PCT Day 9 – Collecting

The day begins as it normally does – with energy and focus. I am out of the room by 6am and standing on the corner to catch a ride to the trailhead. Maybe you can start too early? I mostly see work vehicles rumble by. When after 50 minutes someone pulls over, I am overjoyed.

Acquaintances

They are Dave and Charlotte. They apologize that I had waited for so long, as if the whole town had failed me. Boss Lady, another hiker, is already in the car. When we all get out at the pass, Dave turns the car around and goes back to town. They have made the trip just for us!

Boss Lady is hiking a section from Kennedy Meadows to Dunsmuir. See is interested in the hike I did last year (Old Station to Canada) and thinks she might try that next year. She is from Salem, Oregon.

Easy Trail

It is cool up here at the trail. The path is smooth and I make good time once I finally stop chatting with everyone.

I have two goals for the day depending on how my blisters do. Both end at known campsites near running water. One is 15 miles, the other 18. I think I can do the longer. I have to average 18 miles/day to reach Sierra City with the food I have.

There is some fun stuff on the trail today. First is the elephant tree.

Then the trail is covered in bumblebees. I am not afraid of bees. They don’t want to sting you. (Wasps are a different story.) I never see honey bees, only these big bumblebees. No flower is too small for them. I have seen these big bees bend more than one flower all the way to the ground.

From the high point (5500 ft) of my hike I am descending down to another branch of the Feather River (2900 ft). This part is called the Middle Fork. All the canyons for the next ten miles send creeks to this branch of the Feather.

Simple things

There is a box on the trail. It is full of books for people with time on their hands. There is also a trail register. You can see from the entries that people from all over the world come to enjoy the beauty of our country. There is really nothing else like our national park and forest system.

And, of course, there must be flowers

Trail features

So many things become commonplace on the trail. Here are two that standout. First is this spring. It pops out of a hole in the ground by the trail, but someone has shoved a piece of angle iron into the spring so the water trickles out like a spout. So helpful!

The second thing is this campsite – out on that rock! It’s all rock so there is no way to anchor a tent. But you could just flop your sleeping bag out there. I have done that and it is so cool.

Eating disorders on the trail

Nobody likes to discuss the dark underbelly of trail life, but it is hard to ignore today. These squirrels out here need help. Never have I seen such profligate gluttony. Just look at this.

Those light colored petals littering the ground are actually pine cone pieces. Hundreds if not thousands of pine cones were devoured in just this one hundred-yard stretch. Look here is a half eaten pine cone.

I’ll bet that squirrel is right this minute up a tree sticking a paw finger down his throat so he can come back and finish off he rest of this cone. Folks, write your congressperson. This must stop!

A milestone

Well it took a while, but I finally walked 100 miles. May the next 100 be even better.

Feathered

I reach the Middle Fork of the Feather River by 4pm. The campsites are right by the river. It is a substantial river, requiring a very nice big bridge (which I will show you tomorrow.) I find a spot to camp and go down for some water. There is a man there. His name is Todd and he just arrived at the river too. He is heading south like me in the morning. Cool.

We go about our chores and then I see him sitting down by the river reading a book. Who does that? It looks so relaxing. It makes me realize how overwrought I am out here sometimes. I need to relax more. Starting right now.

I look at my watch and it’s only 6pm. I normally retire at 7pm. I’m gonna take my phone down by the river, recline on some rocks and write down there with the sun setting and the river thundering by and the breeze (and a few bugs) blowing against my skin.

And that’s what I do. I cool my feet.

And I find a place to sit for an hour and just enjoy this place.

• August 5
• Starting marker: 1267.9
• Ending marker: 1249.9
• Total miles hiked today: 18
• Uncharacteristic moment: Sat peacefully by the river