Author: wbas

Today we were heading back to the trail. In the morning I spent some time blogging and catching up on internet chores. Soon we were all packed and ready to start bussing our way to town. On the way out we all got lunch and then hopped on the bus to the Mammoth Resort. 

At the resort we needed to change busses and found ourselves in a long line.  It’s amazing how many people still enjoy the resort in the off-season. When the buss had filled they yelled out they had only 4 more spots.  The crowd unanimously told us to skip ahead and we made it on the first bus with little to no wait. 

The road up was long and full of sharp turns. We tried not to get sick while we listened to facts about the area from the bus driver. 

We arrived a short time later at Red’s Meadow and began our hike again.  The path was sandy and full of horse poop from the ranch.  It also soon passed through a burnout area and so it was hot but the clouds rolled in and covered the sun. Before long we were walking in the rain and got separated from 2.Toe and Yote. 

Eventually we got tired of the cold rain and we set up camp just before the Duck Lake outlet and junction. We had to eat in the tent to stay dry and we used our excellent teamwork to get in as quickly as possible.  

Dinner was calming and after we brushed out teeth and swallowed the toothpaste, to avoid leaving the tent, we fell asleep like little hiker babies. 

Today was a great day because it really felt like we were getting back into the Seirra Nevada. The scenery was so beautiful and the hiking was smooth all until the last couple miles which were, for me, the most difficult, but the most rewarding.

The morning I was so excited because we had a parking lot with a pit toilet in about 11 miles. I spent most of the morning thinking about how great it was going to be. Sometimes a nice clean bathroom is one of the most peaceful places on the trail.

Unfortunately when we arrived after passing many day hikers seeking pictures of the endless mountain flowers, we found the bathroom locked!

I resigned to find a peaceful spot in the woods and then we could eat snacks. There was a silver lining however, there was a giant dumpster and we unloaded our trash.

After our snack and chatting with Yote and 2.Toe we hit the trail. The rest of the hike was really marvelous and I added a lot of photos below. The highlight was near the end of the hike, leading up to Dick’s pass and Dick’s Lake, we encountered these wonderful mirror lakes surrounded by rock, snow, and ice. It was some of the most inspiring scenery on the trail.

Nearly a mile from Dick’s lake we came to a sketchy lake outlet ford which Sherpa navigated like a pro and was very proud of herself.

We soon arrived at the junction to Dick’s pass and our destination. We looked around and found several section hikers already set up next to Dick’s Lake. We pitched our tent and ate dinner.

Dick’s Lake was covered in floating icebergs and was gorgeous so we snapped some photos before bed.

We settled in and we slept like little hiker babies.

Today was exciting because we were taking our first zero since Ashland! We woke in the campground that Sugar Momma kindly brought us to. She planned on making us pancakes and coffee so we sat outside and chatted while she started bringing them out. They both were delicious! She had a French press and the coffee was perfect. The pancakes had bananas in them and they were crispy and buttery. So good!

She gave us a ride into town where we awaited our room to be ready and resupply.

After a while we made our way to the hotel where we remained for the rest of the day only leaving to get pizza nearby.

At night, Phil, Yote, and 2.Toe joined us in our room for some beers and we had a great time.

At 10 p.m. we kicked everyone out and I caught up on Game of Thrones while Sherpa slept. So much happened in just two episodes! It was difficult but we slept like little hiker babies.

Today we were heading back out into the bush, leaving Sierra City but heading within a few miles of our first zero since Ashland. I woke up around 5 and slipped out of the tent grabbing my pad and sleeping bag on the way out. I did my best not to wake Sherpa and let her sleep in till breakfast time at 8. My goal was to get a cold shower and take advantage of the Wi-Fi at the general store before the other hikers got up and took over.

The shower was brisk and refreshing and even though my sleep was a little sporadic, I felt good. At the general store I downloaded some podcasts and worked on the blog. I have been addicted to science and history podcasts and I was eager to get as many as I could while the internet was working well. A good internet connection is hard to come by out here. Someone at the Inn across the street was playing country music and it was one of the most enjoyable few moments on the trail as the sun came up and I was alone and chilly on the porch of an empty, small, mountain town.

Seven o’clock rolled around and it was time to wake up Sherpa and pack up in time for breakfast at our new favorite cafe, The Red Moose.

She was fast asleep and I felt bad waking her up but knew she would dissappointed if I didn’t.

