Chester – Quincy

Day 77 Sat Sept 9th
Soldier creek – Cold Spring
1326.1 – 1348.7
Approx. 4354 ft ascent + 3353 ft descent
22.6 Miles + 0.6 detour to get water 23.2 Miles

We did however pick up some chocolate croissants, which we had for breakfast today that were pretty special.

We got up nice and early after our F1 pit stop plan at Chester.
Sometimes you need to make sacrifices to get in and out of a town without too much time being wasted. After all we should be in Belden in just a couple of days and plan to take a a short break then.

Around 5 miles into the climb we reached a significant moment on the trail we are now halfway through our adventure with 1,325 miles behind us to Canada and 1325 miles to the Mexican border.
It felt like quite an achievement but also the realisation that after all the miles and footsteps we have only done 1/2 of the trail and we still have a long way to go.

In the journal by monument we put the following message “Living the dream and still smelling the roses”
We are now around 7,000 feet elevation.
Although the sun is still very hot, its slightly cooler with the breeze.
When we reached the top of the climb we had 360 panoramic views and could see Mount Lassen in the distance.
Either side of the trail we were still surrounded by burnt trees, but there were pockets of bright yellow flowers.

As we walked through swarms of insects they buzzed out in front of us.
There concentration in these pockets due to the limited number of flowers and nectar to be found up here.

After we passed Carter Meadows Trail we crossed a saddle where the wind was strong and gusty.  This tested our sun umbrellas which got bounched around in the wind. Normally you can use no hands as the umbrella clips to the shoulder straps on our packs. But on this occasion we had to hold onto them to stop them blowing away.

Just as you think you out of the burn zone and back into lush green forest once again. Bang you turn the next corner and you’re straight back into it once again.
The devastation from the Dixie fire seems endless.

A 14:20 we stopped at Little Cub Spring for lunch. We dried our tent in the breeze and  hung our sleeping bags in the trees to air.
Having the sun on the sleeping bags removes any condensation from the previous night and helps restore the down and makes it loft. Therefore helping keeping us warmer.
There was a water source 0.3 miles down a very steep sidetrail / ravine. Since the next water source is over 10 miles away we decided that this was the safest bet.
The uphill from Little Cubs Spring with a fresh load of water was pretty full on and made me question our decision. Particularly as the next water source was directly on trial.

We found the remains of a half eaten deer leg on the side of the trail and a number of knaw marks that looked very cat like. Far Out also reported Mountain Lion shenanigans in the next stretch.
It’s surprising how many deer there still are in these burnt out woods. We regularly see them feeding on grasses  in amongst the ash remains. Where there are deer there are also predators.

As the afternoon went on the trail improved and we were back in pristine forest.
At Humboldt Ridge and Summit we also came across some seriously unexpected trail magic.
Most of the Nobos have already passed and there are only a handful of Sobo’s left with a larger bubble ahead of us. Therefore we thought we may have missed the trail magic boat.
The guy putting on the magic was an ex PCT hiker trailname “Survivor”  He had a couple of pals Howard and Dave wih him in support.
They served hot dogs, beers and soda and a whole host of other goodies. The hot dogs were delicious and that was dinner sorted for the night.
We heard Dog Treat and Storm and a section hiker Joe had passed through earlier which was nice to hear.

As we left with a mild beer buzz the sun was still high in the afternoon sky + it was still warm. The light was amazing and lit up the mountains beautifully.
We could see the whole landscape and mountains we had walked through today.

Then out of nowhere a large boulder came bouncing down the mountain like a bowling ball.
Sarah shouted back to me to take cover. Luckily I was a few yards behind as the rock came bouncing between us.
It could have been a very different outcome with only seconds between either one of us passing through where the rock had fallen.
This was probably one of the most sketchy moments so far and snapped us back into reality.
We passed High Point Junction which had some interesting rock formations illuminated by the sun’s warmth.
Our plan had been to try and get to Frog Mountain Junction tonight leaving just 14 miles to Belden.
After spending time at the 1/2 way point, and then at the trail magic we were behind schedule.
At around 21:00 we found the spring where we had planned to camp.
The natural spring was piped into a bathtub and was cold and clear.
We camped just past it on the side of a dirt road under some trees that weren’t burnt. As I write this I can hear the water  splashing from the tap something banging about. Maybe another cow?
Sarah is already sound asleep (bless her), all wrapped up in her sleeping bag + I don’t think I’ll have any trouble sleeping tonight.

