fires. He started the PCT at Sonora Pass.

07/25/02
We were saddle-jumping today: we went from saddle to saddle, some less than a mile apart, each different. In between each, the trail is fairly level, although there's a a bit of gain or loss between each saddle.


We also started seeing a lot of green duff. Pine and fur needles littered the ground around the trees. Whatever it was seemed to effect all species equally. This went on for miles. I also noticed that the same thing was happening to the bushes. Fresh and yellow leaves were on the ground at the perimeter of the branches. It was a nice change to be seeing green at my feet as I walked, but it was also a bit unnerving because I didn't know how it happened.
Yesterday, and especially this morning, I noted that it looked like it had rained. The normal dry dust shaped by endless pairs of footprints that is the trail tread was mottled by rain and sometimes even still damp. At times, it felt like we were the first ones through this year. That was cool.

I was walking along and finally figured out what was causing the green duff: hail. Mystery solved.

Ivan caught up with Yogi and I as we were finishing dinner. I hadn't seen him since Big Bear in mid-May. He's full of news of people behind us.
Ivan's a 19 year old from Texas, and enjoyable to be around.

I'm feeling better about my trip today. I had a shift after a break at some point. I still struggle a bit, but I'm back to thinking about Canada.
Actually, I'm NOT thinking about Canada. Thinking about hiking to Canada, and that I still have more than a 1,000 miles to go, was part of what was getting me down. Now I'm thinking about getting to Ashland, two stops ahead. That feels more manageable. It a strategy I started with, but lost track of along the way.

07/26/02
Our second consecutive 25 mile day. Ivan's still hiking with Yogi and I, but he's off to do 40 tomorrow, skipping Etna, so we'll be on our own again. Until we are not.

The highlight of today was the Russian Wilderness. We came in over the top of a giant cirque and contoured along a deeply glaciated canyon. There's lots of smoke in the air, presumable from a fire south of Happy Camp that Yogi heard about on the radio. The smoke makes for a different feeling in viewing the landscape. It's not entirely bad, but does smudge away the details in the distance, today even the distance across the canyon.

The trail skirts below glaciated granite.

The mountain around here are around 7000'. The granite reminds me of the Sierra.
Many of the stream we are passing have tall delphinium just beginning to bloom. What a treat.

07/27/02
It got actually cold last night. It was great. Ivan's not fond of the cold, so his planned early departure from camp was foiled.
Walked on snow today for the first time in a long time. Only 20' of the trail was covered, and it was like old times.

A view of the lightly smoky landscape topped by Mt. Shasta.

Yogi and I got to the road, Etna Summit, and got a ride with the first car going east. It took 15 minutes for the first car to come by, but it didn't matter since she picked us up. Sometimes hard hitches are not so hard.

Cupcake hitching into Etna with a sign that says, "8 Miles," a distance we need to hitch a lot. The sign is actually my Tyvek groundsheet.

Etna's a great little town. There's lots of intact historic homes on big lots with stately trees. I wouldn't fit in here. I have romantic ideas about how great it would be to move here, but I know how those romantic ideas play out for me...
Spent some time talking with the guy at the video store, Serge. He's hiking Oregon in August. He told me about what a tight-knit community Scott Valley, which includes Etna, is.
I was headed to Bob's for dinner when I saw a backpack outside of the supermarket. I trolled the aisles until I found Bug. He didn't know about the Hiker Hut, so I told him. He didn't know where he was going to stay and was thankful. Bug's a young man from England who I hadn't seen since Idyllwild (except for briefly in Dunsmuir).

The Hiker's Hut at Bradley's Alderbrook Manor in Etna is what started me liking Etna. The main business is a B&B, but they have an old outbuilding that they fixed up and let hikers stay in for a reasonable fee. There are seven beds, six of them bunk beds, a laundry sink, and full bathroom. It's very comfortable and just enough to make a hiker feel comfortable.
Got some good phone calls in today, and did a few postcards. There are so many people I want to write.

07/28/02
Slept in, despite the rooster, at the Hiker's Hut in Etna with Yogi and Bug. Yogi and I headed out to Bob's for breakfast where I had two pork chops smothered in country gravy, two eggs over easy, and some home fries. It was great except the gravy. It wasn't on the menu, so I didn't know to ask for it to be left off. The regulars would know, and there seemed, on a Sunday morning, to be lots of regulars.

Bug's still sick and is staying behind. I also learned that he didn't come in from Etna Summit, but some road further south. He's another example of why hikers should treat their water.

