Wednesday, June 13, 2018 I hung out in Etna today. It's a nice little town with old architecture and plenty of character. I mentioned that to a young local and she said something like 'They won't let McDonalds or chains in. They don't like them. They don't like anything.' Anything... https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49485436051/in/datetaken/ At the Ray's Food …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2018) 18: Not Anything
Tuesday, June 12, 2018 - 5.70 miles More beautiful views this morning. https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49485609127/in/datetaken/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49484909643/in/datetaken/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49485396976/in/datetaken/ Since nothing had been left of the Wall of Snow so far, I was surprised to encounter substantial snow patches around 7200 feet just beyond Smith Lake. The trail was bare at 7600 feet in the Castle Crags Wilderness, but …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2018) 17: The Wall of Snow
Monday, June 11, 2018 - 12.20 miles https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49485652932/in/datetaken/ Low-hanging clouds in the morning Today I hiked into the Russian Wilderness, a truly special place. One square mile of the Russian Wilderness is known as the 'Miracle Mile' for containing seventeen different conifer species, making it one of the most diverse conifer habitats worldwide. Identifying flora …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2018) 16: Demonstration for the Children
Sunday, June 10, 2018 - 10.60 miles The morning was cold. I found a dead moth on my tent, which was dusted with snow. Oh cruel mountains! Throughout the day the snow melted, lingering lengthily in the shade. https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49485654302/in/datetaken/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49485654847/in/datetaken/ The PCT passed a junction with the 'Bloody Run' trail, which probably got its name …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2018) 15: NO ITUNES STORE
Saturday, June 09, 2018 - 13.20 miles I dreamed last night that my water filter had frozen and been ruined, and woke in the dark environs of 3:00 AM to frigid air. I didn't think that the temperature was below freezing, but brought my filter into my sleeping bag just to be safe. The day …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2018) 14: Wind and Hail and Snow, Oh My
Friday, June 08, 2018 - 14.60 Bland walking to start the day, then nice views beyond Bull Lake. Beautiful green serpentinite was common and I saw beargrass for the first time. The flowers look like a cluster of tiny blooms with a protruding pine cone. https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49485373646/in/datetaken/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49485589067/in/datetaken/ Serpentinite https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49485375111/in/datetaken/ Beargrass I met more hikers heading …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2013) 13: Imma Take a Break
Thursday, June 07, 2018 - 13 miles Glorious walking this morning! The views were excellent until the Deadfall Lakes area. https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49485578732/in/datetaken/ Porcupine Lake https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49485370171/in/datetaken/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49484877663/in/datetaken/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49484885048/in/datetaken/ Upper Deadfall Lake https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49485372696/in/datetaken/ At Parks Creek Road I met a sobo hiker who mentioned that she was ready for the day to be over. Whatever her rationale, I …
Wednesday, June 06, 2018 - 11.40 miles A loud brring sound and underbrush noises woke me up at 5:30 AM today. In retrospect I suspect that the brrr was made by an annoying variety of bird that makes a loud sound when taking off, but at the time I interpreted it as potentially bearish, and …
Tuesday, June 05, 2018 - 11.70 miles 1068 metres/3505 feet of climbing today. I missed Umbrella Spring, thinking that the water sign was related to the Castle Creek tributary (there's 0.7 miles between them, so I must have been moving quickly for once), and was careful with my water until I reached the next source. …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2018) 10: Hurrah for Elevation!
Monday, June 04, 2018 - 8.70 miles I'm going to skip describing my rest day in Mount Shasta, which involved a lot of glorious lazing about that readers would find extremely dull. Today my nose was less congested and I walked to an interchange to hitch my way back to the PCT. Getting a ride …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2018) 9: Meat-Eating Deer
Sunday, June 03, 2018 Visiting Ammirati's Market this morning, I bought ice cream and a sandwich for breakfast. When I picked up my resupply package at the post office, the employee had just offered a ride to one of the hiker couples, who needed to resupply in town since their package hadn't arrived. There was …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2018) 8: Public Nudity = Bad
Friday, June 01, 2018 - 14.4 miles The sun returned today, but shade moderated the heat. After more elevation gain, I got my views of Shasta and Shastina and Castle Crags, then the trail began a long descent to Castella. I tweaked a calf muscle and it was pretty painful, so I wrapped it and …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2018) 7: You’re Doing It Wrong
Thursday, May 31, 2018 - 13.7 miles The day dawned cool and cloudy, which was nice after the recent heat. Lots of forest walking today, not much to say about the scenery. I met two more thru-hikers heading SOBO from Dunsmuir and warned them to watch out for the poison oak. The guy said 'oh, …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2018) 6: Break From the Heat
Wednesday, May 30, 2018 - 13.10 miles Today was a descent to/ascent from the beautiful McCloud River. Of this area, Four-Eyes had told me something along the lines of 'the plants are poison oak, the trees are poison oak, everything is poison oak'. I was imagining a green tunnel and hoping the descriptions were exaggerated. …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2018) 5: Land of Poison Oak
Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 13.5 miles My nose was congested overnight (I was probably snoring horribly, but the others were too polite to mention it) and my cold finally hit me like a hammer today. I used up the optimistic number of tissues I had brought, then reused them as they dried in the …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2018) 4: Coldpocalypse
Monday, May 28, 2018 - 12.60 km I was surprised today by a steady stream of southbound thru-hikers, early starters who had hit the Sierra Nevada in wintry conditions and flipped up to Dunsmuir. The first couple I saw told me that they had tried starting SOBO at Seiad Valley (third in my list of …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2018) 3: Meeting Thru-Hikers
Sunday, May 27, 2018 - 11.10 miles Rock Creek was roaring when I passed it this morning. One of the positives about hiking at this time of year is no water worries, and there's also a large variety of wildflowers. Lizards scuttling everywhere and butterflies. https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49485344601/in/dateposted-public/ My goal for the day was a campsite that …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2018) 2: Coughing up a Lung
Saturday, May 26, 2018 - 12.10 miles I got a ride to the trail today with an older fellow who kindly offered me water and a heavier jacket (he rightly detected that my rain jacket sucks, but I also have my grocery store poncho). The trail started out through forest and I soon spotted a …
Friday, May 25, 2018 Finally about to start the PCT! Getting here has been turbulent. My flight was delayed five hours coming into San Francisco, where I was staying in an iffy neighbourhood. I forgot one of my two pairs of socks in the hostel. A man started catcalling me near the bus station in …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2018) Pre-Hike 6: Almost There
Sunday, May 06, 2018 https://www.flickr.com/photos/186779238@N07/49542893998/in/dateposted-public/ So I missed my start date. However, after going through some very useful physiotherapy, I'm declaring my foot 'rehabilitated enough' and will start at Burney (mile 1415.7) later in May. No Joshua trees or tar pits, but volcanoes (!!), Man Eaten Lake, the axe from The Shining, marmots and pikas, …
BANE OF THE TRAIL 