The High Uinta's

One may have guessed I couldn't let my final vacation weekend go without some hiking, could they?  After reviewing my gear choices of the PCT I decided to go out with what I almost took.  The pack however is not the pack I was thinking off.  It is the size of pack I am considering for next year.

I swapped the tent for an 8x5 tarp and bug bivy.  The cook kit this weekend, an Esbit stove and a 450ml mug, windshield too. A windshield is a must as Esbit will not work other wise.  On my feet Merrel's Moab hiking shoe.  I left the camera at home.  All photos this weekend were via my phone.

I hit the Highline trail off the Mirror Lake Highway.   Headed to Four Lakes Basin.  Camped there.  In the late morning looped to Rainbow Lake, ate lunch at Governor Dern Lake, caught the Highline Trail West towards Packard Lake and camped at the Duchenes(sp) River Gorge over look.

While at Four Lakes is rained on me over night.  I had my tarp pitched like a one pole mid-tent.  I stayed dry. The wind wasn't there.  I scooted to me back edge my nose on the tarp and my toes touching the otherside.  Nothing of mine but the tarp was wet come morning.

Tonight, I pitched to the wind.  When I got here there was a stiff up the canyon breeze.  I off set the pole to give me more nose room.  This pitch does not protect as well but, is a bit more comfortable.   I can see why those who have gone the way of the tarp like it so much.  The downside is one needs to be careful with where and how they pitch.  Most modern tents have one way to set them up but, it could be placed in a less than desirable spot and give adequate protection.

Tomorrow I have a short exit, mostly mild up hill.  I'll get things set out for work.  The alarm will be to early, that's okay.  I do thank my employer for granting me so much time off this season so I could hike the longest of my planned PCT sections.

Hike wise.  Hike safe.

24 hours in Truckee

Truckee is a small town stop on the PCT and California Zephyr routes. Since I resupplied in Sierra City I skipped this popular PCT stop. I've taken the CalZephyr probably 5 or 6 times in 20 odd years through this town.  The store fronts enticing, if the stop was an hour, it'd be a great jump out place to stretch the legs.

Well I finally got to jump out.  After a dip in Lake Tahoe with my hiking clothes, I traveled up here for the night to catch the train home the following afternoon.  Which train? Freight rolls constantly, the Zephyr of course, I've counted 5 trains so far today alone.

I ended my PCT L*SH by walking off the trail to the nearest public beach.  I waded knee deep then went back to shore and left my pack. I returned for a soak.  Ah, I can't say how awesome it felt just to sit in the cool blue waters.  The aches all disappeared for a moment.  The stench subsided.  I became socially smelly.  I had kept myself cleaner this stretch with frequent water at campsite locations.  The boater waves pushed me a bit, better than the knock me down winds of past days (they weren't actually that strong).

I dried up a bit.  Did some town stuff.  Got a real cup of coffee, a pizza, and a beer before heading to the transit center.  Now, I have to be dietary careful else the weight lost will haunt me.

Truckee Thursday's the town closes Old Town for the evening.  Vendors, artists, and a live band take over. I walked through the prep to get to the Red Light/ Speak Easy Hostel.

The hostel, one of the most epileptic of hostels I've ever stayed in.  Yes, it was a brothel in the hey day of Truckee, now a place for different kinf of travelers. The colors inside bold and the art work  mix of antiques and 50/60's art.  The rooms, bunked with lots of privacy and a lockable shelf with a power outlet.  Most of the folk I met worked there, not many visitors that evening.

I returned to Old Town. This is not easing back into society after 40 days of wilderness and small towns.  It's the frog into the boiling water.   My eyes kinda glazed over as I wove through masses of locals and tourists.  Where did all of these people come from?  Truckee is home base to several ski resorts and much like Park City where Main St is separated from much of the rest of the community.

I got a postcard, the last of the witt from the trail.  A tradition I can't remember when it started, I think of lessons from the trail, write some on the postcards of local highlights.  Some sayings aren't all shared as my folks get them first, mail forwarding.  It's fun to get mail.  The art of postcards from a far lost its touch with the advent of social media.

Sleep? I've slept only on one other surface since hitting the trail and that was at Crossroads Hostel near Dunsmiur. I tossed missing the fritos bag sound of my air mat.  There were no stars from my bunk.  I tossed more than any other night and woke rested before 6 am without the feeling of sinking to the ground.  I don't think my pad has a pinhole.  I think it's how I lay that puts me on the ground.

I've spent a bit of time walking the shops of Old Town Truckee.  A different mass of people choked the sidewalk.   I gave up and found a coffee bar sandwich shop on a different street.