We packed up our stuff and walked to the cafe right before it opened and sat on the porch and took in the sights. The owner soon came out and greeted us and obviously recognized us. We followed him in and sat down for a delicious classic breakfast. The pancakes were delicious and I am very discriminating when it comes to trail cakes.

After breakfast we walked outside to hitch a few yards away in the sun. At first it was a bit discouraging but after a few minutes a mom and her son pulled up and offered to take us to the trail. They were out on a weekend trip together and were planning to hike to some nearby falls.

We arrived to the trail with our packs way to heavy for a day and a half but my bag contained two big turkey sandwiches from the deli and I was really excited to eat them.

It turned out to be a really beautiful hike and we were really excited because today we would hit the halfway mark. Sherpa is really good at keeping track of our mileage on the flip and so she had it pinned down.

After only going short distance we came across the mom and her son. They were on there way back from the falls. They asked how we navigate the trail and we told them about Guthook, the app most hikers use. We said our goodbyes and walked on.

A short distance after we encountered the falls and snapped a couple photos and hiked on. A little while later we ran across Bamboo, a nobo hiker we hadn’t seen since before Kennedy Meadows. It was great to see him and we pumped him for info on the sections ahead.

We were back on our way and before long we hit the bridge that marked our halfway point. As we were making our little rock monument, Phil appeared out of nowhere. We realized it was his halfway point as well so we snapped a photo with him and had a celebratory snack! It was Phil’s last day so it was a bittersweet moment for him.

Soon we were on our way again and did a bit of climbing passing lots of Nobos. We encountered a large rock slides and many interesting formations. There was also several striking slopes covered in flowering mule’s ear that we had to pause and appreciate.

We finished our hike early and we were excited about eating and relaxing but when we arrived the mosquitos were unbearable. We ended up getting in our tent as quickly as we could and not leaving till the next morning. I was a little dissappointed because it was Phil’s last night and he had started a small fire. I would have loved to join him and celebrate but it was just too buggy for me.

We ate dinner in the tent and brushed our teeth. I swallowed the toothpaste so as to not have to face the bugs and then we turned in. We were both excited about our zero coming up in Truckee. For me it was an important milestone since most flip floppers had flipped north of Truckee heading north, so it was like a symbol of accomplishment in my mind.

The stars were brilliant and though we were plagued by rodents, red necks in their souped up trucks, and deer all night we slept like little hiker babies.

Today was an exciting day because we had some scenic hiking, beers, and a reunion. 

We got up early at our beautiful stream campsite and packed our gear. We only had 10 miles into Belden and it was supposed to be mostly downhill. 

On the way down we passed many cold streams and watery crossings. It was the first time in a while that we needed to cross logs to keep from getting wet since the Seirra. The descent often seemed to be more uphill than downhill. The elevation profile didn’t really capture the nuances that really felt like they added up. In spite of the varied terrain it was very enjoyable and interesting. 

We descended into Belden and were struck by how charming and quaint it was. It was, at the moment, this sleepy little town with only a few buildings and power station on the edge of a river. 

It had an inn, a saloon, an old garage, and a general store. I was at a loss at first as to how to behave but soon a few hikers came out of the saloon and started milling about and we got the gist. Sherpa tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to a hiker that just came out and instantly I recognized him. It was Crash! Our friend crush from way back in Idylwild.

It was so good to see him and we all went inside the saloon for food and drinks. Inside I noticed a couple drinking a Bloody Mary and I had to have one! Crash said he had never had one before so I ordered him one two. They were delicious, especially with some hot sauce. 

We chatted and laughed for a few hours and then decided it was time to start the climb out of here and say goodbye. Both of us had hard climbs ahead of us but ours was going to be straight up and it was HOT outside! We said our goodbyes and were on our way.  We will miss our friend. 

The climb was difficult but rewarding. The views were stunning and we headed to a campsite that was very exposed and had a terrific view of the sunset and lakes below. 

We made dinner at sunset and then turned in. Durring the night I noticed the moon rise and it was only a sliver of a waning crescent. It was so perfect and almost artificial hanging on the edge of the horizon. I closed my eyes and we slept like little hiker babies. 

Today we were really excited because we were heading to Chester and we were thinking cheeseburgers and milkshakes. We also were both out of Aqua Mira that we use to treat water and Chester is one of the few towns that stocks it. We woke up around six and packed up. 

We basically had one big uphill then it was mostly downhill to town. The climb felt short and it was a really pretty morning. When town is within 10 miles, it feels like time flies and we can crush miles! 

