Twig Adventures

Monday, Aug 14th, 2023, 0630-2030Stuart Fork Trail to Trinity Resort, then Scott mtn HWY 3 to PCT SOBO mm11025 + 7.5 miles, Gain 1160′, Loss 1170′, elevation 6040′ I began my day with a rough idea how it might go down, but almost zero knowledge of what I was jumping into. I was off script, but that’s what I loved about thru-hiking, it sometimes forced me to be flexible and open to just seeing what happens. My Hiking Project app at least told me that I had about 4 miles left of the trail, all downhill. I guessed the rest of the road to HWY 3 was 1-2 miles. The Trinity Alps Resort was listed on the map, so I[…]

Friday, Aug 11th, 2023, 1330-1835Etna Hwy to Bingham Lake13 miles, Gain 2980′, Loss 2100′, elevation 6870′ I could leave first thing in the morning, pretending I didn’t even visit town, just as I had planned. Or, I could do a proper town stop by lingering and eating lots of food. Which do you think I did? For starters, I found an extra shower token, so I woke up to a hot shower. While rummaging through the hiker box, I also found a bag of spare earbud gummies, which were the perfect replacement for one I lost. I also found a like-new pair of sun gloves, made from the fancy Outdoor Research glacier material that’s cooling when wet. I couldn’t believe[…]

Thursday, Aug 10th, 2023, 0640-1930Paradise Lake to Etna Hwy, then hitch to Etna29.5 miles, Gain 5660′, Loss 5810′, elevation 6010′ I was surprised the deer didn’t bother me overnight. I made sure to pee really far away from my tent, so that seemed to do the trick. Maybe I was just too tired from the climb the day before to even notice them. I got a pretty late start, but still made almost 10 miles by 10 am. The morning was fantastic, with the landscape being so much better than I remembered it. Actually seeing the Marble Mountains was incredible. They were characterized by these white bands of marble, so dramatically different than the surrounding peaks. I couldn’t even see[…]

Wednesday, Aug 9th, 2023, 0610-1730Seiad Valley (Brian’s Place) to Paradise Lake, BFT mm 147.525 miles, Gain 6880′, Loss 2170′, elevation 6110′ The best way to break a vortex is to get out early! I was actually hoping for a 5 am dark start but 6 am was good enough. Everyone else was still asleep and the morning perfectly cool…what a change from 100 degrees the day before! With a 6000′ climb over nearly 20 miles, I couldn’t imagine a better tactic than what I employed. I walked the road as fast as I could, eating the 4 miles in 1 hour. I said goodbye to the Klamath river for the second time…I passed it a week before while hiking the[…]

Monday, Aug 7th to Tuesday Aug 8th, 2023Double Zero I didn’t plan to double zero in Seiad Valley, I didn’t even plan to zero at all. Truth be told, there wasn’t much going on in the town. Last time it was only worthy of an in-and-out. But the RV park had good wifi and a comfortable porch, so I was able to get some work done. Aside from the monumental task of keeping up with this blog, I needed to send some texts, emails, update socials, and most importantly, order new shoes. I bought a pair on Ebay for $65 total, which was actually a bit more than I normally paid for them. I had several pairs at home but[…]

Sunday, Aug 6th, 2023, 0710-1400Azalea Lake to Seiad Valley, BFT mm 12118 miles, Gain 2370′, Loss 6400′, elevation 1370′ I planned for an early start but ran into my camping mate, Bob, just as I was leaving. We got to chatting, so it was well after 7 am when I finally left camp. He was so proud to be on his first solo backpacking trip, so I encouraged him to check out the Oregon Coast Trail. I’d regret my delay later, when I realized the Seiad Valley cafe closed at 2 pm. But I wasn’t feeling the pull of a town day just yet. I had 9 miles of non-PCT trail still to go, which I knew could be slow[…]