Will the Zephyr be on time?  Will I be in Truckee for 24 hours?  Oh Dark Thirty will wake me with the nudge of the conductor in Salt Lake.  Then ya'll will ask me to stop talking of the PCT or ask me when am I headed out next.  The next time will be determined next year, which section as well. The only answer for the PCT is UP.  It's always UP, even when going in the inverse direction of UP.  Now you'll have to ask to refine the answer to be appropriate to the setting. 

I may create a YouTube channel for the few videos I recorded.   Note to future self: get the largest micro-SD card the device will process and use it.  I had to cut off the recodings about day 28 due to space limitations.   The internet connections in the places I stopped were slower than US Post.

Oh, time to return. Time to return to what normal is considered to be.  Normal for the last few weeks is wake up, pack, start hiking, keep hiking, and bed down with a bit of other things in between like looking at a lot of trees.

I must thank my employer for making these past few weeks possible. Let's create some awesome futures for the clients.

Hike on.  Hike wise.

Winding Down

As I dropped into the basin containing the Peter Grubb hut, I heard and saw I-80.  "Ah, expletive, the hike is almost over," I bemoaned.  For my body, this is good, my feet ache constantly.  I've done fewer and fewer miles when possible no longer pushing the 20/25's.  I've preferred 18 to 20's.  There are days when I do stretch 'em so as to time staying at places like the Peter Grubb. I actually stayed behind it.  I figured 3 more nights of stars weather permitting. 

Since the climb out of Sierra City, the terrain steadily got more vertical.  Either more shorter climbs/descents like a saw blade or longer inclines.

I hit I-80 around 8.  Took a long break on the Westbound side.  Another hiker was fixing her breakfast.   She too is on a section hike only she called it a MYTH, Multi Year Thru Hike.  I like it.  So this L*SH is part of my MYTH.

If you ever want to find out what the Donner Party faced hike the trail between I-80 and HWY 40.  Granted it's not everything but, it's rough territory.  Lots of boulders, semi-cliff faces, small lakes were a few of the obstacles beyond the climbs.

At HWY 40 I choose not to go to the Donner Ski Ranch Restaurant to get a free drink per Guthook's.  I chose instead to begin more climbing, over 1,500 ft.  This day had the potential to be brutal, instead a stiff breeze and cloud cover. Hum, do I put on the rain fly? I did and it was a mistake, the sky cleared up.

As I topped over Tinker Knob I looked back to see Sierra Buttes one last time to the north, to the south I saw Twin Peaks, 75 odd miles of trail within that 180 view. I began my final descent for the day 800 odd vert drop over 2 miles, a knee killer.

I'm in a wooded section to night.  Tomorrow I'll climb up to the ridge and drop off of Twin Peaks junction of the PCT and TRT.  I'll camp at a place I know just outside of Tahoe City.

Thought, feelings, mindset stuff?  Definitely need better shoes with rock plates in them.  A lighter gear set up, too.  Less food, gesh, my food bag weights almost 1/3 my gear weight if not more.  Goal setting: be willing to slow down when ya hurt and go for it when ya don't.   Talk to others going the other way about awesome places near and far.  Since my first evening in Africa I've had to wash my feet every evening, this journey I've come to realize I don't always need clean feet to sleep well, I just need a decent place to lay my head.

I stepped around to some near by rocks.  The place I untend to camp my final night has sunrise views not sunset views.  This is my final set on the PCT, for now...

Sierra City

From the top of Sierra Butte I could see the almost whole world, except I did not climb the stairs to the fire tower.

On my zero, as I waited for my sandwich at the Sierra Country Store I caught a news clip, rampage.  In town was a mountain bike race up to the old PCT and down into Downevile other wise except for a few hikers this is a quiet town.  Windows and doors are often unlocked here.

Sometime during the day the volunteer fire department's siren rang out.  It's a simple call to a few locals, check your radios.  I didn't hear any other sirens.

I cycled through my chores.  No laundry available but, someone did set out a couple of buckets for hikers in a near by vacant lot the town does let hikers stay in .  Must admire those who do their wash without a machine. Note to self carry a line on the next hike, hanging clotheson a fence wasn't what I planned to do.  I also sorted resupply and took some of what I chose not to eat down to the hiker box next to the store.

A new group of Nobo's cycling through on a Saturday.  A tall gal from the Czech Republic had figured out 25 miles per day to finish, need a bit more food, she tore though what I brought down.  Another hiker wanted a beer but, not a 40oz so he set down a six pack of 805 larger.  It didn't last long.  Around 6 this group got a ride back to the trail with the store's cook.

