Daily Mileage: 9.7, Total Miles: 1506.5 Stayed hot well into the evening so an uncomfortable night. I have seen bear scat on the trail two days in a row. Or could it be Sasquatch scat? Just can’t tell the difference. Pretty much all downhill with good views of the upcoming Castle Crags. Crossed the Sacramento River and got to the on ramp for I-5 North to Dunsmuir. Not much traffic but got a ride fairly quickly. Staying at the Cave…
Daily Miles: 28.1, Total Miles: 1496.8 I kept heading down, crossing a few gullies and came out at the McCloud River. My family camped, fished and swam on this river years ago when we were living in the Bay Area. In fact, Mrs. Haze was the first to jump off the edge of a waterfall into a plunge pool below. Our boys, 8 or 9 years old at the time were so impressed they talked about it for years. Okay…
Daily Miles: 31.4, Total Miles: 1468.7 I continued the climb started yesterday and broke out of the forest with views of Bald Mountain and Grizzly Peak. Some great views of Mt Shasta but also obvious this is logging country – evidence of clearcut logging, some old, some new. I skirted the edge of Grizzly Peak and started the long descent to Deer Creek. A deer was coming up the trail while I was going down. The doe kept coming at…
Daily Miles: 25.5, Total Miles: 1437.3 I passed the fish hatchery walking along Baum Lake and saw several pelicans and herons fishing for their breakfast. Shortly after crossing Highway 89 was the Wild Bird cache provided by Randy and Kathy. What a fun setup with camp chairs, well-stocked coolers and a radio. All PCT hikers were encouraged to write their trail names on a picnic table. I had a grape soda, small candy bars, and ensured Purple Haze was well…
Daily Miles: 34.0, Total Miles: 1411.8 I left the motel a bit after 5am and hiked a few miles to the Hat Creek visitors center. Just a short detour from the trail, I filled up on water for the long, hot haul. I headed to the Hat Creek Rim and got my first good views of Mt Shasta, my next landmark for a few weeks. Also good views of the Hat Creek valley back towards Lassen Peak. Very little shade…
Daily Miles: 21.1, Total Miles: 1377.8 I didn’t want to start the day with wet feet so looked hard for logs or rocks to cross Kings Creek. I found widely spaced rocks in deep pools upstream. Made it across with quite a leap and balancing act. Shortly thereafter I thought something was falling from the trees above. I then realized it was sprinkling – didn’t last long but the clouds snuck up on me. I passed by several lakes and…
Daily Miles: 21.5, Total Miles: 1356.7 I had to wait for the PO to open to send on my bounce bucket. Didn’t have to wait long for my hitch and was back on the trail by 9:30am. But first an ice-cold root beer provided by trail angel Piper’s Mom. A gentle climb north and then dropped down to cross the North Feather River where I had lunch and got water. Just thinking that Lassen Peak was getting close and saw…
Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 1335.2 I’m at the midpoint on the PCT for mileage but over halfway on time. I expect to finish in about another 70 days. My daily mileage should pick up for the rest of California and Oregon with generally flatter terrain. Taking stock physically: Taking stock mentally:
Daily Miles: 7.7, Total Miles: 1335.2 A short hike down to Highway 36 and eight-mile hitch into Chester. The second vehicle picked me up – thanks to Ninja who hiked the PCT last year. I got an early check-in at the Best Western and started chores. The big priority was washing my sleeping bag which was much needed. But first, I had to find tennis balls to throw into the dryer to break up the down matting. I later donated…
Daily Miles: 27.0, Total Miles: 1327.5 I heard a lot of hoof traffic by my tent last night. Maybe some paw traffic as well. I stayed up relatively high today between 6,000-7,000 ft elevation so could see Lassen Peak get closer and closer. Also hiked through several volcanic rock outcrops. I passed by the PCT midpoint monument late in the day. Didn’t see any thru-hikers today – pretty rare event but maybe more common ahead?
