Hiking - 2016 PCT - Day 82.5 to 91

Turns out it was a hot day in the valley and with an impending few thousand foot climb out of town a nice after lunch swim sounded like a better plan. Water was quite chilly and going from the hot rocks in the sun to the water and back was very similar to a Snow - sauna run.

Eventually though it was time to move out so I got everything together and got back to the trail head. The climb was still long and hot so I was glad I was tackling it in the arvo. Stopped just before a nice spring with flowing water at a site with a few tent spots fashioned into the hillside.

Lots of mozzies again, like collect a dozen with the swing of a hand lots, but for some reason they went biting. Buzzing alone was enough to force me into my tent and after the huge burger for lunch and other food while still in town it was only some snacking on salami and MnM's for dessert before turning in.

Despite snow patches being few and far between now the lakes up here are still very impressive. A few I Hiked way above had some boats cruising around in them. Mostly fishing boats but I did see one wake boarder being towed and a few jet skis.



Today on the hike I bumped into a couple of really cool guys. They Hiked the AT previously and pulled out 1100 lbs of rubbish!! during their hike. They got some recognition for it from some gear companies and are able to be out on the PCT doing the same thing. I personally saw them carrying almost 10 lbs of sharp broken glass, not a fun thing to hike with, until we came across a road and they were able to pass it onto helpful passers by.

Check them out if you have the time. Packing it Out



It was another long day but about 70% downhill, great right? Except for when it's steep down. Anyone who hikes or bushwalks can tell you that steep down takes it out of your legs as much as up works the lungs. It also didn't help that every so often there was a gap in the trees and you could see the massive hill you had to climb just on the other side of the valley...
When I got to the valley floor there was an awesome river with great swimming pools and some rapids to simulate a massaging hot tub, but without the heat. I went I  for a quick dip and took the chance to wash pants, socks and my shirt. Most other people had the same idea as it's been a while since South Lake Tahoe and there wasn't much opportunity in Seirra City.

Throughout the day I also reached another milestone, 2000 km!! Unlike it's mile counterparts it wasn't quite as grandeur but it made do.

Despite the blister I was determined to make it close to the next town, Belden. Was going a little slower than 'normal' and took some longer breaks. The blister has made me put more weight on the ball of my foot, so after long stretches I feel that a bit. Despite that I still managed to squeeze in just over 25 miles, making it 3 consecutive 25+ mile days!

Made camp in a nice saddle just a few miles short of Belden. Little bit if wind (and no water source) meant no bugs and good shrubbery protected the tent from any gusts. I had to go a bit off trail to find it, and do a little bushwalking to get there, but I thought it was a really great spot.



Took my time in the morning before making the trek down the hill to Belden. Not a while lot in town; Population of 12, No wifi or phone reception either. Luckily I had mailed myself food here from Tahoe. I don't think I could have Resupplied for the next 4.5 days in the campground kiosk.

The above said they do put on a decent meal and let hikers charge electronics for free. Ice-cream was welcome in the heat of the valley too. Some hikers jped in the river but I decided to shell out the $2 for a 3min hot shower... 3 of. Also took the opertunity to do an actual laundry load. When all was said and done (waiting on batteries to charge was the longest) I barely made it out before nightfall.

I was hoping to make it a bit further yesterday... but as it was I had a very long, but fairly gradual, climb. Luckily there was lots of water along the way so I didn't have to carry much. There was also quite a few Survey marks and bearing trees to keep me distracted. This part of the trail seems to follow very close to a boundary.



Eventually made it over the hill just after lunch and started a nice gradual descent for most of the rest of the day. Nearing the end of the day I crossed a dirt road with a small camping area to find a pile of ice with a few cans of coke left and a note saying they were for thru hikers. Looks like they were setup for the day and by the state of the ice I must have just missed them.

The next day started off as.many seem too... uphill... However today had a fairly special milestone at the top. The Midway Point! On the final climb I also met with Overhill, a fellow Hiker, which worked out well for photos. Next to the post someone had left some whisky for the celebration, I wanted to do a lot more miles so only had a small sip.



The remainder of the day seemed to drag on for a while though it was a pleasant downhill grade. Near the HWY to Chester (a lot of people went in for resupply) was also some more trail majic. Fresh bananas and cold orange juice, yum. Feet started feeling sore in the last hour or so, it's been another 2 long days in a row.

Great creek at camp so I soaked the feet until they went numb from the cold water, which only took about 1.5 minutes. Got them nice and clean and when feeling returned they actually felt kinda good.

Big plans to do a big day and it started off well. Then there was a side track to a geyser, only an extra 0.6 miles. Definitely worth it. Heaps of steps and you could see the water boiling out of the ground. Could have done without the sulfur smell though...


Next distraction was Boiling Point Lake a beautiful torqouise geyser fed lake. Steam coming off it as well and lots of warning signs not to jump in for a dip in the boiling hot water... Despite how great a nice hot bath sounded I heeded the signs and just took pictures.



The third distraction for the day was a little camp resort called Drakesbad. Cold soft drink and a beer with the plan to stay for a buffet style lunch. When asking about the lunch I was condescendingly told that they serve their "actual" guests first, staff second and hikers last.
I guess it makes sense, we would eat more at this point but as a paying customer I didn't feel like hanging around for the slops. After beer the afternoon miles fell a little slower but it's put me in a good position for the next two days. There is a dry stretch before Burney and I should be able to make it to a camp at the last water tomorrow, then knock over the dry miles the next day.

Very cold morning so it was a bit of a later start. With the day mostly.flat or gentle.down it was easy to knock over some fast miles. This gave me the chance for another cool side trip to the 'Subway' a lava tube about 700 meters long that you can walk through. Smaller than the ones at Undarra (sp?) bit very cool to walk through!



Back into a drier section again meant big water carries. Food getting near the end so it's not as bad as earlier carries. One of the water sources, Lost creek, did involve a very steep side trail to collect from though.  Ditched most gear at the top but doing a scramble with 5 lt of water wasn't fun at the end of an already long day.

The day started a bit cold again with a chilling wind but knowing I was headed for town I was able to break camp by 7am. It heated up fairly quickly as the day went on and the breeze came and went. This section reminded me so much of outback QLD. Dry brown grass and red dusty soil. In fact remove the scenic snow capped mountains of Lassen and Shastre from the horizon and replace pines with gums and other prominent trees with wattles and you would be hard pressed to tell the difference.



Along the rim was a pretty famous (by PCT homer standards) 'cache 22' which certainly rose above expectations. Even if you shouldn't rely on it... There was plenty of water but also snacks, first aid, toiletries and even a solar panels to recharge at!



After the cache there was another 13 miles of long, hot, exposed dryness. I stopped to take a break and lucked out with phone service. The temp was just over 30°c, not bad for the middle of summer when the breeze was on. When checking Facebook I discovered that Brisbane was experiencing 29°c, middle of winter. No wonder I'm not feeling the heat too bad over here!  Might need someone to drag me out of my tent when it starts snowing in Washington though....
Made plans to stay in Burney but it was all booked so I back tracked 1.5 miles to the Guest Ranch. Worked out very well as there was only 2 guests and 2 full racks of ribs for us to share. Free home made Ice-cream; showers and laundry inc in price. Onto Burney Falls for a swim tomorrow and to pick up a box I mailed myself.