Pacific Crest Trail

Small milestone today. I'm camped about six miles up from Sonora Pass. I hope to make it down to Highway 108 first thing tomorrow and hitch a ride to Walker for breakfast!

Any recommendations for Walker?

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Man walker is a bit of a bust but walker burger might be open! There was a “coffee shop” a few years ago no idea if it’s in business. Going west used to have lots to offer but the fire wrecked it. Maybe Kennedy meadows is open? I’ll check for you!
Edit: They are open but I can’t figure out if they serve breakfast! It’s a damn good place and great people!

Grover hot spring! If you can make it there for a zero day rest those bones!

Your In my home stretch of the Sierra and I am incredibly home sick at the moment lol!
 
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Rie bread said:
Man walker is a bit of a bust but walker burger might be open! There was a “coffee shop” a few years ago no idea if it’s in business. Going west used to have lots to offer but the fire wrecked it. Maybe Kennedy meadows is open? I’ll check for you!
Edit: They are open but I can’t figure out if they serve breakfast! It’s a damn good place and great people!

Grover hot spring! If you can make it there for a zero day rest those bones!

Your In my home stretch of the Sierra and I am incredibly home sick at the moment lol!
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I think we've talked about this before Riebread......but he's a full 200 miles past the Kennedy Meadows I'm familiar with......
 
There is a Kennedy Meadows South and a Kennext Meadows North. The KMN is an option, but my app is giving higher hiker reviews for the motel in Walker, so that's why I'm heading there.
 
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mozey said:
There is a Kennedy Meadows South and a Kennext Meadows North. The KMN is an option, but my app is giving higher hiker reviews for the motel in Walker, so that's why I'm heading there.
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Are you using FarOut? Or is there another app that you would recommend.
 
Rie bread said:
Man walker is a bit of a bust but walker burger might be open! There was a “coffee shop” a few years ago no idea if it’s in business. Going west used to have lots to offer but the fire wrecked it. Maybe Kennedy meadows is open? I’ll check for you!
Edit: They are open but I can’t figure out if they serve breakfast! It’s a damn good place and great people!

Grover hot spring! If you can make it there for a zero day rest those bones!

Your In my home stretch of the Sierra and I am incredibly home sick at the moment lol!
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Didn't have any luck trying to hitch to Walker, but a guy who's supporting his wife on the PCT offered me a ride to Kennedy Meadows North, so that's where I ended up.
 
Mammoth to Kennedy Meadows North: I keep hoping the trail will flatten out just a little bit but so far it's not really cooperating. From Mammoth, the trail took me through the Ansel Adams, Yosemite, and Emigrant Wilderness Areas, and I've lost count of how many passes I've gone over. Still hiking a lot in snow, but at least for this stretch I did not have to ford any sketchy rivers. The last couple days I've been hiking with a couple women that had already teamed up a couple weeks ago for the Sierras. They are definitely an odd couple, one being from Taiwan and the other from the Netherlands, one being dark and less than 5' tall and the other being light and over 6' tall. Throw me into this mix and we make quite the oddball group. It's interesting to me how thru
-hiking builds camaraderie in people with such diverse backgrounds.

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You Know I'm RAZZIN Ya mozey!

Stay Safe Out There!

mozey said:
First, I'm happily married, and hope to stay that way, so nothing like that is going on with me. Also, I snore like a bear, so I try to do everyone else a favor by keeping out of their earshot... 😊
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Damn impressive, thanks for taking us along!, ran across a guy last year on the pct, up by Humboldt summit, guy was looking bad, he had gotten girdia 3 days earlier...was going to pick him up when I came back over the top, and get him down to town, but some other guys gave him a ride. Be safe man, give a holler if you need anything when you get up towards hwy 70 to hwy 36 country.
 