Shirley gave Yogi and I a ride to Etna Summit. She's done a lot in her life. I was particularly appreciative of the ride since it was her day off.

Hit the trail at noon and did 18.2 miles by time we set up camp on a high flat spot.
Words nor photos can do justice in describing some of what we hiked through today. We are in the Marble Mountain Wilderness, the place that marbles come from, except for steelies.

After dinner we headed across a large crumbly cirque with a few steps to it. The trail meandered back and forth, up and down, on almost a step-by-step basis. Lots of water flowed from higher, but none in large quantities. Since the trail is relatively low here (6000' or so), the conditions have come together on a north-facing slope to support lots and lots of wildflowers. The tiger lilies bloomed thick orange with monk's hood spiking the green background with unbelievable purples. Asters, some hue of purple for the last 1600 miles, are now pink. Something nearby is blooming yellow, and the red Indian paintbrush spike another color into the landscape.
The bigger context is wildly steep glaciated mountains with deep canyons. I feel joy when I see all these flowers set in the wild mountains.

On to a different emotion: Early in today's hiking, I had another encounter with a mountain biker. He knew he was on the PCT, and he knew bikes were not allowed on the PCT. This time I stayed calm and did not yell at him or threaten his bike. His excuse was that he had a contract for a team to do GPS work in the area. His contract did not allow him to use a bike on the trail though. He would not give me any information about the contract. He lectured me about how 90% of mountain bikers are good, bla, bla, bla. He assured me that in a few years, sections of the PCT would be opened up to mountain biking. He still could not explain to me why he was breaking the law. His contract seemed to be an excuse for a Sunday ride in the mountains. Here he is:

Know this guy? Let me know who he is.

We did some nice ridge walking today. At one point, stepping to the right of the trail would be a step down, and stepping to the left of the trail would be a step down. On both sides the bottom was thousands of feet below, thousands of steep feet. Walked on a bit of snow today.

07/29/02
28+ miles today. We did it for several reasons, but the most important for me is to get to Ashland on Friday. If we can do that, I get to see Titus Andronicus at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It should be a good production. As I was hiking northward through California, I'd been silently hoping that it would be part of this season, but I never checked. Iron Chef checked, and it was. He told me about a month ago, and I've been looking forward to it.
Not too long ago, I called the box office to find prices and dates. As the hike unfolded, day by day, mile by mile, it looked like I wasn't going to be in Ashland on the night that it was showing on its three-day rotation. The date that was closest was August 2, but I didn't see how I could get to Ashland until August 3.

Yesterday, Yogi said, "I'd like to get to Ashland by Friday." I asked her how, and she explained. It has been my motivation ever since. It's worth getting up earlier, taking shorter breaks, and pushing at the end of the days to put us mile by mile closer to the Bard. There were three bridges at which we could have camped tonight. When deciding to push on to the third, even though I was tired, I was thinking of getting to see Titus. Motivation and goals are very helpful.

Smoke filled the sky when we awoke this morning, and we walked by valleys filled with smoke. The sun was a strange orange/pink all day, and it never got too bright. There's a fire near Happy Camp that's probably the source of some of the smoke, but lots of Oregon's on fire right now too. There's nothing I can do about the fires, so I don't worry about them. I assume the proper agency will post signs or personnel at road crossings if we are in danger. Oh, and I keep an eye out for flames too. So far, no flames.

The flowers today were again amazing. Saw astilbe in bloom in the wild for the first time. Walked past hundreds of delphinium blooming above my head. Lots of lupine, Indian paintbrush, fireweed, and columbine. I always name the same flowers because those are the ones I know.
The landscape is pretty cool too. Interesting rock shaped by glaciation. Was plucking ripe thimbleberries as I walked down the trail. These were juicier and tastier than the ones going into Belden.

I'm camped in the soft soil about 10' from the river. Yogi chose to camp on the bridge. The effect is that we are essentially camping alone since we are out of earshot because of the noise of the river. I'm worried that I'm sleeping in the middle of a bear freeway. Morning will tell more.

07/30/02
Those of you who have read my journal for a while know that I should NEVER eat my after-dinner snack before dinner unless I'm ready for the consequences. It was a weird day food-wise, and I really needed to eat the Odwalla Super Protein bar in my pocket as I climbed and climbed. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Yogi and I hiked out to Seiad Valley in the morning after an eventless night by Grider Creek. I ate blackberries from bushes lining our way during the long road walk. I am looking forward to the berries in Oregon and Washington.
Rogue, Pur Boy, and Tony are here at Mid-River RV park where Yogi and I took showers. Next door, we did the normal town things: ate like pigs and got our boxes. I filled the box that Yogi got her food in with food I was sending back home. I always send myself too much. I contributed to the hiker box, but some stuff goes home. For breakfast, I broke down and had the linguicia with my eggs and potatoes. Yummy!

