Day 97

Day 97: July 8th
Mile 1275.4 to Mile 1296.3

Lon said town days and trail angel stop days only had to be 15 mile days In this section to allow us a few hours to stop hiking on those days to indulge in extra activities like meals, showers, and laundry. So of course we hiked almost 21 miles today despite our stop at the Belden Town Resort to eat a very good lunch and repackage our food bags from a box of food we sent to the resort. We got in at noon and resumed hiking at 3:30 pm.

We liked Belden for its convenient location – the trail literally goes right by the front door of the resort before crossing the bridge over the river and climbing the mountains on the opposite side on the canyon. There is a restaurant, bar, and small store – and it was very hiker-friendly to all the hikers today.

We intended only a 5 mile climb partly up the mountains after lunch but climbed an extra mile to escape an old campsite that was burned and trashy and downright creepy. And it had begun to rain too. But we are happily camped in a new spot with some other hikers tonight.

Photo: Moss covered trees in Plumas National Forest.

Meage: 20.9