Around the same time new hikers came in, many speaking French.  I think the French out number the Germans this year.  They set up camp next to me.

I'm an early riser.  I tried not to wake anyone.  I thought the Red Moose restaurant opened at 7am, nope 8.  I sit at the store watching a few cars roll by.  I know I am a head of schedule.  I've also looked at the terrain profile south of I-80, yeah big climbs and a few cold nights expected. I think I'll make small days, up to 6 for 75 miles.  The store's out of canister fuel so here's to cold soaked dinners, yum.

So in the news why can't cities be like small towns where the air is clean, the people are welcoming, and trouble is not present?

Be informed

I thought fires were my pet peeve on the PCT. As I crossed a mixed use area I realized PCT also mean Perfect Cycling Trail.  I crossed paths with several mountain bikers, Aug 1, who "did not know" the trail they were on did not allow for bicycles or any other mechanical devices.   The PCT crosses several Off Highway Vehicle trails, each well marked No Bikes.  The PCT was designed as a stock animal and hiking trail.  It's against federal law to travel by any other mode on the PCT, Pacific Crest Trail, unless of course the PCT is connecting via roadways.

The ridgelines I crossed today took me high above many wonderful lakes. This area is worth coming back to.

Yesterday,  I heard rumors of a fire on the trail, contained and out.  Around 3:30 ish I came up to it.  Near West Nelson Creek, a small but, potentially dangerous fire broke out.  A PCT hiker called it in with their two way satellite device.  The local lookout could not see it so they sent a crew.  This fire is about 1 mile from a dirt road.  I spoke with one of the hotshot crew.  He said it was out the day before but, due to the nearness of the PCT they chose to do additional mop up work.   There was no further danger to the hikers.  This fire will be investigated.

I camped 2 miles farther on past thefire.  After dark I had a mule deer spike enter camp and munch around.  At one time he was 2 feet from my tent, another time he bedded down less than 5 feet from my tent door.  Oh, I spooked him when I got out for a moment. 

There are other exciting things going on. I am taking my time since I've crossed the 500 mile mark on this trip on July 31.

Please be informed on where you plan to go.  I spend hours pouring over materials before I head out as to be aware of any sort of restrictions from land usage to the kinds of camp stove I can take.  I also look at weather patterns and water resources.  Even on a quick weekend trip, I try to be as informed as possible.   Please do the same.

from view to view

I chose to leave Beldon around 6:30 am. That was not my leaving time, just when I decided to leave.  I had breakfast at Caribou Crossings.  Chris, the owner, was working an issue with the payment systems folks.  Miriam was busy in the kitchen.  I got eggs, hashbrowns, and toast.  She kept my coffee filled. He figured out what the issue was and joined the conversation of the hikers.

About 9 am a new batch of hikers appeared.  Swapped some stories.  Some had stayed in Beldon with the music festival.

11 am I got lunch,  12 pm I bounced.  I hung in Beldon for a while with another set of hikers.  I got underway around 3 ish.  I needed to wait for a train to pass.  Some railway workers kept the festivities away from the tracks while replacing ties.

I pushed up the switchbacks.  Not quite halfway up I came upon the lady I helped a few days before.  I asked how much water she had and gave her 1/2 litter of mine.  At a spring near 3 miles beyond, I asked a few NoBo's to take her some as she planned to dry camp a mile shy of the spring.

I evaluated the two campsites near the top of the switchbacks and chose the higher of the two for more wind protection.  I set my alarm knowing I'd be up before it.  Watched the sun go down whie sitting outside the tent.  It's nice to be bug free.

The Milkyway Galaxy shone bright.   I watched the Dippers trade places.  As expected, at first light I got moving.  I watched the glow brighten until the sun rose.  I began to sing my alarm's song.  I kept hiking.

I climbed on to a ridge looking down into several basins of lakes.  Dropping down into Buck's Lake area I heard of the campsites near Lookout Rock, a spring 2/10's of a mile beyond.  It'd be a 20 mile day, a done deal.

I write now with the sun slowly casting a shadow beyond.  3 other hikers are in the area.  With the lack of bugs buzzing, I am cowboy camping (tentless) for the first time this hike.

Tomorrow I'll be back in bug country as my aim is 23 miles to a campsite with water.

I have 2 trail weeks left.  140 miles to go.  I can do 140 in a week.  I haven't looked at this hike's average yet.  Choices: go beyond; double back onto the TRT & exit a different spot; check on changing my reservations and come back a few days early; slow down and take detours.