Trailhead
New Boots • Gathering • Grapevine • Springer Fever
A.T. Companion • Headlamp Material • Work Trips • Side Trails
1,600 MILES INTO OUR HIKE of the Pacific Crest Trail, Ann and I are staying at the Motel Etna in Etna, Calif. Four other hikers are also in the motel, including Spice and Fearless.
Last month, in Yosemite National Park, Spice was asleep when a bear grabbed his tent with him in it and started hauling it off. Awakened by his screams, Fearless began throwing rocks at the bear. He said the little rocks had no effect, but when he hit the bear with some really large rocks the bear finally dropped Spice and the tent. The tent was torn beyond repair, but Spice was unhurt.
The story quickly spread up and down the trail. Spice said the other day someone told him about it.
Since leaving the snow-bound Sierras, we’ve hiked hard through Northern California in our race with winter to the Canadian border. On a typical day we start before 6 a.m., stopping to eat breakfast after a few miles. We usually hike continuously until after 8 p.m., stopping only for morning and afternoon snacks, lunch, and meditation. We try to camp near water while enough daylight remains for an evening bucket bath, then cook and eat supper in our sleeping bags as darkness falls. Several times we’ve camped right on the trail when no other level spot was available.
In the last 19 days we’ve covered 450 miles. The hiking will be slower in the Northern Cascades, but with only a little over 1,000 miles to go, we feel good about our chances to finish this year.
The weather has been perfect, with no rain at all in the last two months. Since essentially all the water comes from snowmelt, we’re now having to carry water for longer distances.
We started Hat Creek Rim, a 30-mile waterless stretch, at 2 in the afternoon, intending to walk in the moonlight rather than the heat of the day so we could cover the distance with less water. Filling our water bottles with 6½ liters of water, about 15 pounds, we started the climb to the rim. By the time we reached the treeless top the sun was setting low in the west.
The volcanic soil strewn with lava made for treacherous footing and slower hiking than we expected. As the sun set behind Mount Shasta the moon rose above Mount Lassen, the two volcanic giants that dominate the skyline in Northern California. Our moon shadows became visible as twilight turned to darkness and stars appeared overhead. Scattered lights marking outposts of civilization twinkled 1,000 feet below along the Hat Creek River.
Shortly after 11 p.m., Ann fell on the volcanic rock. She was not hurt, but we immediately started looking for a campsite. We managed to squeeze in among volcanic rocks sheltered from the wind by a mountain mahogany bush. We cooked and ate supper and were asleep by midnight. The next morning we were hiking at first light, in the shade of trees by 10, and at a stream at 3 in the afternoon.
The last few days in California have been spectacular. Two nights ago we slept in a green mountain meadow beside a sparkling creeklet under a full moon. The next morning we ate breakfast high on a glacial cirque overlooking a sparkling lake. Flowers bloomed in the green grass. A hummingbird flew by. The morning sun glistened on the snowbanks overhead. The small mountain stream provided cold water for our morning cereal.
After three months we’re ready for another state, and Oregon is only 94 trail-miles away.
As our trail friend Skitz says, In my mind I’m already there.