The stars were within reach of my camp. The guys I was next to missed out with their rainflys on. I got up and on the trail by 6:30.
A few North Bounders (NoBos) told me on an old cabin just over the border. That'll put me just over 21 miles for the day. Do able, I thought. I met many NoBos. I chatted it up with a weekender. I scored his partial canister. As I camp at night 3 may be I just should have waited.
Crossing the border, I danced and hollered. Oregon is now finished. Who knows how long California will ultimately take.
The cabin was where it was marked on the map as cabin remains. A hike sat on the porch. I joined her for the evening. She was there first and got the cot. I took a chunk of floor on the otherside. On the AT sharing a shelter is the thing to do. It took a while before I made supper, fettuccine with extra garlic. We were both down before the sunset.
I woke first around 5:39, quietly packed and was ready to move on when she woke up and asked about the cow bells. I had ignored them, a small herd is in the Donomore's basin. She got up. I decided to have breakfast and chug there.
Around 7 I left, filled my water at the next stream, there wasn't a well at the cabin. I made good time all day.
In the afternoon I started running into NoBos. Met them at the various springs. At Bear Dog Spring, though I didn't need water, I needed to recharge my phone from my Ankor Power Brick. I also took a nap to be woken up 1/2 hour later by the NoBos. The conversation was good. They described the trail ahead and said it's worth the extra miles to do the PCT into town but leaving is a different story. I'm hoping their stories are tall and not true. Surely the trail can't be that bad. They described it as 250 downs in 15 miles, lots of bush wacking, a lots of poison oak.
I'm at my 3rd camp. I cold soaked my dinner as the day was hot, now it's chilly. No tea tonight. A slight wind, I decided to put up the rainfly. So I'll miss the stars but next to a dusty road, I'll also have cleaner gear if the loggers stsrt before I do.
Woke up to trucks arriving for the logging activity. A chain saw at 5:30 motivated me to move it. The trees felled are just down hill of the PCT and 100 yards from this junction.
The hike began about 6 am with a thousand foot climb, danced in and out of clouds pushing from the other side of the mountain. Started meeting NoBos around 9 am. At 11 am I got motivation to hike the Seiad Grill before 2. I aimed for 1.
Food is a motivator as is other people's storylines. Some have fear of the downed trees I'll get to tomorrow or there after, some say no worries. Each have a different take on things. The key is take weight of what one says about the coming circumstances in light of their experiences and how they match your own.
I met a retired Forester and his wife bringing up a mule loaded with gear. They've maintained these trails for unendless years, great couple. One can see there hard work with every step on the trail. Countless thousands of hours go into maintaining the trails.
I'm chillin in the small town of Seiad Valley for the rest of the day. I may hike out late tomorrow to get to the bottom of where the up hill fun begins.
Hike on. Hike wise.
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