My Favorite Section So Far

Mile 1508.3

I'm camped with Ziploc and OK, Super Noodz is up ahead of us about 4 miles. We left the Airbnb at 11am and grabbed coffee and food before heading out of town.

I’m looking forward to this next section which should have plenty of lakes ahead and is supposed to be quite beautiful. I got word from my desert trail family members who are up ahead that the snow won’t be bad, so that’s good to know.

We entered the Castle Crags Wilderness a few miles ago, and the views are already breathtaking.

Mile 1526.6

Today the views were absolutely gorgeous. We were climbing up through Castle Crags State Park, and I know now why they use the word “castle”. The rock walls and spires looked magnificent as the sun rose behind them, and they helped us stay in the shade for a large portion of the morning as we climbed up several thousand feet.

We had lunch in a sunny campsite so I didn’t linger long since it was hot. Kept moving and honestly felt really good today. I had wanted to try and push for 22 miles, and I think I could have done it except for the thunderstorm that rolled in.

The ridge took a turn to the north and we started heading directly for a storm we’d been able to avoid all day as we had been traveling west. About a mile from camp, OK and I stopped to put on our rain gear. It was lightly sprinkling, but we knew it could turn into more. A few times we started running because we were bobbing in and out of the trees onto exposed portions of the ridge and the thunderstorm was directly above us.

We made it to a campsite that doesn’t have a water source, but all of us decided to stay here. Each of us has about 1 liter of water, and in order to be safe with the storm we decided that was enough for tonight and the 4 miles tomorrow morning before the next water source.

Once I got my tent set up I sat inside for a bit and tried to decompress. It was lightning and thundering, and at one point it started to hail, for what I believe is my fifth hail storm of the PCT.

I luckily have some service so was able to text Erich a bit which was so nice. The storm was actually a little scary, so it was comforting to be able to talk to him and tell him about what was going on.

Safe in my tent now, I had cheese, crackers, and beef jerky for dinner so I wouldn’t have to cook in the rain or use up my water. Trying to leave camp by 7am tomorrow to make it almost 19 miles.

Mile 1545.3

Great day today! Woke up and left camp at 6:59am - love that I technically got out of there before 7, which was our planned leaving time. I walked 3.5 miles along the ridge to the water source, and the views were incredible. I was listening to the band Caamp (recommended to me by Girl Scout) and it fit the morning mood perfectly.

Once we got to the water source and filled up, we walked .2 to a campsite that had a spectacular view of Mount Shasta! It’s been so lovely taking this big turn around Shasta the last couple of weeks. She’s so magnificent and always impressive. We all had breakfast and coffee, and it was a wonderful start to the day.

After that we had 7.5 to get us to our lunch spot, which would be at an alpine lake. It was gorgeous dipping between tall pines covered in moss and breaking out onto exposed ridge lines with views of lakes below and snowy mountains in the distance. The terrain was so kind, it just meandered along and didn’t ask us for too much. A little bit of gentle climbing paired with gradual downhills.

At lunch I sat with my back against a large pine right on the edge of the water. Noodz dove into the water, and it looked absolutely freezing. OK braved the water as well, but could only go up to his knees - it was COLD! I watched happily from the warm shoreline.

After lunch and another coffee for the day, Noodz and I continued together. The others were ahead of us, and we had a nice time chatting and enjoying the pleasant terrain.

We ran into the others at a trailhead parking lot where a girl named Mar was with them by her truck. She had the sweetest dog, and I got so excited to see and pet a dog - I miss my Riley so much. Mar had White Claws to give us which was an awesome surprise, and it was great to stop for a break and enjoy her company. OK decided to hitch with her into town so he could get more food for his dwindling supply, so we’ll likely see him tomorrow when he catches up.

I walked the rest of the day with Ziploc and we had a great conversation about what it’s like doing the trail while having our partners back home. It adds more complexity to the journey, and we both try to find ways to ensure we’re nurturing those relationships as much as we can while out here. So many of the hikers on trail have significant others back home, and it’s nice to hear how they’re handling it, and exchange advice.