Soon we found ourselves in a flat forest of tall pines and then exited to a busy, two lane road. There were two hikers attempting to hitch on the other side of the road. We joined them and started attempting to thumb our way to town. 

It was a weekend so there was lots of traffic but they weren’t locals so they looked at us suspiciously and drove on by. Soon Phil and another couple showed up and there were now seven of us trying to get a ride. I was holding out hope for a truck so we could all get a ride at the same time. 

After about 30 minutes of awkward glances and funny hand gestures a fire fighter pulled over in his red truck and we all squeezed in the back and the cab. It was tight but we didn’t mind. 

Within minutes we were outside the cafe and on our way inside.  There I destroyed a breakfast and about 6 cups of coffee. Sherpa got lunch and also made it disappear in no time. 

We heard that the only affordable hotel in town was booked solid but we planned on trying to see if any rooms opened up after brunch and our resupply. 

We finished brunch and headed over to the grocery store to resupply. We only had a few days until Belden so it was going to be a quick resupply. Unfortunately I purchased an ungodly amount of food and so my bag was now very heavy. At the store we met up with Phil and chatted with him outside. He had already gone to the Inn and secured a room but said that there were no other rooms available and the owner didn’t allow sharing. 

We all walked together to the outfitter and got some Aqua Mira then Sherpa needed some ice cream so we walked to Pine Tree Frosty and stopped at the hotel on the way, just to double check. They were booked so we left Phil to enjoy his room. 

Pine Tree Frosty was fantastic and cheap. I was already hungry so I ordered food and Sherpa a milkshake. We ate and charged our phones then headed across the street to grab a shower and do laundry at the laundry mat. We decided we would hike out that night since there was no where to stay. 

The shower was out of order because no one had emptied the change collector so we were really bummed at first. Sherpa, true to form, did some research and found out that the RV park allowed hikers to shower for $5.  Soon we were both clean and had clean clothes. We were feeling a million times better. Back to the Pine for dinner to go and then the plan was to hitch out. 

While I was ordering Sherpa found us a ride from a sweet trail Angel named Vickie who’s job it was to stay in the fire towers and spot fires. Vickie was really interesting and knew a lot about the area. 

She dropped us at the trail and gave us hugs and we were on our way. We only had time for a few miles so we were able to enjoy ourselves inspite of the climb. We were heading to a campsite described in Guthook as “the best campsite ever.” 

The Best Campsite Ever

I am daily reminded that our ability as human beings to communicate accurately and honestly is largely undermined by our own limited perspective and the drastically reductive spoken language. 

Hyperbole is intrinsic in our daily expression and we don’t have a light on our foreheads indicating to what degree we are exaggerating or oversimplifying. 

For those people I dont know well, I have learned to quarantine information presented until I have seen the described subject for myself. It helps temper my fear, anxiety, or excitement brought about by a piece of “helpful” information. 

Instead of taking stranger’s word literally I often simply register it and use it as insight into their human experience.  I think this has been a helpful tool to avoid unneeded disappointment or fear while helping me to understand perspective itself. 

The Best Campsite Ever was actually very typical in many regards. It was by a very small stream with lots of mosquitos. The sites were all taken and so we made our own though it was lumpy. The unique feature that I think pushed this site into the realm of exceptional for the enthusiastic Guthook contributor was the cell phone signal, which was excellent. 

This experience was only a small example but it was a good reminder to carry a healthy dose of salt. I have experienced many examples of exaggerated warnings that nearly prevented me from doing some of my most memorable moments of my human experience. This was simply an example of a harmless exaggeration in a positive direction. 

I try to use these experiences to reflect on my own interactions, warnings, and descriptions and find opportunities to allow others to experience the world through their own eyes without my reductive lenses. 

Regardless we set up an enjoyable campsite and watched a movie together on my phone.  After the movie, we fell asleep like little hiker babies. 

Today was very enjoyable and was a nice change from the last few days. Overall, the terain, on the trail itself, was a lot less of the rough volcanic rock we had been walking on and more on gravel and dirt. The surrounding area however had all the markings of a land once riddled with volcanic activity.  

We were also excited because our day was split up by the promise of lunch at JJ’s Diner. We started out early, getting up at 6 a.m. to make sure we were there before it closed, though our fears turned out to be unfounded. The morning hiking was pleasant and we had about 8 miles to the next water source, Lost Creek. Lost Creek was supposedly a beautiful and cold stream but only accessible by walking 7 minutes down a steep ridge and much longer back up. 

