7/25/20; mile 1,323; elevation: 7,228 ft.
By the time I popped my head out of the tent this morning, Sidewinder was already gone. She was aiming for a 25-mile day to get to the highway and catch a lift to Chester to resupply. Pac Man, on the other hand, was getting off trail again to rest his ankle/foot. It’s not looking good for his hike. Me? I had already arranged for another trailhead delivery the following day, so the remainder of this stretch could be split over a day-and-a-half. So I had a more leisurely start since I “only” had 18-ish miles to do today. I retrieved my victory beer from the Cold Spring trough (trying to keep it cold), left a note for Pac Man and then hit the trail.
Less than an hour into my morning saunter, I take a detour to the Butte County highpoint. For the last couple of decades, I’ve been bagging these California County highpoints. I don’t have have too many, but I have some of the more prominent ones. Some are easy drive-ups, others are hikes, and there are a couple that require proper gear. This particular one is very unimpressive. No views, no vendors selling merch, just a trail through the brush and rocks to a post in the woods. So why do it? Because it’s there. Duh.
It’s still a couple of hours before noon, and yet it’s getting warm. Walking along this ridge is nice to get any breeze that may come, but that also means water is scarce. I cameled up this morning, but still carried 3 liters to get me to my next planned stop 10-miles into the day. As I crossed through the dirt parking area at the Humboldt Summit road crossing, I met a retired couple that were out bird watching. We talked about all of the typical thru-hiker stuff, and then I got to hear their stories. While doing so, they offered me a sandwich (vegetarian, but who cares, it’s fresh!) and some water. Trail magic is such a morale booster.
With the day marching on, the temperature climbs. And now with the trail climbing further, it gets more exposed. It’s starting to remind me of some of the sections in Southern California where you hurry through the sunny spots, aiming to rest where the shade is. I meet a mother out for a day hike with her daughters. The oldest is very interested in the PCT and bombards me with questions. I have to admit, it’s kind of refreshing to talk about the mechanics of the hike and not just the typical “how far?”, “how long?”, “why?”…. But the temps are still climbing and I’m really needing to get to the next water.
The hike down the side trail to Little Cub Spring is a nice respite from the exposed ridge. The trees and shade feel wonderful, and the cold water from the spring is even better. I try to chill the victory beer some more as I filter water, eat and generally just rest. And drink more water. From here on out, I need to carry all of my water for camp tonight as well as the first part of tomorrow morning.
While my earlier milestones felt like big deals (100, 500 and 1,000), this next one is special in that after the midway point, it’s all downhill from there…..riiiight. Anyways, the midpoint is a special time in a PCT hiker’s head. The end is now getting closer than where you started, it actually seems tangible that you can complete this damn thing. So with all of that bouncing around in your head, it’s quite an emotional moment when you get there. The spot itself isn’t such a glorious thing to see, but at this point it doesn’t matter. I’ve made it halfway. After some tears and a beer (not cold, but not hot either), I set up camp right there. I have to make it 8-miles to Highway 89/36 by 9am for my next resupply.
Now all I need to do is finish California, blaze through Oregon and try to survive Washington before winter kicks in. That’s all.
Savior out.