I had a weird thought today....I miss the trail.
I wasn't sure it was going to happen. The trail and I had a bit of a falling out there towards the end and I was happy to leave it behind and do something else for a change. But it crept back up on me today and I felt a bit sad that it was no longer our life. There was something so magical about the simplicity of it all and I think that is what I miss the most.
So now that I have gotten a grip and a bit of perspective I can once again bare to think about finishing our trip within the blog world. I think we left off somewhere in California...Burney Falls. Wow that was a long time ago.
We had spent most of the day in Burney and at Burney Falls state park stocking up on the usual amenities and organizing the 20 lb resupply box we had received. It was then we realized the shear size and weight of our packs was far more than what we needed for a 6 day trek to Etna, our next resupply. The problem being we had made the mistake of going grocery shopping that morning in Burney BEFORE we stopped for breakfast. This is a mistake in normal life with a normal appetite. It's a whole different ball game and extremely dangerous situation when you are not only starving at all times, but are also deprived of certain types of food for extended periods of time and all you do for the few day leading up to a town day is talk about what sounds good and what you are going to eat when you finally get there. So we were stuck with far too much food and because I am not a fan of waisting anything there was no way we were leaving any of it behind in the hiker box. So after some soda, two ice cream cones and various other snacks we were far to excited to consume during our stop at Burney Falls, we headed out. It was late afternoon and we didn't make it far.
Needless to say the first few days were tough. The weight just compounded the issue of my bad pair of shoes I had traded for in Ebbetts. I could deal with the uncomfortable shoes until my pack got heavy and then it was hell. I had blisters everywhere and I couldn't go a day with out Ibuprofen, or I-be-hikin as we learned to call it. During this 6 day, which turned into 9 day, stretch I was sucking the meds about as fast as Lewis had been. I had not had much of a problem with my feet until now and it definitely gave me an appreciation for the foot pain Lewis was experiencing at the beginning of our trip. He was a trooper.
Our 6 day stint to Etna turned to 9 when we decided to skip Etna and keep trucking it all the way to Seiad Valley. It would of been good of us to have decided on this plan before we started binging on food in order to lighten our load. But it wasn't until we were almost to Etna that we decided to go for it and by this time we barely had enough to make it. We were three days away and 80 miles and we were committed. There was no turning back. And the only choice now was to ration our food and walk as many miles as we could each day. During this segment of our hike we had to up the ante and were doing 28 miles a day, every day with soar feet and hungry bellies. Our lunches turned into half a pack of Ritz crackers, a few tablespoons of hummus and if we were lucky a half of a tortilla with peanut butter and honey. It was a tough section. But we pushed harder than we ever had and we made it despite our pain. We have definitely learned how much we can push our selves. When your body and mind are strong you can do almost anything.
This section was not only physically difficult, but it was emotionally so as well. At one point on this stretch we were about 30 miles or so from the Oregon boarder, that is if the trail had continued in a strait line north. We learned early on that "strait line" is not in the PCT vocabulary, but this section took it to a whole new level. Instead of heading north, which doesn't seem like much to ask, our path started taking a sharp west turn 70 some miles out of our way to make a WIDE sweep around Mt. Shasta. All we wanted to do was get to Oregon. It had taken us three months to get through California and we wanted to put it behind us. And not only did we turn way west, but the trail decided it would be a good idea to take us SOUTH for a few days. This was almost too much for us to take. But once again there was no choice but to keep walking and that was always the simple truth that brought us back to this journey. Just keep walking. It sounds so simple.
After nine days we arrived in Seiad Valley. We were never so happy. We set up shop in an RV park next to the local store. There were other hikers there as well. Many we had never met. We were doing 28 miles a day, no wonder we were running into new people. Sometimes you never know who might be just ahead of you or just behind. We ate all our usual cravings...soda, chips, ice cream, fruit...slept in what they called the pig pen, woke the next morning early to catch breakfast and headed out once again. From then on we rarely stayed more than an evening in any trail town. We had places to be and things to see and always felt a little guilty when we weren't hiking.
Pics from Burney Falls to Seiad Valley
Lewis & Mt. Shasta - due to our extreme western swing around Mt. Shasta...we had the annoying privilege of seeing it for DAYS and DAYS. Most things we would see and it would be gone. Shasta was, it seems, always there. It only compounded the feeling that we were getting no where.
Taking a moment to rest, eat, swim and filter water in this COLD but pleasant little creek.
Near Castle Crags
Patiently gathering water from a slow drip coming out of the side of the hill. We were desperate for water.
Pitcher plants. The only place we say them. They were the most amazing looking little plant creatures.
Castle Crags.
Mt. Shasta in the background, again.
We had gone 29 miles and were hoping for a good place to camp on this barren saddle. We made due with a small relatively flat spot among the rocky terrain.
Wild raspberries. I was overly excited to find these. Lewis started leaving me behind when I would find a bush and start picking all I could.
Just a cool old sign. Sometimes the trees would completely engulf the signs.
A hard day in the heat and with little water and not enough food. But it was beautiful.
A lake near the road to Etna. We kept walking that day almost till dark because there was no where flat to lay our heads.
We didn't meet these people, but found there shirt and hear about the later from a hiker who talked with them. It was a couple with their newborn baby and 12 goats living in the mountains, eating wild plants and drinking a gallon of goats milk a day. They were truly living off the land.
My previously mentioned peanut butter and honey tortilla roll up. It was adequate at best.
Corn
lilly. These plants were everywhere.
This lake in the crook of the hill was called
Maneaten Lake. Not sure why.
A forest fire we saw from a distance and later walked directly through.
The fire was mostly out, but it was weird to walk through the smoldering remains.
Vibrant yellow.
The Marbles....a mountain range of pure marble.
Our drinking source. Our filter was broken so we took what we could without getting to many
floaties and hoped for the best.
The "pig pen", where hikers slept at the RV park in
Seiad Vally.
Seiad Valley is famous for it's pancake challenge. Five 5lb pancakes in two hours. We didn't try.
Some of the only people, all hikers, who have finished the challenge in 26 years.
Our much anticipated mail drop box....with my new shoes. The moment I put them on my feet were ok again. The blisters went away, the soarness went away and I was back to my old self.
I guess Seaid Valley is still pushing to become an independent state. Funny.
Seiad Valley
- The boys decided this sign would be appropriate to hang.
- The coop....still being painted.
- The nest and roost.....the boys did a great job designing the perfect little coop for our hens.
- It's red like a little barn!
- Shaniqua....Kim is our second hen.
- We had to clip their wings so they couldn't fly out....don't worry, it's like cutting finger nails.
- We have two Black Sexlinks a cross breed between a Road Island Rooster and a Barred Rock Hen. Very hardy dual purpose birds that lay brown eggs. They are about six months old and have just begun laying. We plan on getting at least two more, hopefully of a different variety just for fun. In the winter they usually lay fewer eggs, but we hope to get around 2 eggs a day from four hens. It's so fun!!!
