7/21/20; mile: 1,260; elevation: 5,945 ft.
The air didn’t cool off much overnight; I was quite warm in my tent but at least I was sheltered from the mosquitoes. I guess you can say I’m blessed with starting the day going downhill for 5 miles, but that also means I’ll have to climb back up again. To tell you the truth, I prefer my climbs in the morning when I’m fresh and the air is cool. Such is life for a thru hiker.
The saunter down to the Feather River goes quickly, but it never feels cool until I’m right by the water. I’m dreading the rest of the day. I haven’t “bathed” since I left home, and bountiful water has been scarce for such activities. But here is the Feather River. It’s big enough to warrant a large bridge for the PCT to cross it. I can only imagine what this river is like during a good storm or major snow melt. But not this year. Once I get to the other side, I head on down and start stripping. I first rinse my hiking clothes so they have a chance to partially dry while I rinse the dust and salt off of my body. The water is NOT cold. In fact, even at this early hour of the day, it’s almost tepid; not really refreshing. By the time I’m done, my clothes are almost dry from being in the warm sun; another sign the rest of the day is going to be what they call the act of welding during construction as “hot work”.
Within 30 minutes of resuming the trail, I’m starting to sweat and staining my freshly rinsed shirt and pants. Should I have spent that hour doing that, wasting the cool morning air instead of hiking out of the canyon? Who knows. But one thing I’m starting to realize on this little journey is that you need to take some time for yourself; your personal needs. It’s not ALL about making the miles.
For the rest of my day, I’ll be going uphill. I’m blessed by being mostly in the shade of trees, but that’s little comfort when it’s still hot and the air is still. But walk I must. Some of this area has not been logged, and the size of the trees shows it. I haven’t seen trees this big since the National Parks of the Sierras down south. Quite amazing. And at least there are water sources evenly spaced out along this stretch, so I don’t have to carry a large load.
Remember Bark!? Well today I crossed paths with he and his Boy Scout troop. He met up with Sidewinder the day before to give her back her battery pack, as well as provide trail magic to her and Pac Man. I’m actually shocked that the whole battery shuffle worked out, but Bark! is a man of his word. When the first scout passed me, I barely recognized him as Bark!’s son. He has grown a lot since I last saw him. As typical for a scouting trip, the adults were at the end of the pack….and they looked haggard already. And they were going downhill. The heat was getting to everyone. We chatted for a short while, exchanging trail, water and camp spot info, but we all agreed we had to make miles and the clock was ticking. And I’m kicking myself for not getting one single picture. What a bummer.
At the top of the climb was Lookout Rock, one of the few real high points with a view on this section of the trail. And it has a tent site. Well now, this is too good to pass up. With no threat of rain and no apparent mosquito issue, it was another cowboy camp night. After exploding my pack and doing a quick layout, I walked southbound on the trail back to the spring to get a ton of water for tonight and tomorrow morning. As is typical for northern California, water sources at elevation are few and far between, and the animals know it. The deer here were not afraid of me at all. Back at camp, the setting sun was making for quite a nice evening. With no trees nearby, every little bit of breeze was a breath of fresh air. And it was quiet. Throwing rocks from the precipice was a short-term distraction, and then Mercury showed up. He’s an older hiker, but packing very light. He’s on a quest to get to Quincy tomorrow to get replacement shoes, so I won’t see him for a while. At this elevation and location, I actually have cell reception and take full advantage.
It’s nice to have a camp with a view again. Nighty night.
Post Script: The area of my hike today was burned over a month later during the North Complex Fire. It eventually burned from just south of Quincy all the way west to Lake Oroville.
You are the bravest, most adventurous soul and we miss you at FFPD! Keep doing things The Ron Way, its beautiful!