I promised Sherpa I would hike it for her so we wouldn’t have to carry water for 16 miles.  When we arrived I walked down the steep ravine wall and reached the bottom. The stream was unbelievably cold and clear. After grabbing 6 litres of water for the both of us I dipped myself into the stream and almost passed out. The water was so cold it took my breath away. Needless to say it felt amazing in the heat and my wet clothes were an asset on the hot and difficult assent back to the trail. 

On the way up my arms were freezing from carrying the cold 2 litre bladders. I reached the top after a few minutes and Sherpa was in tears, wracked with guilt for letting me get the water without helping.  I thought it was both hilarious and terribly sweet. I really didn’t mind going down and I enjoyed the stream. I also knew how much she didn’t want to go so I was happy to do it for the both of us. We are so different. 

She quickly recovered and soon we were on our way and chatting. The rest of the miles to JJ’s went smoothly and we arrived in a well groomed park just off the trail. Sherpa used the bathroom while I datum in the soft green grass. Then we both sauntered passed a gas station and then to JJ’s. There we ordered lunch, Sherpa a Soda and me a beer. 

After lunch we made our way back to the bass station for more snacks and to sit below a pine tree out back. When checking out I looked at Sherpa and said “want to buy a scratcher?” She excitedly said yes and so I gave the cashier $2 for a lottery ticket.  I had a good feeling about this moment and, sure enough, we won the lottery!

A $2 dollar investment turned into a $5 windfall. Big day for us! Of course we reinvested $2 more dollars of our return to see if we could go bigger. We weren’t so lucky on the second round, or so we thought. As I was leaving the gas station, the 3 hikers we had seen the last couple of days said that the restaurant had made a mistake on our bill and voided the check! Double jeopardy! What a day. 

After we snacked our last snack and packed our Pringles in our bags we took off to get the last 9 miles of the day out of the way. 

In the first mile, we came across some amazing lava tube caves and sink holes that I would love to come back to explore. We took a few photos and continued on. The hike continued to be relatively flat, wooded and enjoyable.  I am going to miss this section when we get back in the business of all day climbs. 

Three hours later we were pitching our tent on the edge of an old burned out forest turned prairie, in a beautifully recovering forest with a thick bed of pine needles. We ate dinner and reclined in our tent, and before long we were asleep like little hiker babies. 

Today is a special day for us. Today we hit 1,000 miles on our custom pct hike. We are so proud of ourselves and to make things even more exciting, we are heading to town! We only had 10 miles to knock out before reaching Interstate 5 for a hitch. It was a perfect morning and easy trail the whole way. We chatted most or the way and when we reached our 1,000 mile mark, we made ourselves and little stick model of 1,000 to take a celebratory selfy. 

Soon we found ourselves at the road crossing and it looked st first that a hitch might be tough but within minutes Tony, a highway patrolman, picked us up. We had heard he was a trail Angel and he was very friendly. 

We chatted wirh him on the way to Shasta and found out he was only days away from retiring and planned on hiking the PCT or AT next year. He dropped us off at the Black Bear Diner and we stuffed ourselves. Afterwards we wanted to resupply but on our way to the grocery store we saw a movie theater! We quickly adjusted our plans and went inside to watch The House. It was hilarious, I was crying laughing, and we were basically the only ones in the theatre since it was only noon. 

After the movie we hit up the grocery store, burger king, then the outfitter. Sherpa secured a new free bag because her frame was bent. She has been putting up with some serious discomfort on account of her bag so we are really excited about the new pack. After the outfitter we headed to a hotel I booked and stopped at the thrift store for some cheap town clothes. 

The hotel, The Mount Shasta Inn & Suites, we experienced the worst customer service I have ever seen. First they asked for a 20 cash deposit and they said they would need to check the room before we left, which was a little odd but I didn’t mind. But soonafter the owner/manager was watching our room and when Yote and 2.Toe showed up they called our room to say they couldn’t stay with us. They were very rude and seemed to be listening into our conversations, which we have no proof of but they made some very odd comments which led us all to feel that way. 

After arguing with them for a few minutes they finally relented and said they could stay for an additional $20 cash. Very odd behavior. We read many hilarious comments about their paranoid behavior and other people saying they recorded conversations without their permission. They should consider a business other than hospitality as they made us feel very uncomfortable and put upon. 

Amway we enjoyed ourselves by napping and watching tv till after 10 p.m. then fell asleep like little hiker babies. 

