Aug 6th
Just before Cascading Creek(1520.2)-Rd 42N17(1545.5)
Today’s Mileage: 25.3mi
The trail today was really rocky and I was moody from the start. I was happy to get the steep climb done yesterday, but I was not expecting hours of rocky terrain. It’s difficult to get a rhythm going on the rocks and the uneven footing hurts my ankle. Here’s what the trail looked like most of the day.
Other than the rocks, the rest of the day was quite enjoyable. The temps finally cooled a bit to the low 80s with a nice breeze. We were on an exposed ridge most of the day and the views of Mt Shasta and the surrounding area were great.
The clouds rolled in and made for even greater scenery. We saw rain in the distance and heard rumblings, but we were thankfully out of danger.
We saw many weekenders and day hikers in this popular area. The only PCT hikers we saw were southbounders, Homemade and Post Op, who had flipped up to avoid the snow.
When we got to mile 22 for the day, we passed a nice lake with lots of good camping and weekenders. Half Fast, Liz, and Red Blaze were all very tempted to stop for the day. I am doing all I can to average at least 25mi/day and I really didn’t want to stop. They were all very understanding and we pushed on another 3mi…to the trailhead parking lot. We found it amusing that the parking lot was packed with people going into the lake and we are camped with all the cars.
The good news is that we have a very clean port-a-potty here and that’s better than any lake for us! Also, there is a cache here with beer and sodas to end the day with a drink. I think this is the one Sarah (who hosted us in Mt Shasta) stocks, so thanks Sarah! A hiker going to camp at the lake even came over and gave us more beer. I don’t drink, but Half Fast, Red Blaze, and Liz were happy.
That’s pretty much all for today. We can hear thunder rumbling in the distance, but are hopefully out of range of the rain. Tomorrow is my 100th day on the trail!
