PCT Day 87

by

Bushcamp to Bushcamp

34.3 miles

Mile 1489.4

It was another night of crap sleep. Hopefully I can get my pad patched while in Castella tomorrow…

Spikes and I set out around 5, starting the day with a predawn ascent to a ridge that we walked as the sun decorated the vista during its rise.

Eventually the trail left the ridge, wandering over to the backside of the mountain, where it began descending down into its gulch.

There was a short detour around a section of washed out trail.

The trail snaked around the rich jungle like floor of the mountain, crossing multiple creeks as it made its way north.

We crossed the McCloud River, before beginning a long but gentle ascent.

Once we’d reached the top of our climb, the trail led back down to Sqaw Valley Creek, where another wooden bridge waited for us.

After collecting water from the creek, we made our final 5 mile ascent up to the campsite we’d planned.

Upon arrival, I’d hoped to find a soft bed of pine needles to pitch my tent on, but found only hard dirt. Oh well…Spikes and I crushed our dinners, appetites primed from the long day. Next on the agenda was sleep.

We’d have an easy morning into Castella the following day, where we’d eat ice cream and resupply for the 100 miles to Etna.

Cheers!

13 thoughts on “PCT Day 87”

  1. Centipede Gulch simply sounds wild.
    Ridge walks might be my favorite type of hike; generally good views with less overall effort 😅

  2. You have never mentioned or I’ve never seen a trail maintenance person. who keeps everything looking so well ?
    Happy trails today. Lv u G

    • There’s an army of PCTA and Ameri Corp volunteers that work hard each year to keep the trail in tip top condition.

  4. Hey Austin – I like the wooden bridge pics.

    I was in a coffee shop the other day and on the counter was an impulse buy-teaser rack. It had a row of Complete Cookies. I bought and tasted my first one: chocolate chip. Review: 5 stars. I will definitely eat these on my next hiking adventure, be it the Grand Canyon, or at 3 a.m. when I go to the kitchen. My wife rated them too: 1 star haha.

    Those 30 mile days!

    “Real freedom lies in the wilderness, not in civilization” ~ Charles Lindbergh

    Be well.

    • Hey Roger,

      Glad you liked the Complete Cookie…having tried them all, snickerdoodle reigns supreme!

      I like the quote…

      Cheers,
      Austin

  5. Leave No Trace good for all to read. Should be compulsory reading before setting foot on any trail. I worry with camp fires. I’m thinking good folks walk the walk that’s why trails look so fine.

  6. Couldn’t agree with you more Sally.
    Unfortunately on our short hike from Sierra City to Belden a week ago we came across poop (not buried) and toilet paper strewn around it on three occasions!!!
    One incident right next to a spring!
    And this was just the beginning of this year’s PCT thru’ hikers!
    We were horrified as the PCTA tries so hard to educate. Apparently there are those who don’t give a damn but at the same time want to hike one of the jewels of thru’ hikes, if not the crown jewel.
    It needs to be treated as such.
    So easy to dig a hole, poop, bury and pack out one’s toilet paper. And poop away from water sources.
    Sorry for the rant.

  7. Austin,

    I absolutely love the early morning Vista pictures. They are just great, and I imagine that once you saw them you completely forgot about the crappy night of sleep and the aches associated with it! Keep up the great job.

    P. S. – Do you find yourself doing trail magic? I know when I am hiking on the east coast, I seem to have a big bag of trash tied to my pack every time I get to a trash can. I just can’t seem to find a way to walk by without grabbing it.
    Thanks again for the Great pictures and writing!

    • Hey Christopher,

      Thanks! The morning is always my favorite part of the day…I love watching the sunrise as I hike. I’ll definitely be doing trail magic on the PCT next year! Something I’m already looking forward to.

      Cheers!

  8. Did you guys cross paths with Legend? The dude who did the calendar year triple crown? Great blog!

    • Hi Jody,

      I haven’t met Legend, but I keep seeing his names on trail logs so maybe we’ll catch up!

      Cheers!

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