Han Solo has shown up again in the register. Last we saw record of him was at Belden where his entry ended with, "Eat that Brian Robinson!!!" scrawled in very large letters. Han Solo, also known as the Greatest Hiker Ever, reports that he did Belden to Seiad Valley in 7 days. That would be 7 days of back-to-back 52+ mile days. That's 7 days of double marathons.

I say it's possible, but not very likely. My only reason for reporting his antics are that he's trying to break the speed record for hiking the PCT. On that matter, I'll say that you can't claim to hike the PCT and skip sections, no matter how small. Enough on Han Solo until he amuses us again.

I was a little dismayed to learn yesterday that we were going to descend 4400' in 13 or so miles to get to Seiad Valley. I hate losing elevation because, yes, you always have to reclaim it if you want to keep going.
Continuing on from Seiad Valley after our short stop, we reclaimed it, and fast. We went up 4400' in 6 miles. Did I mention that it was 95 degrees when we left Seiad Valley? We did have a fair amount of nice tree cover for our south-facing climb. We were sucking water, but made it with a little effort.
It was during this hot climb that I ate my after-dinner snack, and as much of my trail mix as I cared for. I was really feeling the heat and knew the rest of my snacks were at the very bottom of my pack. I usually pull out the day's allocation of snacks, Odwalla bars, Organic Vegan Bars, Oskri Sesame Bars, etc., and eat them through the course of a day. Since the first part of the day was before a town stop, and the latter, after, it got a little mixed up. So that's how I came to eat my after-dinner snack before dinner. I really didn't think that much about it.

As I mentioned, we were sucking water, and since we knew we had this substantial climb, we brought the minimum water we thought we'd need before we got the the first on-trail water.
Actually, since water's been a little sketchy, at least in our heads, we brought enough to get to the second on-trail water, Lookout Springs. The first source did have water, but we didn't take any. Instead, we enjoyed the trail-side register.
We took the short side trail to Lookout Springs and dropped our packs. We were going to get water and cook there. I was chatting with Yogi, who was right behind me, walking toward the spring on the narrow path cutting across the steep slope. It was a lovely little spring. We had just passed a large tree on the downhill side.
My first impression was of the afternoon sun cutting under the shade of the big tree. On my right, the smoky-tinged sun shone on the plate-sized pool of water being filled from a dribbling pipe, all surrounded by lovely ferns. The ferns are more like angel hair ferns, and less like fiddleleaf ferns. They are shaped like a large hand and over hang in thick layers. On my left was a sharp, crumbly dropoff.

This first impression was very quick because my second impression was of a rattlesnake. I was directly across from the spring.

The 20" diamond back rattler was 2' away trying to get away from me by slithering through the water and up the rock.
I said, "Rattler, rattler, rattlesnake" as I tucked my tail and continued moving along the trail, albeit much faster. I didn't say it three times to give the impression that there were three rattlesnakes, but because my brain went into another zone.

I hate snakes, but I've gotten better on this trip. The short of it is, because I know you want to get back to the story, is that I used to see a texture that looked like a snake, and jump, or at least my heart would race (or is it that my heart would stop?). I was often jumping out of my skin, but there was rarely a snake. On this trip, I've shifted. Now I see something, my brain says, "Need more information,' and I look around. I'm rarely startled by bark anymore, which is a good thing.

So, I'd put as much distance between me and the serpent as I could without falling down the mountain or flying into the brush at trail's end. Yogi had heard my triple identification, seen the threat, and followed me.

We watched at a safe distance as the snake disappeared into the mass of overhanging ferns. This was very disturbing to me. Seeing a rattlesnake is bad, but knowing one is there and not knowing exactly where it is is worse.
Yogi headed back to the packs, taking the downhill side of the downhill tree. I remained on the far side of the spring.
We had to get water there. It was a long way to our next water, it was hot, and we needed water to cook dinner. I did a little out-loud whining.

There's a huge area where the snake could be. I join Yogi back by the packs by cautiously taking the downhill side of the downhill tree, the whole time eyeing the spot I last saw the snake . There's still a part of me that expects that the snake wants to hunt me down; that it has found a way to get on the other side of the tree and will be waiting there to gobble me up.