I was ready to be done for the day when we were about a mile from camp, but I wasn’t in too much pain or anything which is a good feeling, especially since we did 18.5 miles yesterday and today. I can feel myself getting stronger which is a great feeling, and my shoes have been working well too. It’s such a relief to be able to do miles and not be in some sort of foot pain. In the desert I felt like I was pushing big miles but that I was only getting them done out of desperation. Letting myself slow down a bit these last couple of weeks has helped my mental health so much, but I also feel physically more able than I did in the desert.

At camp now, we got here around 8pm and I had dinner of Mac and cheese, tuna, and stove top stuffing mix. It was so good, I’ll definitely make that again. We decided to sleep in tomorrow since we’ve had two big days in a row, and I’m excited for a nice leisurely morning. Only planning on 16 miles tomorrow, which will feel really nice.

P.S. This section has probably been my favorite on trail so far. I think if someone is looking for a place in NorCal to backpack on the PCT, this would be the area for sure. I keep wishing Erich was with me, he would be loving it.

P.P.S. We passed mile 900 today :)

Mile 1561.4

Woke up slowly today, and didn't get up until around 7 or 7:30. The sun was on my tent and I started getting hot, so it was good motivation to get things packed up. Once I had things mostly in order, I joined Noodz for a coffee, and then OK showed up! He had camped about 4 miles behind us.

We all had breakfast together and chatted for a long time. We didn’t end up leaving the campsite until around 9:20am, and we all left together which was nice.

After a couple of hours OK pointed out a lake that wasn’t that far away. We could see it through the trees, and after consulting the map we saw it was “Bull Lake”, which we’d previously mistaken for “Butt Lake” on a poorly written trail sign the other day. We saw that it would be easy to get to, and would be our only real lake opportunity for the day, so we jumped off the trail and made a b-line for it. When we got there, Noodz, OK, and myself all got in the water. I was proud of myself because I have a fear of water, but I actually ended up dunking my head! It felt good, especially knowing I won’t have a shower for another 3 days.

After lunch we all put some music in our ears and got to work on the miles. The scenery was gorgeous, this section continues to be my favorite on trail so far.

Around 3pm I really started to hit a wall, and needed to take a break. Since we’d gotten out of camp so late, it was kind of time for lunch, but I kept coming around corners and the group wasn’t there. Finally I just decided to have lunch by myself, otherwise I was going to start majorly bonking. I found some shade in a meadow, laid out my things, and put some music on. I was so hungry and depleted, but once I got some food in me all was right with the world, and it ended up being a really lovely break.

Continuing on, I ran back into everyone who had taken their lunch at the next water source.

We had an interesting conversation today about relating thru-hiking to a video game. We imagined each of ourselves as a playable character, and what our strengths and weaknesses would be. We also incorporated magic, and decided what types of activities or events would give us “magic points” to then be spent later on things like manifesting a hitch or getting trail magic.

It was such a fun concept and totally kept my brain occupied for hours throughout the day. We decided my character’s strength would be my ability to be so social. I could gain knowledge from others in the game faster than other characters since I talk to so many people out here. My weaknesses would be the heat, as well as blowdowns and overgrown trail.

The last mile or so before camp I decided to run. I was super motivated to get here before 7pm, because then I’d have plenty of time to eat and relax before having to head to bed. It honestly felt really good to move so quickly. We’re always walking and seeing the trail one step at a time, but every once in a while it feels good to speed it up. I caught up to Zip and OK and we walked into camp at 6:55pm.

Same thing for dinner as last night - it’s so good. And OK also made Mac and cheese, except he had the shells with the real cheese sauce. He let me lick the cheese packet - that’s real friendship right there.

In my tent now and planning to leave here by 6am. We have a climb for the first half of the day tomorrow, and I’d rather just get up and get going, especially since it’s been a bit of a heat wave this week.

