Etna, CA to Ashland, OR -- Success!!!

Day 41 Cont'd - 0 Miles (Etna, Ca)

At the Etna Brewing Company I met four thru-hikers: Rest Stop, Tiki, Stormin' Norman, and his wife Helen. We all had a good time downing pints and great food until we were, out of the blue, cut off from drinking any more. Maybe we weren't being loud and obnoxious enough because you couldn't hear a peep from our table and the place was full of inebriated rednecks and tourists.

Upon my return to the Hiker's Hut, I discovered that I had three new housemates: Greg, Ryan, and Lopez. The three of them had flown up from Livermore, in a private plane, to hang out in the Etna vincinity for their annual getaway trip.

Once again, I slept like a rock tonight. Ear plugs rock.


Day 42 - 21 Miles (Etna Summitt to Cold Springs)

Steve Pucci, the manager of the Hiker's Hut, gave me a ride to Etna Summit at 9am sharp. On the way up to the trailhead, he informed me that he had suffered a near-fatal fall while working on a house the previous November, and was lucky to be alive. He had made a lot progress in rehab, and made hiking the pct one of his comeback goals

There wasn't any water for the first 12 miles or so, which made the climb out a little tougher than it needed to be. I took a nice long break at Fisher Lake where Norman, Helen, Claire, and Patrick would also stop.

Today I feel a lot stronger due to the good sleep gotten the previous two nights -- it makes a huge difference. I am also enjoying a relaxed pace compared with a few weeks prior, which gives me more time to stop mid-day and read. Right now I'm reading Under the Wheel by Herman Hesse.

I decided to hike on a bit due to a down-trail campsite that came recommended by the guidebook. Mistake. It was full of horse shit and not much of the ground was flat. I'm suspecting that this guidebook may have been written by a committee of officials who haven't been on the trail in decades.


Day 43 - 21 Miles (Cold Springs to Werner Creek)

There was a lot of hot, exposed climbing early and often, but the big news was a large forest fire in the area. I spotted a massive plume of smoke blowing south in a valley about 10 miles away. The PCT followed a ridge headed due west, and straight towards the fire. I consulted my maps, but was unable to tell exactly whether or not the two would overlap.

With much anxiety I began hiking a fast pace towards the fire. Sounds stupid I know, but I wanted to know as soon as possible if I would be forced to backtrack and find a safe alternate route out of there. As I made my way down the ridge, I kept my eye on an adjacent ridge to the south that was currently fire free. I resolved that if the fire got over that ridge I was out of there.

A few miles later I noticed had in fact jumped the adjacent ridge. Just before I decided to retreat, the trail curved due north and downhill. I was now able to orient and figured that I would be safe as long as I got out of the area in good time, which I did.

After the stress associated with the fire-watching ridge hike, I found the shady descent to camp a welcome one. At the bottom of the descent I wet forded a creek. It seemed like the first time in weeks I had been forced to get my shoes wet, but I wasn't complaining.


Day 44 - 17 Miles (Werner Creek to Saeid Valley, CA)

The last six miles into town today were all road walking. Hiking on roads is generally faster, but also tends to be hotter. I found some quirky houses and country cottages along the road into the town of Saied Valley.

Upon arrival in town I headed right for the town diner, whereupon I downed a bacon and cheese omelet, toast, hashbrowns, three pieces of french toast, and five glassed of sierra mist. The father and son working the diner were super friendly, as were pretty much everyone we would meet in town.

Upon a recommendation from other hikers I headed to the adjacent RV Park for the day. The heat in the valley was absolutely sweltering and getting hotter as the day wore on, but someone at the RV Park had the good sense to install lawn chairs and misters in the shade. Life saver.

Late in the day the hikers who had collected in RV PArk collectively decided the time was ripe for heading out. The heat was lessening a big climb would consume the evening and the next morning.

On the advice of the diner owner, we took a shortcut on Saeid Creek Road out of town that saved us miles and vertical feet. There were a lot of nice homes located up that valley. A short while later a pickup truck zoomed by and offered all the hikers a ride a ways up the road. Everyone but myself hopped in.

This is one of those moments when you feel like an idiot for sticking to your principals. My only rule for hiking the PCT is this: it has to be an unbroken chain of steps. It does not matter if you take shortcuts as long as you walk the whole way. Other hikers had no problem with getting rides farther down the trail, or jumping sections. Everyone hikes their own hike in the end.