Day 78 Sun Sept 10th
Cold Spring- Stealthy ridge on climb out of  ice Belden
1348.7 – 1373.1
Approx. 5381 ft ascent + 5932ft descent
24.5 Miles + 1.5 miles to Caribou crossroads = Total miles 26 miles

It’s just gone 06:00 and we’re all pretty much packed up and ready to go.
It’s just starting to get light but the crescent moon is still bright in the sky.

It’s starting to get very cold at night I am a little concerned the lightweight Zpacks  sleeping bag I gave Sarah will not be warm enough sooner rather than later.
Last night she spent the night sleeping in all her puffy jacket + with the increased elevation it’s only going to get colder.

We have one more climb this morning + then its a very steep long 6000ft descent to Belden spread over 18 miles.

I’d like to say we leaped over Frog mountain, but the switchbacks took us right over the steepest part of the mountain and it certainly got the blood pumping this morning.
There was a small spring near the top and grasses surrounding it were covered in frost + I think a taste of what’s to come.
As we hike we could hear the occasional thump as the charred bark remains from the trees fell to the floor. Helped on its way by the tapping of a Woodpecker.

As we walk down the mountain towards Belden we cross the border between the Northern Cascades and the Sierra Nevada.
The Sierra Nevada’s is arguably one of the most stunning part of the trail where the geology changes from ancient volcanic rock to metamorphic granite super structures.
Just as we passed the sign we were greeted into the Sierra Nevada by a squirrel sat on a rock squeaking an alarm.

As we made our way down the mountain streams and creeks seem to be everywhere and the air was filled with the sound of running water.

We met a nice nobo couple trailnames “Karma and Pudding” They informed us the the post office in Belden – Caribou Crossroads was super sketchy + their package hadn’t been delivered.

This makes me feel pretty anxious on the walk down as we have sent a lot of expensive gear to this post office. Including a replacement Durston tent, trail runners and some other hiking accessories.

I’m trying to remind myself of the mantra of not worrying about things until they happen.  But on this slow walk down the mountain these anxious thoughts seem to fill my mind.

The couple also mentioned that the next town of Quincy is a much better bet. Featuring more resupply options as well as nice restuarents and a really good trail angel network.

Maybe we’ll just nip into Belden and then head to Quincy after all. This also makes a lot of sense because if we can delay our food resupply we can avoid carrying a lot of food on the big uphill out of Belden.

As we descend the trail turns into more of a ravine and winds around the mountain.
The temperatures is 34 degrees and it’s hot.
I’m wearing a sun hoodie and we both have our sun umbrellas up but there’s no rest from the sun. Its also likely when we reach Belden at lower elevations it’ll be even hotter. This is insane!

We can also see the mountain on the other side of Belden is also very steep and  we are starting to talk about ideas of night hiking to avoid the heat of the day.

We finally arrived at Belden Resort. It was a grand but tired looking building.
The owner Jody gave us a free soda and we said we’d be back for a burger once we had checked to make sure our packages arrived at the post office.

We managed to get a hitch up to the Caribou Crossroads, although we soon  realised that the rumours were true the place didn’t look remotely open.
We went around the back and found a caretaker called Mike who was somewhat of the redneck variety.

He bluntly said that they had not received any packages and that they may have gone to Quincy. Karma and Pudding had said the place resembled something out of Deliverence and they weren’t wrong.
So taking his word that maybe the packages have gone to Quincy we slowly walked back to the resort where we grabbed a burger.

We then checked our emails and orders to see of there was anything to confirm the packages had been re-routed to Quincy.

2 of the items said the had been delivered and there was even a photo to prove this.

A man at the bar kindly agreed to take me back to the PO to try and sort this out.
When we arrived I confronted a very sheepish looking Mike and asked if we could go inside the store.
Would you believe there was one of my packages sitting on the work surface.
The others is nowhere to be seen.

