Tag: PCT2014

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

Day 96: July 7th
Mile 1260.7 to Mile 1275.4

Today we hiked just 4.5 miles before we took some time to visit the wonderful trail angels at Honker Pass. Nancy and Terry Williams and their extended family are amazing but not listed in any Pacific Crest Trail guides because they only open their lovely vacation cabin to hosting hikers a few weeks a year. You will know if they are open if you see a sign on the trail.

Five of us stopped by Honker Pass and were treated to excellent food, showers, and laundry. Their hospitality is amazing, all hikers agreed!

Deb and I could only stay a few hours because we need to hike the 70 miles to Chester, CA by Thursday to pick up some gear being sent to the post office (which is not open on weekends). Especially important is new shoes for both of us: the Sierra snow and wet trails (now a distant memory) was hard on our shoes.

Lon weighed in on the Honker Pass scale at 160 pounds, 27 pounds lighter than when he started hiking on April 3rd. He is looking so fit! Deb is holding steady at 103, but will be packing more carbs in her pack this next leg.

We departed Honker Pass in the afternoon and hiked about 10 more miles before making camp for the night.

Mileage 14.7

Day 95: July 6th
Mile 1238.7 to Mile 1260.7

Today’s highlight was the very refreshing Middle Fork of the Feather River where we soaked, cleaned up, rinsed the dust out of clothing, and relaxed for a few hours.

Water was more plentiful today as we crossed several lush and green creeks after the Feather River, including Bear Creek. We had views of wooded canyons all day long and although we were doing a big 8 mile climb after leaving the Feather River, we seemed to stay midway up all the mountains we rounded, never quite reaching a ridge with an open view.

We also saw our first rattlesnake today, which is amazing considering how far along in the hike we are. It’s not uncommon for Pacific Crest Trail hikers to see a half dozen rattlesnakes before leaving Southern California. I guess our early start (April 3rd), and the cooler weather, cut down on our sightings.

Photo: Bear Creek

Mileage: 22

Day 94: July 5th
Mile 1216.1 to Mile 1238.7

Today was a pleasant day of hiking mostly through wooded mountains. We saw few other hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail today as most of them probably stayed in Sierra City for the Fourth of July. They will catch up to us in a few days however.

For the past 500 miles we have had little worries about water, but that is changing. This section is dryer with water sources farther apart. Not Southern California dry, but we do have to think about where the next water sources are. We also started treating our water with Aqua Mira again which we didn’t do in the Sierra to Echo Lake sections. The lack of easy water is also making it harder to stay clean. Our last shower was in South Lake Tahoe and our next is probably in Chester: Deb envies Lon’s short hair!

Mileage: 22.6

Day 93: July 4th
Sierra City to Mile 1216.1

We awoke on the Fouth of July in Sierra City to find that the electrical power was out for the whole town. This caused us to cancel holiday calls home (Verizon cell service was down too, we were surprised how well it worked yesterday), breakfast at the Red Moose Inn (the cafe was closed), phone charging and blog updating.

Not much we could do but eat some pastries Deb bought yesterday and hike the Pacific Crest Trail where electrical power is never an issue.

It’s pretty big climb out of Sierra City. The trail gains about 3,000 feet in the first seven miles as it winds around the massive Sierra Butte. Deb and her new ultralight pack almost flew up the trail.

We do need to pick up our pace if we are going to reach Canada before the snow starts flying. 22-24 mile days should become routine. We are both optimistic that this is possible now.

Today we passed the 1,200 mile mark.

Photo: Sierra Butte.

Mileage: 18.6

Day 92: July 3rd
Mile 1176.5 to Sierra City

Wow, what a difference Deb’s new pack has made. She is practically skipping down the trail. Lon may have to put rocks in it to keep up.

We easily made the 21 miles of pleasant hiking in time to pick up our resupply package from the Sierra City store.

The community church allows Pacific Crest Trail hikers to camp on the small lawn so we set up our tent along with 12 others for a restful nights sleep.

Photo: Camping Sierra City style.

Mileage: 21