Day 94 - The Hottest Day. 1483.1 (21.7)

Kevin Silvernale January 28, 2017

The past few nights have been rather noisy. Deer seem to litter the hillsides and the few flat spots hikers find for camp are also locations that the deer seem to like to do a full body explosive sprint workout at 2 am. For whatever reason I am the only one hearing this and am left awake with a moderate adrenaline rush thinking a ravage bear is coming for my tent.

I do not believe I showed up to a single water source today with water still in my backpack. Hot! Just before arriving at the Ash Campground, a rattlesnake lay across the trail. I, with my headphones in, did not see or hear it before it saw me. Instead of coiling up it moved off-trail, up the hill. I'm not good with identifying specific species of snake, but I knew it was a Rattler and really that's all I cared about.

In the Ash Campground (morning pit-stop and water resupply), a weekend traveler had set up a few chairs and provided hikers with some soda in a nice shaded area. By this time (10:00 am), the temperature was approaching 90+ degrees. More than the sheer heat, the humidity is what really sticks out in my mind. With temperatures comparable to that of the Desert Section, The humidity is what really zapped my energy.

The trail in this area follow the river valleys, making for long uphills and even longer downhills. That is the way of Northern California and my legs were feeling it.

Camp, which I once again did not take a picture of, was with more people than I'd seen since Sierra City (Day __). Everyone was ready for a zero day in Castella or Mount Shasta (the town), where we all plan to be tomorrow afternoon.

Day 89 - A Long Flat Trail. 1367.2 (19.6)

Kevin Silvernale January 19, 2017

I was up, bright and early. With plans to get as close to The Old Station (a restaurant and gas station near an important intersection) I pushed up the only hill of the day which consisted of 500 feet of elevation gain... That's it.

Around 9 miles for the day, I stopped for a small snack and refilled my water at one of two very large lakes. Together they make up the Twin Lakes of this area. While refilling, I had an eerie sense that something was watching me. I didn't know it at the time, but a few hikers left Drakesbad last night and had camped at these lakes and had major issues with a black bear all night long. If you remember from yesterdays post, this was the area I was wanting to camp, had I left yesterday evening.

Without seeing anything in the area, I moved along quickly, checking my six every few minutes. Eventually I calmed down and tried to settle into a rhythm. I was on the second, of few noticeable flat sections on the PCT. Without any elevation gain, you'd think I'd be able to hike 25 to 30 miles. But I was never really able to find a rhythm, in fact the slight downhill the trail had seemed to make my legs and feet ache.

Nearing the 20 mile mark, the trail walked along a large river for a short distance and had a few very nice campsites. Though early in the day, roughly 4:00 pm, I stopped early and relaxed around camp, eating dinner and soaking my legs/feet multiple times in the cold river water.

Before and after washing.  Did it make a difference? — Before and after washing. Did it make a difference?

Day 87 - Halfway to Canada! 1338.2 (24.9)

Kevin Silvernale January 17, 2017

Halfway points can be challenging. Whether it be a project at home or saving for something you really want, being halfway is more of a psychological challenge than a physical one. In the way of the world, most people try to avoid the feeling of being halfway. Instant gratification does just that. And how do we get that? Using credit when we don't have the money, buying things pre-built or take the big risk of winning/losing it all in a gamble. Some choose to go the other direction, by not starting at all so to never see the midway point.

I am guilty of utilizing both of these methods a lot of the time... but thru-hiking the PCT does not allow a hiker to just simply saying you did it, or that you could do that in the future if you wanted. You must start the trail, walk the trail, pass the midpoint and continue on for the same distance you just traveled. Mentally it can be very tough and I was sure struggling with it.

Being at the midway point doesn't need to be so heavy. I was also feeling elated about the accomplishment. It is a day a dreamed of when planning and starting the trail. With half the trails till to go, I took my pictures, enjoyed the moment, then kept moving.

A few miles later I stopped for lunch at a small stream. Having cell service, I call my Mom and got the rundown on how it was going at home. Strapless and Vertigo where there as well. I also met a section hiker, M&M. She was hiking with her dog, and both of their names started with M... hence her trail name. It was impressive hearing about her and her dog walking 20+ miles per day. I was happy knowing, with proper care and training, a dog is capable of hiking that distance in a day.

