PCT Day 12 – Lows and Highs

It was not my best night. Without evidence I convinced myself that deer were coming for my water containers, that I always keep right outside my tent door. How I entered into this self-deception is beyond me. How does anyone? But once embraced, it made me sleep poorly. And when I slept, my dreams were disturbing. I dreamed a con man had duped my wife into giving him all our money “in two separate envelopes”. There was worse.

Anyway. I had a little talk with myself about this and reached an agreement. No more unnecessary fears. We’ll see who slips up first. Probably myself.

Hike plan

Looking at the elevation map, the day seems normal. After goofing around at 7200 feet for a few miles I go down 1500 feet, go back up 1500 feet and then go down 2200 feet to camp near town. Simple, right?

Goodbye Plumas

Yesterday I entered the Tahoe National Forest. For a while trail follows the boundary between the Tahoe and Plumas national forests. This morning the trail continues following that boundary as it skirts the Plumas Lakes Basin Recreational area – a basin packed with alpine lakes. Then the trail dives south into Tahoe, heading straight for Sierra Buttes. (No Butthead, I said buttes.)

The smoke haze still lingers low in the west. To the south I see a mountain I looked at yesterday but could not identify. So this morning I downloaded the “PeakFinder” app which identifies mountain peaks on the horizon by just pointing your phone at it! So cool. Anyway this mystery mountain to the south is Sierra Buttes, a cluster of tall jagged peaks. They remind me a little of Three Fingered Jack in Oregon.

Lakes Galore

I look to the East over the Plumas Lakes. I see that someone is getting some welcome rain.

The first lake is the massive Gold Lake.

The second lake is Salmon Lake. It hard to see in the photo, but there is a line of cars parked next to it – and on a Monday! There is a lodge there.

P Salmon lake

Trail tricks

Before the serious stuff how about something different? First, the Guinea pig rock. My wife will love this.

This photo is arresting. I stared at this for at least two minutes before I realized why it was so poignant. It’s an elephant graveyard. Notice how the knot in the weathered log looks like an elephant eye, and then there are all the tusks lying around.

This last tree looks like something, but you tell me what it is? Write your answer in the comments. There is no right answer, so don’t be afraid.

And, finally, let’s have some flowers. These white ones look like sparklers. They are actually a kind of grass. The flowers with red stems look like they were created by Dr. Seuss.

The Sierra Buttes Ahead

For hikers that have already passed through the Sierra Nevada proper, the Sierra Buttes May seem like small potatoes. But I found them quite stunning.

The trail is going to drop down to the left and then cross the face of the Buttes and climb up the shoulder on the right where my pole is pointing.

Crossing below the buttes presents you with typical Sierra rock formations. Looking up at them from below they lose their “craggy-ness”. They sure are dramatic though. In the first picture I am 3000 feet below the peak. In the second photo I am 2500 below the peak. In the third I am 2000 feet below. That is as high as the trail gets near the peak. In the last photo you can see an observation tower up there. (Last peak to the right)

The B Side

As I descend from the top the trail drops into scattered forest. I am tired from the ascent. My mind is tired. For the first time this year I put my ear buds in to play some music.

What happens next is hard to describe in words and pictures. The trees scatter and I am walking the open mountainside.

The buttes are 1000 feet up on my left. The valley is 2000 feet down on my right.

The trail stretches out ahead of me across the mountainside.

The sun is warm on my skin. The breeze blows cool between my body and arms, between my legs, under my chin. I am walking a bright highway between heaven and earth.

The feelings: gratitude, humility, exhilaration. It’s all too much. I can’t stop the tears.

The first few days of this hike have been hard and I have not always been up to the challenge, but this moment, this unexpected gift has made it all worth it.

Don’t get carried away

I find a place to camp in the woods as the trail drops back to the other side of the ridge. I eat my dinner quickly and then search for a place to stash my bear can. Something stabs my leg and then again. I look down and don’t see anything and then I do – a yellow and black wasp. I smash it but the stings continue. I grab the can and run. I get stung once more.

Back by my tent I inspect my leg. The stings are swelling and the stinging pain continues. But I am not allergic to stings, and as long as there are no more run-ins I should be fine. Damn. That was close to being very bad.

You gotta laugh though. This day has had some ridiculous highs and lows.

• August 8
• Starting marker: 1214.8
• Ending marker: 1196.7
• Miles today: 18
• Total PCT miles: 157
• Uncharacteristic moment: bliss