Kennedy Meadows North to South Lake Tahoe. For a moment there I thought I was back in the desert. Trail is finally starting to flatten out a little, but still dealing with some snow at elevations above 8,000 feet. But miles per day are starting to creep back up. I did a 26 two days ago followed by a 27 yesterday. I was tempted last night to go for 33 to get to the paved road, but I knew my odds of getting a hitch after dark were probably zero, so I opted to camp up on the mountain and leave six for this morning.

Mosquitoes are starting to become an issue. Have to spray myself down if I want any peace when ever I stop for a break.

I'm 1,090 miles in.

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Great pictures Moz. The lakes certain enhance the environment and beauty.

Have you encountered any hikers making the trip north to south yet?
 
2lumpy said:
Great pictures Moz. The lakes certain enhance the environment and beauty.

Have you encountered any hikers making the trip north to south yet?
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Lots of section hikers doing southbound (we call them SOBOs as opposed to us NOBOs). But I haven't met any SOBOs yet that are doing the entire PCT.
 
mozey said:
Kennedy Meadows North to South Lake Tahoe. For a moment there I thought I was back in the desert. Trail is finally starting to flatten out a little, but still dealing with some snow at elevations above 8,000 feet. But miles per day are starting to creep back up. I did a 26 two days ago followed by a 27 yesterday. I was tempted last night to go for 33 to get to the paved road, but I knew my odds of getting a hitch after dark were probably zero, so I opted to camp up on the mountain and leave six for this morning.

Mosquitoes are starting to become an issue. Have to spray myself down if I want any peace when ever I stop for a break.

I'm 1,090 miles in.

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That’s my home stretch of the pct ! Love that volcanic landscape
 
The mosquitos can be bad this time of year in the high country especially after a wet winter and spring. I feel for you.
 
Rie bread said:
Austria hauf or the burgers spot near the village. I’m gunna guesss there are some good new spots since iv been there.

But your next stop is Tioga pass and despite being a gas station the Mobile restaurant is quite good. The long lost tioga pass resort used to have the best food in a hundred miles but alas is closed
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Burger spot is called “Bugers”…great food
 
South Lake Tahoe to I-80. This part of the trail took me through the Desolation Wilderness, Tahoe Rim Trail, and Donner Pass. I normally would not be making a town stop after just 2.5 days and 63 miles. But Desolation Wilderness was the last area on the PCT that requires food to be stored in a bear cannister, and after packing that thing the last 400 miles, I'm anxious to be rid of it and mail it home.

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I-80 to Quincy: The stretch of trail took me by Sierra Butte and through a large burn scar. From what I can gather from my navigation app the fire was three or four years ago, but it's still a fairly hazardous area. There was a lot of negotiating around deadfalls and overgrowth, and I lost the trail a couple times before accidently stumbling onto an old logging road the I was able to follow a couple miles to where it intersected the PCT about three miles before the PCT crossed the Feather River.

With all the deadfalls, I did not feel comfortable about camping in that burn scar, so I hiked the last couple miles with a headlamp to get across the Feather River to an area that was safer to camp. I ended doing 33 miles that day, which is the most I've done on this trail so far.

Over my first week back from the cruise, I hiked 159 miles. Since the Sierras, the trail has flattened out a little, so I hope I can maintain that pace for the next four weeks when I'll be getting off trail again for a dall sheep hunt.

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Nice of you to share. I read every post and look at all the pics with envy and some awe too. What do you think your destination date might be ?
I watched Homemade Wanderlust videos. Still amazed at how She finished many miles in deep fresh snow in running shoes.
 
Good stuff Mozey... if you need anything, yell, your coming up to the Humbug summit, Humboldt summit/ peak area... I'll run it up to you...
Mike
 
DeerMadness said:
Nice of you to share. I read every post and look at all the pics with envy and some awe too. What do you think your destination date might be ?
I watched Homemade Wanderlust videos. Still amazed at how She finished many miles in deep fresh snow in running shoes.
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I'm hoping to make it into Oregon before getting off trail on August 20. I'll be returning sometime around the last week of September, when I plan to start at the Canada border and come south. If all goes well, I hope to finish Washington before my NM Elk hunt that starts on Oct 19th. Then hopefully I can return and knock out whatever remains of Oregon before my Kansas whitetail hunt in November.

