July 25 – July 31, 2022

Total Distance: 103.7 miles

Album of the Week: Solas / Solas [Traditional Irish Music]

After flying out to Colorado and joining my parents for the first leg of their trip through the Uinta Mountains of northern Utah and on to Northern California, I finally am getting back onto the Pacific Crest Trail! It’s been a long and sometimes boring wait while my injury recovered, but I did learn some lessons from my rehabilitation period, primarily that it is important to make the most of the time that you have. And that’s exactly what I plan to do on my second attempt of the PCT – I’m not worrying about goals or how far I’m going to get, just about the journey and the sights I get to see and people I get to meet along the way.

Of course, the few days I spent in the Uintas with my family were pretty interesting too. We did some shorter hikes to some picturesque alpine lakes and one very steep hike to a mountain cirque, that none of us actually completed because it was too long. This was my “warmup” trip for my second PCT attempt, testing the waters with my knee and heel and new additions like the trekking poles. However, like most small trips to the mountains, I found myself wanting to explore this unique area more thoroughly. Hopefully I will find time to return here.

But moving on to the PCT, the main reason I joined my parents on their adventure was to get another chance at the PCT, this time in the Northern California section. My parents had planned this trip partially because I was doing the PCT, so I wanted to make sure that this reason did not go to waste. Also, it was a much more convenient way of getting from SoCal to NorCal, since California is a massive and, in the north at least, pretty remote state. And it was nice seeing my parents for a week or so!

Oh, and regarding numbering of days, I’m just starting the counting at Week 2 and Day 8 since this will be my 8th day of doing miles on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Day 8: Donner Summit (I-80) (mile 1157) – camp near White Rock Creek (mile 1169.1)

My parents dropped me off to restart the PCT at Donner Summit on I-80. There was a lot of construction getting to the trailhead so I started hiking around 12pm.

After saying goodbye to mom and dad as they did their own hike to Summit Lake, I started north on the PCT once more. The air was a bit smoky from the Oak Fire that had started on July 23 near Yosemite NP, as wind had blown the smoke north into the Tahoe valley. However, the smoke was not so severe to hinder hiking, though it did partially occlude some views of the surrounding mountains.

There weren’t that many people on the trail today – I only met 7 other backpackers. I feel like the crowd has thinned since I was in the desert. I suppose that makes sense as many people will have had to quit the trail like me for multiple reasons, and most probably didn’t have the opportunity to get back on the trail. The fact that I am in a position (in terms of finances and in terms of time) to do such a long hike and even continue it after it came to a halt the first time is something I will never take for granted.

The first day back on the trail was pretty easy and mellow. There were a few short climbs but nothing long or steep. As such, it was a good test for my knee and heel injuries. Thankfully, at least today, I felt no pain in either my knee or my heel. The heel has been hurting on and off for the last few weeks, so I believe the improvement there has to do with the shoe inserts I started using and the trekking poles. Hopefully no resurgences of either injury happen in the next few weeks – I feel pretty confident that if I can make it 2 or 3 weeks consecutively without sustaining another injury, my legs will get strong enough to help prevent any from happening down the road.

One unique feature of today’s hike was passing the Peter Grubb Hut, a hiker and skier wilderness shelter with double decker bunk rooms and a double decker outhouse. The upper floors of both the hut and outhouse are likely for use by skiers when the snow gets 4-5 feet high. Apparently there is a fireplace/range, small kitchen, and seating inside, though I don’t think many people actually use the hut since it is a bit creepy looking.

Oh, and at camp I heard a very strange call from an animal around 9pm. I am pretty sure it was a mountain lion, since it sounded vaguely like a human scream, even though it was definitely not human. If I can remember the sound well enough, I will try to verify what creature it was later. Whatever it was did not bother me or the hikers camping nearby, but it certainly startled us a bit! Talk about an intense start to my second attempt.

Day 9: camp near White Rock Creek (mile 1169.1) – camp near Milton Reservoir (mile 1187)

Today was slightly easier than yesterday – no tough climbs, just a lot of small climbs to the top (or near the top) of ridges, sometimes with pretty great views, followed by gentle descents into forested valleys.

The peak called Sierra Buttes was visible most of the day at the high points on the trail. A craggy and magnificent mountain, it clearly dominates the skyline compared to the lesser peaks around it.

Another interesting phenomenon in this section of trail is the increasing amount of peaks made of jagged, black volcanic rock (basalt, I believe) instead of the granite typical for the High Sierra. This seems to be an indicator that the Sierra Nevada are slowly transitioning into the Cascade range.

There were a few new hikers I saw today, some in groups and some solo. Interestingly, a lot of the people I have met so far in this section have been European, primarily from Germany and France. Most of the hikers also started at Mexico and are thus going faster than me due to their experience, but to my surprise most are not going *that* much faster than me.

One very beneficial improvement of this section of the trail over the part of the desert I went through previously is the prevalence of water. Water sources are everywhere, usually less than 3 miles apart, meaning I can get away with only carrying 2 liters or less of water most of the time. This really helps reduce the weight I am carrying, since one liter of water is approximately 2 pounds. Also, the water is very clear, cold, and refreshing, due to this section being in mountains with still-melting snowfields. This is a huge difference to having to carry water 15-20 miles to the next water trough in the desert.