Today was super casual. I honestly don’t have much to say except that it went very quickly and it was beautiful and very flat relative to what we have been hiking. We only really stopped once at around 1 for lunch and were done by around 5 with just over a marathon. At camp we watched Brokeback Mountain which was a really good movie I had not seen. 

Soon after we were asleep like little hiker babies. 

Today was a good day. I woke up early as usual and slipped out of the tent to let Sherpa sleep in while I grabbed some coffee and worked on the blog.  Last night I woke up a few times for no particular reason and walked out and looked at the stars.  I have become really good at picking out the big and little dippers and the little dipper has the north star.  I have become enamored with the night sky and each day I am more instinctually more aware of nature’s compasses and time keepers. At night the outermost stars in the trough of the dipper form a hour hand with the north star at its axis, which is the outermost star of the little dipper. In the day in California, the sun always makes little compasses with every shadow. In the morning the shadows point west and in the evening they point east. My mind is constantly making maps as we walk oriented by these little indicators. Sometimes it can be annoying when we suddenly turn north when our ultimate direction is south. We will swing around a giant bowl only to end up a mile from where we started. Oh well, the trail knows best. 

Anyway back to the coffee. I was at the diner for quite a while and Sherpa never joined me. I ended up eating two breakfasts I was there so long, first a hot bowl of cream of wheat smothered in brown sugar, butter, and cold cream. A few hours and 9 cups of coffee later I sat with Yote and 2.Toe and had eggs, sausage, and hash browns. They were also there catching up on their blog and chores and it was fun to sit with them.  Poor Yote was dealing with some bureaucratic nonsense related to taxes. I do not envy him though I need to fix some health insurance info myself so that’s on my list. 

After my blog posts, Sherpa asked me to bring her a chocolate milkshake, which has become the quest of this town visit. Fourth of July revelers has cleaned out the town of Etna. No milkshakes were to be found in any establishment within 100 miles. It was a desperate situation for dear Sherpa, who begins to wither after 12 hours if not supplied with chocolate ice cream in one of its many forms.  

I collected one of the last shakes in town and then met her at the grocery store and it was nice to see her. We went to the post office to collect our aqua mira and then went back to the park to pack up.  

At the park we took a last shower, topped off our cell phones, packed our bags and went back to Dotty’s to get one last meal before hitting the road. We were eating our burgers at Dotty’s and suddenly, out of no where, Stripe appeared, our friend from the Appalachian trail! We didn’t even know how to act it was so shocking to see someone from the trail out here, though it shouldn’t have been surprising. Him and his partner are hiking a section they missed when they hiked the trail last year. We were so surprised we kind of all just made small talk as if it were no big deal.

I texted Yote and 2.Toe to see how they were doing and they were eating at the diner next door and were finishing up. We said our goodbyes and then met up with our regular fools and we walked to main street to get a hitch to the trail. 

We are always surprised how quickly we get a hitch. Within minutes we were riding in the back of a locals pickup. It was no small trip to the summit so we were really grateful and it was clear it wasn’t on his way. The ride was beautiful and the wind felt amazing. At the top he invited a bunch of hikers to jump in and he headed back down the mountain. People can be so generous. 

We all set out together and it was already passed 5 p.m. so we didnt expect to get far and before too long we encountered our first obstacle. The trail had taken us over a ridge to the north face of the mountain and the entire ridge was covered in a steep snow bank. 

We looked at our maps and decided to go around on the southern ridge. It was largely a boulder field leading up to a narrow pass. The massive boulders kept us moving at a snale’s pace but it kept us above the brush and it was covered in a dry, black, moss-like substance that was very grippy, and ultimately pretty enjoyable. Yote and 2.Toe took the lead and found a good path through the pass and back over to the north ridge to ride the top of the snow bank, which was nearly flat, and eventually dropped us down to the trial which was now exposed 400 yards below.  

The rest of the evening was smooth sailing and we ended our day at a gorgeous lake. I had packed our some cheap brats so I was contemplating making a fire. While setting up the tent I noticed that Yote was collecting sticks, so I got really excited and started helping him. 

He had just started piling kindling in the fire when Sherpa noticed that there was smoke already coming out of the fire pit. It was really scary to think that someone hadn’t fully extinguished the fire when they left after seeing so many devastated acres on our hike. It was convenient though in this instance and we all sat down around a pleasant fire and 2.Toe and Yote produced some wine which we passed around to wash down the brats. It was perfect. 

Soon after we all went to our tents and slept like little hiker babies.