My other problem is I've been notified that jury duty may call, so that may throw a wrench into the mix as well.

Homemade Wanderlust was the one that inspired me to attempt the CDT. So much good stuff in her videos. Another one that I really like (because he's old like me) is Feral Hikes.
 
mod700 said:
Good stuff Mozey... if you need anything, yell, your coming up to the Humbug summit, Humboldt summit/ peak area... I'll run it up to you...
Mike
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Awesome--thank you. If you're available then, what I may need is a ride to town. I'm more than happy to pay for gas or buy meals, drinkks, etc, if I don't have to hitch.
 
mozey said:
I was about ten minutes too slow on what we think was a record book ram last year. Hopefully he's still around this year and I'll be able to give myself a better opportunity for a shot.
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Hope the stars line up Moz…… you’ve earned it.

Does the CDT take you onto Rainer or Hood or any of the other majestic peeks, up north?
 
Quincy to Chester. Needed to make a quick stop in Chester to pick up new tips for my trekking poles. I can't thank mod700 (and his dog Grizz) enough for being willing to pick me up at the highway and drive me into Chester (and also for the cold coke).

About 80 percent of this 65-mile stretch of trail was through the Dixie Fire burn scar. It was hot with out much shade, and I found out later that several of my fellow thru hikers are skipping this section. The former Forest Service guy that gave me a ride from Quincy back to the trail told that the Dixie Fire was the single biggest fire in California history.

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Pleasure meeting you yesterday!, glad I could help out, though a small amount..you got about 4 miles, then you'll be out of the scar for about another 4 miles, then back into it, for probably several days... that Dixie fire burned over 963,000 acres, for 3 months, it covered some ground. Safe travels Wayne, thanks for taking us along!
Mike
 
mod700 said:
Pleasure meeting you yesterday!, glad I could help out, though a small amount..you got about 4 miles, then you'll be out of the scar for about another 4 miles, then back into it, for probably several days... that Dixie fire burned over 963,000 acres, for 3 months, it covered some ground. Safe travels Wayne, thanks for taking us along!
Mike
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It was just as you said.
 
Chester to Burney. This section of trail continues through the Dixie Fire Burn scar and also included the Lassen Volcanic National Park (LVNP) and the Lassen National Forest (LNF). I also saw my first bull elk on this trail, but unfortunately wasn't quick enough with my camera.

The interesting little quirk about this section was that we were required to have a bear cannister if we camped in the LVNP, but not if we hiked all the way through its 19 miles in a single day. Thus, coming out of Chester, it was only about 12 miles to the LVNP boundary, and there ended up being about 12 to 15 of us hikers all camped on the same ridge just about a mile before the boundary.

The other thing going on right now is there has been a breakout of Norovirus amongst the thru hikers, so we're all doing our best to maintain distance from each other. Keeping this mind, I cleared a space in a flat spot that was what I thought was a safe distance from all the other hikers and widowmakers in the area. What I didn't realize was I must have set up too close to a falcon's nest, because that thing immediately started dive-bombing me. I don't know how to describe the sound when those things fly that close over your head, but the closest I can come up with is a cross between an arrow and a jet engine. The first time it happened it came from behind me and I wondered if a bullet had just whizzed over my head. I was spinning around trying to figure out what had just missed me. The second time I saw it coming, but was still surprised that a bird flying would make a sound like that. At that point I should have looked for another place to pitch my tent, but with all the prime/safe spots already taken, I stubbornly finished setting up my tent and crawled in, thinking it would let up as soon as I was in my tent. Wrong again. I'm pretty sure that thing kept it up the whole night, and I don't know if I slept at all. It seemed like every time I was about to fall asleep there would be a loud whoosh followed by its chirp chirp chirp, and I'd be wide awake again.