Camp today was at the top of a forested shoulder with a bunch of deer walking around the area constantly. Guess I have company tonight! I definitely prefer deer over the possibly-a-mountain-lion from last night. Though I now think that the possibly-a-mountain-lion was probably some sort of owl.

Day 10: camp near Milton Reservoir (mile 1187) – Sierra City (mile 1195.4)

The deer I saw around camp yesterday evening lingered and made a lot of noise during the night. It didn’t really keep me from falling asleep, but it was annoying. I’m not sure what the deer were doing, but they seemed interested in the presence of my tent.

Today constituted a long downhill walk to the Highway 49 crossing near Sierra City. Punctuating the hiking through thick, non-descript forests (a staple of Northern California, I’ve discovered) were views of the Sierra Buttes across the N. Yuba River valley, now much closer and more striking. The Yuba River itself was also quite pretty, with small cascades flowing through a gorge with the trail bridging across.

Another high note of the day was a chance meeting with a few of the people I met back in the desert section in May. Karen, Mike, and Rockhopper, the three hikers who helped me out when I first had my knee injury, were hiking together with a few others. I couldn’t really stay with their group as they were hiking much faster than me, but it was a great pick-me-up to meet some familiar faces and chat for a bit about what happened in the last 2 months.

I cut the day short at Sierra City because the climb on the other side of the valley was quite daunting, and – more importantly – I had felt a bit of pain in both my right knee and left knee while hiking the downhill section. For obvious reasons, I want to avoid a recurrence of my knee injury in May, so I have to take it easy if I feel any worsening pain in any of my joints. I spent the night in camp with my parents, who were staying at Salmon Creek Campground nearby. On the plus side, I got to swim in a lake and eat some amazing jambalaya for dinner, which is much better than the cold-soaked rice and beans I would be eating on the trail. Thank you mom and dad for being so accommodating with my trip and helping me out when I need it most!

Day 11: Sierra City (mile 1195.4) – Packer Lake campground (mile 1207.3)

Dad dropped me off at the Sierra City trailhead at 10am. The trail began with a nasty 3000 foot climb out of Sierra City up the side of Sierra Buttes, half of which was very exposed mountain slope with next to no shade. In retrospect, this section would have been much easier in the early morning or late evening when the sun wasn’t as severe, which is what most hikers had wisely decided to do, but I pushed through it with the electrifying energy of music (Irish music, in this case).

The trail then descended to Packer Lake, where a forest service campground was located. Along the way, the trail passed Tamarack Lakes, which featured some incredible views of Sierra Buttes, the mountain that the trail had ascended and traversed around today. After the hard climb earlier in the day, I thought it would be a good idea to take a refreshing swim in one of the Tamarack Lakes (each lake wasn’t much bigger than a pond). It was nice getting some of the sweat and dirt off me and my clothes, but it certainly wasn’t a proper shower.

After the cold swim, I hiked on to Packer Lake campground, where one of the sites was designated as the PCT camp site with several tent spaces. I was the first hiker at the campground, but soon after 3 hikers from Canada showed up in a car – they had taken a ride to the campground from Sierra City rather than hike the long climb. It turns out that they were part of a group of 6, and the other three members had decided to do the climb starting late in the afternoon. It was nice chatting with the 3 of them during dinner, since they had been going from the beginning like most hikers and it is always interesting to hear the stories they made along the way.

Speaking of dinner, I’ve found that a lot of dishes taste worse or are less appetizing when cold soaked, since they are cold or lukewarm instead of hot. A lot of rice dishes are particularly unpalletable cold. However, I found a new combination that works really well with cold soak and tastes great – hummus powder and taco seasoning. Just mix in some water and olive oil and you have pretty great tasting Mexican-style hummus that can be eaten with tortillas. It’s also insanely weight efficient, since both the hummus powder and taco seasoning are super lightweight. It also keeps for a day or so unlike some meals, so it can be eaten for lunch the next day too. Unfortunately, I have a limited supply of hummus powder, and hummus mix is typically hard to find in most stores. But I shall cherish this discovery while it lasts!

Day 12: Packer Lake campground (mile 1207.3) – camp near Beartrap Mountain (mile 1224)

Last night I overheard a lot of noise outside the tent around midnight. I thought at first it was an animal, but it turns out that the other 3 hikers from the group I met last night had shown up. I personally would not want to hike until midnight unless there was a very good reason to do so, but to each their own – at least they beat the heat on the climb out of Sierra City!

This morning I started hiking with the group of 6. It was quite a varied group with the 3 women from Canada that I met last night (2 of them were from Quebec), an older man from Australia, and a younger man and woman from the US. I leapfrogged with them for the first 4 or so miles as the trail climbed back up to the ridge, but eventually they passed me up since they were hiking a lot faster overall than I was. They said that they are currently doing around 26 miles per day! Sheesh! Maybe I’ll eventually get to that mileage per day, but right now it sounds insane.