Looking forward to these last few days on our way to Etna. Etna is supposed to be extremely hiker-friendly, so I’m excited to get there and spend a couple nights. I have to stay until Monday because I’m picking up a package at the post office that Erich sent. It has my new tent! It’s a two person tent, so will be much bigger than the tiny tent I’ve had for the last 3 months. It also has two doors - luxury.

About 19 miles tomorrow is the plan.

Mile 1580.1

I got up early this morning and left camp with OK. We hiked the first 4 miles together and then stopped for breakfast. The others had caught up and it was nice to have a “family” meal all together. We did a lot of laughing, it was great :)

We ran into some snow about halfway through the day, and it was really enjoyable. There were a couple places where microspikes were necessary, but otherwise I felt really comfortable in the snow with just my trail runners. The views were gorgeous too, and we even got a peek at Shasta again.

In the afternoon I had service at the top of a climb so I called Erich! He didn’t pick up at first, but I hung out for a bit and luckily he called back a few minutes before I was going to leave. It was so good to hear his voice, and that conversation was exactly what I needed to get me through the rest of the day.

When I was about 3.5 miles from camp I ran into two women who were section hiking. They were so nice and we ended up chatting for about 20 minutes. They asked about my pack and how compact it was compared to theirs, and I even let them try mine on. They said mine was super light, so it made me feel good to know that I’m figuring this thru-hiking thing out. Their names were Captain Awesome and Turdle, and a dog named Arco.

In my tent now at camp and it’s 20.6 miles to the road to town tomorrow. I think I just want to get up and get moving, so I set my alarm for 4:15am. There’s a lot of up and down tomorrow, so as much of that that I can complete in the morning the better. The motivation of getting to town is calling.

Also, I found out Mountain Man is in town, so I’m really looking forward to seeing him there!

Mile 1600.8

We hiked all the way to Etna today and it was a nice day with beautiful views. I could feel my energy dragging a bit though, especially in the second half of the day. I’ve been loving this section of California, but the burn zones and blowdowns have really been tough. I think blowdowns in particular, as well as when the trail is overgrown, are my two mental downfalls. I can get through other terrain or obstacles and keep my head straight, but for some reason those conditions just tend to get to me. I’m working through it.

Near the end of the day I had been alone for an hour or so when I ran into Ziploc right around a patch of snow. It was great to be together and navigate through it, as well as have someone to walk with when my body was tired and my mind was over it.

After what felt like a grueling few miles, we finally made it to the road to Etna. The boys were there trying to get a hitch, but in the 30 minutes before we’d arrived they hadn’t had any luck. It was the weekend before the 4th of July, and the road was pretty dead. We hung around for another 30 minutes without any cars, until finally a trail angel came by to drop some hikers off at the trailhead who were leaving town. We hopped in her car and rode down the long mountain road to Etna. She dropped us off right in front of the only open restaurant and we all ordered big salads, burgers, and drinks to celebrate another great stretch of trail.

OK tying to lasso a hitch!

Zero in Etna, Recap:

Etna was an adorable little town, and super hiker-friendly. It was relatively walkable, and reminded me of the small town where my mom grew up. The city allows hikers to camp in the park, so when we got to town we went over to setup. There were so many hikers, and Mountain Man was there! I haven’t seen him since he flipped up north from Tehachapi in Southern California, and it was so nice to see him again. He feels like an older brother to me, I really appreciate whenever I get to see him.

The day of our zero we showered, did laundry, resupplied, and ran a few other errands at the open shops. It was great getting stuff done, and then enjoying each other’s company at the park. Mountain Man’s girl Fake News was there with him, and it was so nice to meet her finally and all hang out.

Our last morning in Etna I picked up my package from the post office and unboxed my new tent! It’s a Big Agnes Tigerwall UL2, and I’m so happy I decided to make the switch. My green Nemo Hornet 1 person tent was fine, but it’s so small I couldn’t take it anymore. I’ve been referring to it as my “coffin” for several hundred miles. The rainy days in Lassen National Park really convinced me to order a larger tent, and I think this was totally the right decision. I can’t wait to get out on trail and use it!

Me and Noodz exploring my new tent for the first time!