The next morning I was up before the sun (I'd given up on the hope of getting any sleep). I noticed the hikers that had camped nearest to me were all up too, and I wondered if they were cursing me for camping so close to that bird. I ended up hiking all the way through LVNP that day, plus another 11 miles for a total of 30. LVNP was probably 90 percent burned, but the hot springs, geysers, etc, were still neat to see. However, I didn't see a single bear track or scat that entire day. Seems to me they could relook at the necessity for that rule.

The other complication now is the ongoing Park fire, which is now threatening the areas I just hiked through. The smoke from that fire does not seem to be bothering my lungs, but it sure gives everything an apocalyptic feel. Several hikers behind me have just been evacuated to Burney. I hope they are able to get the fire under control soon, but right now it's not looking good.

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mozey said:
Chester to Burney. This section of trail continues through the Dixie Fire Burn scar and also included the Lassen Volcanic National Park (LVNP) and the Lassen National Forest (LNF). I also saw my first bull elk on this trail, but unfortunately wasn't quick enough with my camera.

The interesting little quirk about this section was that we were required to have a bear cannister if we camped in the LVNP, but not if we hiked all the way through its 19 miles in a single day. Thus, coming out of Chester, it was only about 12 miles to the LVNP boundary, and there ended up being about 12 to 15 of us hikers all camped on the same ridge just about a mile before the boundary.

The other thing going on right now is there has been a breakout of Norovirus amongst the thru hikers, so we're all doing our best to maintain distance from each other. Keeping this mind, I cleared a space in a flat spot that was what I thought was a safe distance from all the other hikers and widowmakers in the area. What I didn't realize was I must have set up too close to a falcon's nest, because that thing immediately started dive-bombing me. I don't know how to describe the sound when those things fly that close over your head, but the closest I can come up with is a cross between an arrow and a jet engine. The first time it happened it came from behind me and I wondered if a bullet had just whizzed over my head. I was spinning around trying to figure out what had just missed me. The second time I saw it coming, but was still surprised that a bird flying would make a sound like that. At that point I should have looked for another place to pitch my tent, but with all the prime/safe spots already taken, I stubbornly finished setting up my tent and crawled in, thinking it would let up as soon as I was in my tent. Wrong again. I'm pretty sure that thing kept it up the whole night, and I don't know if I slept at all. It seemed like every time I was about to fall asleep there would be a loud whoosh followed by its chirp chirp chirp, and I'd be wide awake again.

The next morning I was up before the sun (I'd given up on the hope of getting any sleep). I noticed the hikers that had camped nearest to me were all up too, and I wondered if they were cursing me for camping so close to that bird. I ended up hiking all the way through LVNP that day, plus another 11 miles for a total of 30. LVNP was probably 90 percent burned, but the hot springs, geysers, etc, were still neat to see. However, I didn't see a single bear track or scat that entire day. Seems to me they could relook at the necessity for that rule.

The other complication now is the ongoing Park fire, which is now threatening the areas I just hiked through. The smoke from that fire does not seem to be bothering my lungs, but it sure gives everything an apocalyptic feel. Several hikers behind me have just been evacuated to Burney. I hope they are able to get the fire under control soon, but right now it's not looking good.

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Sure looks like the world is still real up there Moz.
 
It doesn't look like the Park Fire is going to let up anytime soon. Do you have a plan for that?

It's probably just me but I'd have that "Unlawful To Go Beyond This Point" sign in my pack as a souvenir. It looks like a pretty worn trail going right by it. Californians..... :ROFLMAO:
 
eelgrass said:
It doesn't look like the Park Fire is going to let up anytime soon. Do you have a plan for that?

It's probably just me but I'd have that "Unlawful To Go Beyond This Point" sign in my pack as a souvenir. It looks like a pretty worn trail going right by it. Californians..... :ROFLMAO:
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At this point I'm just trying to stay ahead of the fire, but it's close. I had breakfast at JJ's in Old Station yesterday morning just to learn last night that it was placed in the evacuation zone.

