Category: Pacific Crest Trail

Saturday, Sep 16th, 2023, 0630-1440NE of Disaster Peak to Sonora Pass, then ride to Pinecrest, plus side trip to the top of Sonora Peak 20.5 miles, Gain 5100′, Loss 4600′, elevation 6200′ I got on the trail early as usual, but my neighbor got an even earlier start, disappearing into the dark. It was barely light by 6 am. I greeted some pink clouds at a saddle first thing. I recalled this vista from before, which then seemed parched and barren. This morning there was still snow and a green valley below. It felt like early summer. I descended for a bit but there were many short and punchy bumps as the trail worked through some rugged terrain. I had[…]

Friday, Sep 15th, 2023, 0630-1840South of the Nipple to just NE of Disaster Peak31.5 miles, Gain 6330′, Loss 5730′, elevation 9110′ Oddly, I was hearing tree frogs creaking a few times overnight. At least I think that’s what they were. What a strange place for them to be. Speaking of strange, when I camped in this section in 2018, I was next to the Lost Lakes only a few miles north of where I woke this morning. That night, I woke abruptly to something sniffing around my tent. I yelled at whatever it was to “GET!” Another hiker was cowboy camping nearby and he calmly explained “It’s ok, they’re just huskies.” They had been sniffing him too and he woke[…]

Sunday, Sep 3rd, 2023, 0630-1850Peter Grubb Hut to Benson Hut13 miles, Gain 2310′, Loss 1880′, elevation 8240′ It’s incredible that last Wednesday’s forecast called for a 50% chance of rain only on Friday. When I checked the forecast again on Friday in Sierra City, it then said 3 straight days of rain. Well, at least they got that part right. It rained again most of the night, but not as strong as the night before. Still, it was so wonderful to have a roof over my head. As I learned in New Zealand and on the Appalachian Trail, it’s a lot easier to walk all day in the rain when you can count on drying out in a shelter or[…]

Saturday, Sep 2nd, 2023, 0740-17308 miles past Sierra City to Peter Grubb Hut26 miles, Gain 5030′, Loss 3650′, elevation 7810′ Wetness management is a hard skill to figure out and even harder to get right in all circumstances. There are many factors that play into it. Thinking back on my experiences with multiple days of rain on the AT, in New Zealand, and the Colorado Trail, it can feel like a losing battle to keep stuff dry. You fight the good fight but after a long enough timeline, everything becomes either damp or completely saturated. We were optimistic that it wouldn’t rain overnight, given the clearing skies the day before. Inevitably, the rain began around midnight, first as light, but[…]

Friday, Sep 1st, 2023, 0600-1940Ridge NE of Spencer Lakes to 8 miles past Sierra City 28 miles, Gain 4100′, Loss 5000′, elevation 6440′ I woke just as rain started to splatter my tent. It remained light until I was able to pack, thank goodness. I hate packing a wet tent. The wind howled all night but the trees ran perfect interference. A few breezes reached my tent but nothing major. It’s such a wonderful feeling to be protected in this way, but every gust still worried me. I ended up putting my earplugs in…if I couldn’t hear the gusts coming, they couldn’t bother me. Most would be hesitant to leave their tents in such gusty and wet conditions, but we[…]

Thursday, Aug 31st, 2023, 0630-1940Middle Fork Feather River to ridge NE of Spencer Lakes32.4 miles, Gain 8110′, Loss 3760′, elevation 7340′ I remembered almost nothing about the trail from this day, 5 years ago, except that it was pretty hard. The figure of 8,000 feet came to me, as I recalled this as my biggest day of elevation gain to this point. I pretty much repeated the day this time around, with the same starting point and a similar distance hiked. I usually have very good recall of my campsites but had no inkling of where I ended up that day. I must have been struggling a lot not to remember. There was a big climb out of the Middle[…]

Wednesday, Aug 30th, 2023, 0600-20156 miles past Belden to Middle Fork Feather River27 miles, Gain 3230′, Loss 6110′, elevation 2980′ I was so relieved to pack my stuff and escape the wind in the morning. The site was scenic but the exposure sucked. This is why I almost always prefer to camp low in the trees. Out Here camped next to me and was ready to go promptly at dawn, as well. I don’t usually find other hikers that are as motivated to get such an early start. He was trying to push big miles to make it to Truckee in time to meet up with a friend. His schedule pretty much aligned with mine, so we ended up hiking[…]