We returned to the Resort and I sent a few emails to start the ball rolling re the other orders + we polished off a tasty burger.
After 9 sodas between us we decided to deal with the climb out of Belden.
This went up 3,700 feet over 5.8 miles with a 45 degree gradient.
It’s amazing what a little sugar will do and the now the temperature has dropped the climb wasn’t bad. Although we had to be careful to avoid some poison oak in the lower part of the climb.

Towards the top there are a number of camp spots with our names written all over them.
Finally we reached the camp spot around 22:00 + it was suitable for maybe 3 tents.
We could see a few other hikers in hot pursuit by the light of their head torches. Although we ended up having the place to ourselves.
Pitching our tent on sweet Sierra nevada granite with 360 degree views of the night sky, stars + distant city lights. With the crickets chirping for entertainment it was a perfect ending to the day to compensate  for our gear going missing.

The plan is to try and reach Quincy tomorrow and get to the bottom of the missing packages. Along with a much needed deep clean and other town related shenanigans.

Day 79 Mon Sept 11h
Stealthy ridge on climb out of Belden – Quincy
1373.1 – 1386.2
Approx. 2100 ft ascent + 2231 ft descent
13.6 Miles

Good morning Vietnam

So we’re officially in the Sierras. Because we arrived at night we had no idea of what the views woukd look like. We woke up feeling like we were on top of the world. This is amazing and is already living up to the hype.

We’re still going through the remnants of a burn but the white coral like Manzanita remains contrast the bluebird sky perfectly.

There are already signs of regrowth and there’s lots of lush green vegetation growing in and around the remnants of the burn.
It’s now 08:20 and it’s already getting hot and I’m sweating.
We are both very pleased that we pushed on last night to get the worst of the climb out of the way before it started heating up.

We have 13ish miles to go to Quincy where we’re hoping that trail angel may be able to help pick usbup from Bucks lake trailhead and help resolve some of the issues from yesterday.

Sarah also wants to start her fundraising campaign and I have some jobs today so we’re both gonna find a library there’s anything like the one in Ashland that’ll be perfect.

I think it’s fair to say you’re both looking forward to a shower and to wash our clothes because this is a new record for stink.

We have both had to McGyver some serious repairs and our trail runners which are starting to fall apart.

This could account for a few niggles we are both experiencing with sore leg muscles and joints.

We managed to get a hitch down to Quincy from a retired teacher called Mike Price.
We got dropped off at the post office and we delighted to find that all but 1 item had been delivered. Even my new tent. What a huge relief!
To celebrate we headed to the Toy Store which offered hikers free ice cream.
We then grabbed a quick bite from a restaurant called Wild Flower and arranged to stay at a trail angels called “Pounder”
The reviews on Facebook and Far Out looked OK, but maybe we should have questioned this guys name.
He picked us up from town and took us back to his house in East Quincy.
As soon as we got to the property my spidy sense kicked in and we both felt a little uncomfortable.
He had offered to cook hot dogs but on opening them they dropped on the floor. He washed them off, but we said we would make alternative arrangements.
The room we were staying in also had stains on the bed and the place just felt dodge.
Quietly I told Sarah to pack up her gear and we made our excuses and said we had changed our plans. He offered to take is back to the town centre without issue and I think we made the right decision.
Many other hikers have used this trail angel, but trust your gut is what I say.
We then called the trail angel that Karma and Pudding had recommended and struck gold.
They had reported that they had stayed with the nicest couple called Ron and Marilyn. They weren’t kidding + these people were sobme of the kindest and most generous people we have ever met.
They quickly came and picked us up along with another hiking trailname “Jiffy pops”
We went for pizza which was delicious + they would not accept a dime.
After a lovely evening we went back to their place. It was so homely and they made us so welcome. Especially considering we had been out on trail since Burney without showering or doing laundry.
We showered and washed our clothes and had a great time getting to know these guys.

Day 80 Tues Sept 12th
Quincy –
1386.2
Approx.  ft ascent + ft descent
Miles

Marilyn rustled us up a lovely breakfast and helped us resupply in town.
As I am writing this on their patio out the back I can hear Sarah and Jiffy pops all talking and laughing. What nice people.

To be continued once w