The area behind that sign looked like a combination of boiling mud and water to me--didn't need a sign to convince me not to get any closer. But some peoples' kids I guess...
 
Burney to I-5: This 90-mile section of trail took me through the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. When I left Burney it was socked in with smoke from the Park fire. Consequently, some well-intentioned folks on Facebook were recommending that PCT hikers skip up to Dunsmuir, and it appears that the majority of the PCT hikers around me did exactly that. I tend to be much more stubborn about maintaining my continuous footpath though (and admittedly this sometimes gets me into trouble), and because the PCT runs about seven miles north of Burney, I hitched a ride up to the trail to see conditions for myself. What I found when I got there was the smoke was mostly lifted.

So I decided to go for it. The trail through this section was a little overgrown in spots, which did some damage to my shins (should have zipped the legs back on my convertible pants), but otherwise conditions were beautiful. I saw only two other hikers (one NOBO and one SOBO) over this four days.

After hiking the last 100 miles through burn scars, it was really nice to be hiking in green again. I also saw a lot more wildlife than I have any previous sections of this trail (not including fish).

I did have one near disaster. On the second night I was hiking the last couple miles in the dark, and was just about finished when I reached for my phone and it wasn't in the pack pocket where it was supposed to be. I use my phone for navigation, info on water sources, camping spots, etc, so that was an alarming development. The brush was very overgrown through much of that area, and I could see how it could have knocked my phone out of my pocket that is attached to one of my pack straps. I knew the last time I looked at it, it said 1.7 miles to the next water source. So I backtracked what I thought was two miles with my headlamp, hoping I would see it on the trail. No luck.

My next idea was to wait until 4:45 in the morning when the alarm would be going off, and hopefully I would hear it as I walked the two-mile section of trail. No luck with that idea either.

For my third try, I very slowly walked back over that two miles, and carefully checked under every bush that looked like it was tall enough to knock the phone out of my pocket. No luck with that either.

After that failed, I essentially gave up, and started thinking of ways I could navigate the last 40 miles back to civilization. At this point I had not seen any other hikers for the previous two days, so it felt like I was there by myself. I had pretty much gone back through that entire two-mile section for the fourth time, and I had no intention of going through it again.

Then something black in the middle of a bush caught my eye. There it was! Talk about going from the lowest of lows to highest of highs instantly! I was back in the game.

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mozey said:
Burney to I-5: This 90-mile section of trail took me through the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. When I left Burney it was socked in with smoke from the Park fire. Consequently, some well-intentioned folks on Facebook were recommending that PCT hikers skip up to Dunsmuir, and it appears that the majority of the PCT hikers around me did exactly that. I tend to be much more stubborn about maintaining my continuous footpath though (and admittedly this sometimes gets me into trouble), and because the PCT runs about seven miles north of Burney, I hitched a ride up to the trail to see conditions for myself. What I found when I got there was the smoke was mostly lifted.

So I decided to go for it. The trail through this section was a little overgrown in spots, which did some damage to my shins (should have zipped the legs back on my convertible pants), but otherwise conditions were beautiful. I saw only two other hikers (one NOBO and one SOBO) over this four days.

After hiking the last 100 miles through burn scars, it was really nice to be hiking in green again. I also saw a lot more wildlife than I have any previous sections of this trail (not including fish).

I did have one near disaster. On the second night I was hiking the last couple miles in the dark, and was just about finished when I reached for my phone and it wasn't in the pack pocket where it was supposed to be. I use my phone for navigation, info on water sources, camping spots, etc, so that was an alarming development. The brush was very overgrown through much of that area, and I could see how it could have knocked my phone out of my pocket that is attached to one of my pack straps. I knew the last time I looked at it, it said 1.7 miles to the next water source. So I backtracked what I thought was two miles with my headlamp, hoping I would see it on the trail. No luck.

My next idea was to wait until 4:45 in the morning when the alarm would be going off, and hopefully I would hear it as I walked the two-mile section of trail. No luck with that idea either.