I make it back to the packs safely. We talk a bit. We both have enough water to cook dinner. Yogi wants to cook, then go for water. I think that the snake might return if we wait. I'm very uneasy about the whole situation.
I usually take both clean and dirty water when I get water. The clean water is for drinking. The dirty water is for cleanup and boiling. I decide I'm going to at least try to put my dirty water bottle under the dripping pipe so it can fill up.
If we didn't need this water, I would have moved on.
So, I grab a longish stick and head over. I gingerly, with my body as far away from the stick as possible, lift up the clump of ferns above and to the left of the water. Nothing. Maybe we did scare it off. I then move the stick and lift the ferns above and the the right of the water.
Like in a horror film, the snake, lit in the afternoon sun, is laying, head toward the spring, with its body in a series of Zs, a pose I suppose that would be ideal for striking.
I drop the ferns as I recoil, breaking the stick in the process. You'll have to read Yogi's journal to see if she describes what else I did. I grunted out, "It's right there, waiting to strike!"

I am so glad I checked to see. It was less than 10 inches from where I would have put my hand to collect the water.
I retreated a second time to the packs. Yogi said, "Let's scare it off."

We started throwing rocks and sticks in its general direction from the pack side of the spring. It was intended, and executed, as a non-injurius barrage. We just wanted water.
After we thought we'd done the job, we moved around to the far side, and thorough lifting and prodding convinced us both that the snake had gone.

My mind, of course, was saying, "But where?, But where?"

We decided to get our water then. One would pump and the other would lift, prod and keep a lookout.
Yogi pumped first without incident. While I was finishing up pumping, Yogi said, "It's not near you, but the snake is back."
It had gone up the hill, across and, down. It was headed down the slope toward the trail, and toward the spring, between us and our packs. I didn't like this at all.

We quickly finished up our water tasks and moved toward the snake. It didn't like that and started back up the hill. We could tell that it could not get itself into striking position, so we went around the downhill side of the downhill tree and got back to our packs. We had the water we needed.
We decided to cook at another spot and moved on. Before doing that though, we got video and photos of the snake's slow retreat.

The rattler retreating.

I'm sure it was a very nice rattlesnake. I just didn't like it.

We found a nice, but smoky, place to cook dinner, did a few more miles, and went to sleep on saddle deep in smoke. I could see stars above, but none to the sides.

	Dinner spot.
	Sleeping spot, or near it.

07/31/02
I saw a bear today, my first on the trip. Actually, it was a cub. It was so cute, I wanted instantly to feed it marshmallows, and pose it for pictures with the kids. I didn't have any marshmallows, or kids, so I had to settle for watching it run off. It was dark, dark black and had cute little ears. Its little panicked run back to mom was adorable. I was looking out for mom, but never saw her.

It's our last night of sleeping in California. A very few miles of hiking in the morning will put us in the state of Oregon. What a milestone.

We woke up to lots and lots of smoke. Smoke obscured the mountains to both the west and east. It was like waking in coastal fog. It continued into the morning, but as the trail began its eastward trend the smoke got less and less. We even saw blue sky, which we couldn't yesterday.

I've been using Yogi's water filter for many miles now. The cartridge is failing, and now we are looking for other solutions. When we knew it was running out of steam, I started using my Aqua Mira again, but the lid of Solution A leaked, and soon it was gone. Today, I decided that I'd start boiling my water, which is a viable solution to making water drinkable, but very time and fuel consuming.
I thought there had to be a better way. Then it presented itself. It's not the best, but for a day and half, I think it will work.
We walked right by a cow-free, heavily flowing spring. The water pours out of the ground like there's a buried hose. So I'm going with untreated water from what looks to be a good spring.
We'll see if I have any problems. I'll leave the last of the life of Yogi's filter cartridge to her. I'm buying her a replacement cartridge in Ashland. It's the least I can do. I'll either use my heavy MSR WaterWorks II, which is in my bounce box in Ashland, or I'll buy a PUR Hiker, like Yogi has. It's way lighter, and seems easier to use. The PUR is not field-serviceable at all though. I'll also pull my extra Aqua Mira from my bounce box and use it as backup water treatment. I can't use Aqua Mira all the time though. I think it's what's been making me fart.

There are large ants all over this campsite. I'm sure I'll wake up with them biting me in my most tender places. Ug.

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That's it for July. On to August.