The hiking today was a lot of walking on ridges, with brief visits into side valleys where creeks and springs can be found. This meant there were some pretty great views into the surrounding valleys, which were absolutely brimming with alpine lakes of all shapes and sizes. It was basically a Tour des Lacs of the northern Sierra. There were also some more good views of the Sierra Buttes as they passed into the distance.

So far, the knee issues have mostly settled down. I have a tiny bit of pain here and there on downhill sections, but from taking with other hikers that seems to be somewhat expected. I’m just worried about anything escalating out of control, which is hard to judge when I don’t know the difference between a “normal” pain that is transcedent and an abnormal pain that could get worse like before. The pain doesn’t seem to be constant or worsening, though, so I will continue at least for now, with hope that my PT and rest over the last months has helped to strengthen my joints enough to make this attempt more successful than the first.

Day 13: camp near Beartrap Mountain (mile 1224) – camp near Fowler Lake (mile 1242.9)

Happy Birthday me! Yep, it’s July 30th, which means I am now officially 27 years old. Hurray! Unfortunately I didn’t get to celebrate the day with anyone, since I wasn’t near any towns and I only saw like one hiker the entire day today. However, my parents helped me celebrate an early birthday in camp about a week ago, where we had a special chocolate cake baked in the Dutch oven. Thanks Mom and Dad!

The terrain was relatively mellow today, with a few minor climbs and mostly gradual downhill sections. So overall the hiking was enjoyable. In the morning the trail passed a few funnily-named water sources – Duck Soup Pond and Whiskey Spring. Unfortunately, Duck Soup Pond didn’t contain any duck soup and Whiskey Spring was not forthcoming with the whiskey – both of which would have been welcome. But they did contain plenty of cold refreshing water, so all’s good in the end.

In the afternoon the trail passed into the beginning of the 2020 Bear Fire burn area, the first of two major burn areas within the next 150 miles. The other burn area is of the 2021 Dixie Fire a bit further north, between Belden and Lassen National Park.

A lot of hikers are skipping parts of or all of these burn areas because they are more exposed to the sun and because they are more dangerous. Particularly dangerous are trees called widowmakers, burnt trees that are still standing but are so weak from fire and internal rotting that they may blow down from a wind storm or chance strong breeze. So it is very important in these areas to pitch your tent away from any trees or dead branches that are within falling distance of your tent, otherwise you may be squished by a falling tree. Overall the chances of that happening are fairly low even if you have to camp near burned trees, but it certainly is an increased risk that is best avoided.

So far the Bear Fire burn area is pretty patchy with a lot of love trees still near the trail, so finding a campsite wasn’t too difficult. The burn area is also pretty interesting in it’s own right – it’s cool to see where the fire stopped and started, and how life is regrowing in the areas that were burnt.

The burn area has a sort of beauty to it in a way, though I’m not sure how much I am looking forward to being on edge every time I hear a tree creak or moan for the next 100 miles. If it really comes down to safety, such as a forecast of a really windy day coming up, I will skip some of the burn area, but for now it’s just another unique part of the trail experience.

Day 14: camp near Fowler Lake (mile 1242.9) – camp near Lookout Rock (mile 1260.7)

The hiking today was arguably the hardest day yet. The trail dropped steeply from 6000 feet to the Middle Fork of the Feather River at 3000 feet, then climbed back up just as steeply to around 6000 feet. All told the elevation gain today was just about 4000 vertical feet, because the trail went down and up a bit during the climb. I thought the uphill would never stop, but eventually the trail flattened out at the top of a ridge near Lookout Rock, a promontory outcropping that provided great views of the surrounding mountains in the evening light.

Due to the uphill today, I decided to take some longer breaks at the Feather River crossing and Bear Creek. Feather River was gorgeous – it is designated as a National Wild and Scenic River, and it’s easy to see why. I took the opportunity to wet and half-wash my insanely dirty clothes in the river.

I again only saw one person today. I believe that a lot of people are planning their days so that they do the nasty uphill sections in the early morning or late evening, however I always seem to get to the uphills in the middle of the day, so I am misaligned from the crowd. I would plan to tackle these climbs in the cooler hours like other hikers, but my body isn’t quite strong enough yet to hike the 20-24 miles required at times to set those type of situations up. Right now I’m just hiking as far as my body says I should each day, which currently is 16-20 miles.

Thankfully the massive incline today was made easier by the temperature being significantly cooler than the previous days. It was in the mid-70s by my reckoning, while earlier in the week the temperatures were in the 90s. There was also decent cloud cover and shade during the climb, owing to the fact that the north side of the Feather River valley was less burnt than the south side, so the sun was not beating down on me relentlessly.

One potential new complication is that, in a clumsy attempt to cross one of the creeks crossing the trail, I slipped on some slippery rocks and fell onto my right arm, causing my right shoulder and ring finger to be torqued the wrong way. The pain in these joints is making it difficult to do some actions, but it isn’t debilitating. I hope that the pain subsides with daily anti-inflammatory medication, otherwise I might need to get the injuries checked out in Chester, the next major trail town. I just keep finding new ways to injure myself during this hike, don’t I?