For my third try, I very slowly walked back over that two miles, and carefully checked under every bush that looked like it was tall enough to knock the phone out of my pocket. No luck with that either.

After that failed, I essentially gave up, and started thinking of ways I could navigate the last 40 miles back to civilization. At this point I had not seen any other hikers for the previous two days, so it felt like I was there by myself. I had pretty much gone back through that entire two-mile section for the fourth time, and I had no intention of going through it again.

Then something black in the middle of a bush caught my eye. There it was! Talk about going from the lowest of lows to highest of highs instantly! I was back in the game.

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mozey said:
Burney to I-5: This 90-mile section of trail took me through the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. When I left Burney it was socked in with smoke from the Park fire. Consequently, some well-intentioned folks on Facebook were recommending that PCT hikers skip up to Dunsmuir, and it appears that the majority of the PCT hikers around me did exactly that. I tend to be much more stubborn about maintaining my continuous footpath though (and admittedly this sometimes gets me into trouble), and because the PCT runs about seven miles north of Burney, I hitched a ride up to the trail to see conditions for myself. What I found when I got there was the smoke was mostly lifted.

So I decided to go for it. The trail through this section was a little overgrown in spots, which did some damage to my shins (should have zipped the legs back on my convertible pants), but otherwise conditions were beautiful. I saw only two other hikers (one NOBO and one SOBO) over this four days.

After hiking the last 100 miles through burn scars, it was really nice to be hiking in green again. I also saw a lot more wildlife than I have any previous sections of this trail (not including fish).

I did have one near disaster. On the second night I was hiking the last couple miles in the dark, and was just about finished when I reached for my phone and it wasn't in the pack pocket where it was supposed to be. I use my phone for navigation, info on water sources, camping spots, etc, so that was an alarming development. The brush was very overgrown through much of that area, and I could see how it could have knocked my phone out of my pocket that is attached to one of my pack straps. I knew the last time I looked at it, it said 1.7 miles to the next water source. So I backtracked what I thought was two miles with my headlamp, hoping I would see it on the trail. No luck.

My next idea was to wait until 4:45 in the morning when the alarm would be going off, and hopefully I would hear it as I walked the two-mile section of trail. No luck with that idea either.

For my third try, I very slowly walked back over that two miles, and carefully checked under every bush that looked like it was tall enough to knock the phone out of my pocket. No luck with that either.

After that failed, I essentially gave up, and started thinking of ways I could navigate the last 40 miles back to civilization. At this point I had not seen any other hikers for the previous two days, so it felt like I was there by myself. I had pretty much gone back through that entire two-mile section for the fourth time, and I had no intention of going through it again.

Then something black in the middle of a bush caught my eye. There it was! Talk about going from the lowest of lows to highest of highs instantly! I was back in the game.

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Crazy how stuff like that happens. Sometimes you find the needle in the haystack. Glad that worked out for you Moz. Persistence is a HUGE part of success.
 
Well, that was raw talent and skill finding that thing... anybody else would of been blind ass luck!.. safe travels Moz, thanks for the update!.. this Park fire has settled down a bunch, it burned 1,280 acres in about 11 hours last nite, compared to 5000 acres a hour!... take care...
Mike
 
mozey said:
Chester to Burney. This section of trail continues through the Dixie Fire Burn scar and also included the Lassen Volcanic National Park (LVNP) and the Lassen National Forest (LNF). I also saw my first bull elk on this trail, but unfortunately wasn't quick enough with my camera.

The interesting little quirk about this section was that we were required to have a bear cannister if we camped in the LVNP, but not if we hiked all the way through its 19 miles in a single day. Thus, coming out of Chester, it was only about 12 miles to the LVNP boundary, and there ended up being about 12 to 15 of us hikers all camped on the same ridge just about a mile before the boundary.