I eventually caught up to Norman and Helen on foot. We all camped along the creek and were hit with a big wind storm at night. That could be a sign that a new front is moving in.


Day 45 - 20 Miles (Saied Valley, CA to Mud Flat Spur Rd)

Four thousand vertical feet was the first order of business today. My legs were fresh and little trouble with it.

I met some Sobos, or PCT southbound hikers, today. They told me what a terrible year it was to be a Sobo, since the snowpack in the North Cascades was much bigger than average for this time of year. Regardless it seemed like they were having lots of fun.

Good water was especially scarce today and led to more fatigue than would typically be the case. Fortunately some cloud and a trace of rain had moved in and cooled things down a lot. This made a big difference and allowed me to get some extra miles done before camp.


Day 46 - 25 Miles (Mud Flat Spur Road to Mt. Ashland Campground)

Today at about 9am I crossed into Oregon! What a feeling to have come all that way! The trail book located at the border was full of jubilant hikers who for so long had dreamed of exiting California!

The other big news of the day was my decision to ditch the circuitous PCT in favor of Road 20, a fairly direct route to my destination for the night, the Mt. Ashland Campground. I saw only two cars in 12 miles, and the tread was good for hiking. The vistas were also very rewarding as I was able to examine Southern Oregon for the first time.

I arrived at the Mt. Ashland Campground in the early evening and set up camp on top of a picnic table. There was a big wind storm but, it being my last night outside, I didn't mind too much. I am so eager to have unlimited access to (in no order of importance) food, comfortable furniture, indoor plumbing, and a girlfriend!!!


Day 47 - 9 Miles (Mt. Ashland Campground to Ashland, OR) Success!!!

Rising from the picnic table I noticed a brilliant sunrise over Mt. Shasta, some 60 miles to the South. Man that is a big mountain!

As I ran the last nine miles of the trail, I met a section hiker who had just started out. In some ways I envied him for the fact that he had his whole trip in front of him, but this lasted until I thought of the food awaiting me in the town of Ashland!

A couple of hours later I emerged from the trailhead at I-5. I had made it. What a great feeling. Nearly 800 miles walked! I snapped a few self-portraits and got back to my top priority -- get into town for food.

As luck would have it I got picked up by the first car that passed by me. A friendly gentleman named Bill, who lived in Ashland, was eager to hear how my trip went. Our conversation spilled over into a coffee shop located in town, where I downed a breakfast burrito within seconds. As I walked from the coffee shop to my hotel I was impressed with the sights and smells of the town, a very nice place.

As I walked towards the hotel, a car pulled over and the occupants asked me if I was a PCT hiker. Whereby they told me to get in. Turns out there were some Ashland trail angels who helped out hikers while they were in town. I guess the backpack, scruffy hair, and dirt on my legs was a dead giveaway that I was a thru-hiker.

They dropped me off at the Best Western and continued on their way. It felt so good to get a shower and some food!!!

Becky and her folks showed up a few hours later and it was really good to see them. Becky and I headed out on the town to celebrate and I was totally happy to be in the cozy confines of modernity once again!


Special Thanks

Becky, Doug, and Jan Clark -- Thanks for supporting me in too many ways to list. I'm lucky to know such hospitable and generous people.

Jeff Hotchkiss -- Mt. Shasta was brilliant thanks to your planning.

Mom and Dad -- For teaching me how to walk!


Random Facts:

Trip Lenghth: Around 800 miles

Trip Duration: 47 days

Zero Days: 6

Estimated Snickers Consumed: 65

Shoes Used Up: 2 Pairs

Socks Used Up: 9 Pairs

Hitch-hikes: 8

Bears Seen: 0

Items Lost: 1 Flip-flop

Highest Elevation: 14,162 Feet (Shasta)

Lowest Elevation: Some Random Ditch

Trail Angels Met: 6

Foxes Seen: 1

Hours of TV Watched: 15

Nights Under The Stars: 39

Rainy Days: 3

Most Cherished Item in Backpack: Hydrocortisone

Least Cherished Item in Backpack: The Guidebook

Estimated Liters of Water Consumed: 300

Best Tasting Water: The "A-Tree" Mountain Spring

Worst Town Food: Pizza in Bridgeport

Best Town Food (Tie): Hayes Creek Inn in Bridgeport and Morning Glory in Ashland

Broken Gear: Hiking Pole Tips

Most Valuable Lesson Learned: Driving is a hell of a lot faster than walking!