The other thing going on right now is there has been a breakout of Norovirus amongst the thru hikers, so we're all doing our best to maintain distance from each other. Keeping this mind, I cleared a space in a flat spot that was what I thought was a safe distance from all the other hikers and widowmakers in the area. What I didn't realize was I must have set up too close to a falcon's nest, because that thing immediately started dive-bombing me. I don't know how to describe the sound when those things fly that close over your head, but the closest I can come up with is a cross between an arrow and a jet engine. The first time it happened it came from behind me and I wondered if a bullet had just whizzed over my head. I was spinning around trying to figure out what had just missed me. The second time I saw it coming, but was still surprised that a bird flying would make a sound like that. At that point I should have looked for another place to pitch my tent, but with all the prime/safe spots already taken, I stubbornly finished setting up my tent and crawled in, thinking it would let up as soon as I was in my tent. Wrong again. I'm pretty sure that thing kept it up the whole night, and I don't know if I slept at all. It seemed like every time I was about to fall asleep there would be a loud whoosh followed by its chirp chirp chirp, and I'd be wide awake again.

The next morning I was up before the sun (I'd given up on the hope of getting any sleep). I noticed the hikers that had camped nearest to me were all up too, and I wondered if they were cursing me for camping so close to that bird. I ended up hiking all the way through LVNP that day, plus another 11 miles for a total of 30. LVNP was probably 90 percent burned, but the hot springs, geysers, etc, were still neat to see. However, I didn't see a single bear track or scat that entire day. Seems to me they could relook at the necessity for that rule.

The other complication now is the ongoing Park fire, which is now threatening the areas I just hiked through. The smoke from that fire does not seem to be bothering my lungs, but it sure gives everything an apocalyptic feel. Several hikers behind me have just been evacuated to Burney. I hope they are able to get the fire under control soon, but right now it's not looking good.

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We're up at our cabin at Lake Almanor now and the smoke is in and out depending on the winds. Yesterday evening and last night the smoke was brutal, but today (8/1@ 1430 hrs) the smoke isn't too bad and I can see across the lake.

Here's a pict from eve of 7/31.
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I-5 to Etna. This 98-mile stretch of the trail took me through the Castle Crags Wilderness. The scenery was amazing, and I don't believe my pictures do it justice.

This also begins the section where most of the PCT hikers skipped up to to get around the Park fire. So whereas the previous section I saw a total of two hikers, my first night up from I-5 here was about 25 - 30 of us all camped on the same ridge where we could watch the sunset and sunrise on Mount Shasta and the Castle Crags.

This section also puts me up against the Shelly Fire trail closure, so yesterday I started the road walk that will take me around the closure. I got rained on a little, but some very nice people also offered me a ride when I was still five miles from Etna. I was 32 miles for the day, so even though I'll need to hitch a ride back to that spot, I happily accepted.

When I got to Etna, all of the available lodging was already filled, so I ended up camping in the city park. I'm surrounded by what I estimate to be about 50 other PCT hikers, so this definitely is a different vibe than what I was experiencing just a few days ago.

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Mozey, great looking country you're in now. FYI, I don't think you're the only one to misplace their phone on the trail. I have a friend in Siskiyou County who lives close to the trail. He swears he saw a Bigfoot carrying a cell phone, so keep it secure. 😄
 
Etna, CA to Ashland, OR. This 117-mile section of the trail started off with a 50-mile road walk from Etna to Seiad Valley to get around the Shelly Fire Trail Closure. It also took me across the California Oregon border and through part of the Rogue River National Forest.

Road walks can get pretty boring, but in this case I was able to amuse myself by feeding on all the wild black berries growing along the highway. They were yummy.

Then the last ten miles was along the scenic Klamath River, so as road walks go, this was better than average.

It also feels good to finally complete California. I'm rewarding myself by staying in a hotel tonight that has a whirlpool, and relax as much as I can while I try to figure out how to tackle Oregon.

Oregon is looking very complicated with several fire closures, and I have not yet ruled out just skipping up to the Canada border and coming south until I make it back to Ashland.

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mozey said:
Etna, CA to Ashland, OR. This 117-mile section of the started off with a 50-mile road walk from Etna to Seiad Valley to get around the Shelly Fire Trail Closure. It also took me across the California Oregon border and through part of the Rogue River National Forest.

Road walks can get pretty boring, but in this case I was able to amuse myself by feeding on all the wild black berries growing along the highway. They were yummy.

Then the last ten miles was along the scenic Klamath River, so as road walks go, this was better than average.

It also feels good to finally complete California. I'm rewarding myself by staying in a hotel tonight that has a whirlpool, and relax as much as I can while I try to figure out how to tackle Oregon.

Oregon is looking very complicated with several fire closures, and I have not yet ruled out just skipping up to the Canada border and coming south until I make it back to Ashland.

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Your a stud for sure!
 
Thanks for the update moz, seems like there are fires everywhere, stay safe bud, enjoy your break!..
Mike
 
Ashland to Crater Lake. This 104-mile section of the trail took me through the Rogue River National Forest, Sky Lakes Wilderness, and first part of Crater Lake National Park. There was a little bit of everything in this section and I'm now seeing quite a few SOBOs coming through.

I seem to be walking a lot more in the shade, which is mostly good, but I have noticed that that is when the annoying gnats show up. Apparently they don't like being in direct sunlight because they disappear whenever I step out in the sun. Seems like I can't win sometimes: get relief from the sun in the shade but then the gnats show up; get relief from the gnats in the sun but then have to deal with heat... 😅

Also in this section I had to navigate around alot more fallen trees, some of them nearly as tall as me, which were impossible to climb over, and took a long time to walk around.

There were a couple of small streams that as I approached it looked like the ground was moving. When I looked closer, it was hundreds and hundreds of tiny frogs or toads. There was no way to avoid them and still get through there, so I'm sorry to say I stepped on more than a few. Frog apocalypse.

Also got into some nice patches of huckleberries. I'm a firm believer that life is better if you have a mouth full of huckleberries, so with my hiker hunger kicking in, it takes quite a lot of self-discipline to not spend an hour or two just picking and eating huckleberries.

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Crater Lake to Chemult. This 46-mile section of the trail took me around the rim of Crater Lake, and through the Fremont-Winema and Unpqua National Forests. Crater Lake was so awesome that I thought it needed it's own post.

I also started the 64-mile road walk around the Diamond Complex Fires, several of which I could see burning from the road I was on.

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Carter Lake looks amazing. I’ll like to have a look at that someday. Thanks for the pics Moz.

Is that forest full of beetle killed trees or an old burned area.

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2lumpy said:
Carter Lake looks amazing. I’ll like to have a look at that someday. Thanks for the pics Moz.

Is that forest full of beetle killed trees or an old burned area.

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I think it's a combination of both. If you look close, you can see the smoke from the active fires that have caused the trail to be closed.
 
I really enjoy the report on your adventure. Seeing the pictures of the area around Crater Lake brings back fond old memories. I had the chance to hunt in that area nearly 50 years ago. It’s one of my favorite memories of living in Oregon. Your report is awe inspiring. BacDoc🤠
 
Spectacular photos, Mosey. Keek on trucking.

I've driven by Crater Lake a few times on the way to Idaho. Crater Lake is 1900+ ft. deep, the deepest lake in the United States.
 
Chimult to Sisters. This 134-mile section of the trail started with the continuation of the 64-mile road walk around the Diamond Complex Fires, and then took me through the Deschutes National Forest, Three Sisters Wilderness, Willamette National Forest, and Mount Washington Wilderness.

Very scenic area, with lots of trees, lakes, volcanic areas, burn scars, huckleberries, blue berries, and mosquitoes. I also did some night hiking to get through some of the burn scars, which was actually a little eerie.

For my fifth full week back on trail I covered 189.6 miles, and since starting from South Lake Tahoe I covered 910 miles in 38 days. I have 653 miles to go, which I believe will take about four weeks.

But it's now hunting season, so I got off trail. l need to see if I can piece together four weeks between hunts. This is definitely a good problem to have.

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