The trail crosses a very busy highway which leads to Chester, a larger town that many people hitched into for resupply. At this point, there were some mostly empty boxes that contained trail magic. I believe I grabbed an apple, signed the trail register and was on the move again.

After hiking 5 miles beyond said trail magic, I was pooped and found a nice pond to refill water and contemplate my options for camp. There was a very nice campsite at the pond, or I could walk an additional 5 miles to a large creek. If I continued on, I would have less than 10 miles to walk tomorrow to Drakesbad Guestranch, my next resupply point. I sat and rested for a little longer than the 15 minute time limit I had been using the past few days.

Really enjoying the idea of a short day tomorrow, so I gathered my things and pushed on. I remember getting into the zone with some good music and making it to camp with rather good spirits, though in lots of pain. My feet were still getting use to the my new shoes which means more blisters! These were small, nothing compared to the monster one I had in Sierra City.

Taking some time this evening to wash the dirt off my legs, I had the river to myself, as everyone else had already cooked, cleaned and were comfortably relaxing in their tents. I did the same and found myself asleep before I knew it after a long day of walking. From here on out, I will have walked further than I had left to go on the trail. That brought a smile to me on this day.

Day 82 - Sierra Buttes. 1221.5 (22.8)

Kevin Silvernale January 12, 2017

This area is popular for outdoor enthusiast of every kind. With it being the Friday before the 4th of July (Monday), all of the road, trail-heads and off road access points were filled with groups ready for a weekend of fun. Most unaware the PCT went right past their campsite, it was fun talking to everyone. Definitely the most non-hiker activity I've seen on trail since I began nearly 3 months ago.

The area had very few water access points close to the trail. This would force me to carry more water than I had in the previous month. Something I didn't complete hate, since it meant that there was less snow. On Day 78, South-bounders were spreading the word that the last major on trail snow would be close to mile 1,225... and at the end of today, I was nearly there.

Toward the end of the day, my feet were in a bit of pain. My shoes were shot, and I wouldn't be receiving a new pair until the end of this leg from Sierra City to Belden. Around 2 miles from camp, I smashed my toes and yelled out a vicious F***! Not 20 feet around the corner, Irish Matt was working on gathering water, which he had hiked without for the past 10 miles or so. He looked at me with eyes that said, "oh, that was you and you are in pain as well". I mentioned my thoughts for camp in just a couple miles and then I moved along.

Shortly after arriving in camp, Irish Matt walking in and figured it was a nice spot to call it a day. Eating dinner around a tiny campfire (this area was pretty dry), it was the first time he and I actually had a chance to get to know one another. Good company and a meal is all it takes to wash away some of the aches and pains that occur on the trail. As the sun set, I gathered water for the night and following day, relaxed listening to a Joe Rogan Experience podcast episode and updated my progress in my trail journal.

Day 81 - A Day of Recharging. 1198.7 (4.7)

Kevin Silvernale January 10, 2017

Mileage Breakdown: 1.4 mile road walk from Sierra City to PCT + 3.3 miles on PCT = 4.7 miles total.

My foot felt much better this morning after having cleaned it up last night. Today my goal was to let the blister air out as much as possible, with hopes that a the old skin would stiffen and create a strong natural band-aid over the new skin.

Sierra City is a wonderful town, filled with lots of life from both residents and car travelers. The majority of the commotion in town came from the PCT hikers who have been allowed to set up camp at the local church yard on all days but Sunday. Next to the church was a nice restroom with a shower. Though the water was cold, the temperature outside was in the high 90's which made the water more welcoming that it could have been.

One of the properties in town has access to a large swimming hole. It was a little walk down a small trail, but once there it was worth every step. Skinny Thor (ST) and I hung out there for a short period before heading back to the General Store. I would eat three large meals from the restaurant, two of which were burgers and one was a gigantic breakfast burrito. I surprised myself when I finished the burrito. I guess my body is telling me something about my eating habits. NOT ENOUGH! But really it's nearly impossible to eat enough.

As mid afternoon arrived, I started to contemplate leaving town today. Skinny Thor chose to wait for Back-Track (she started the PCT with ST) who should be arriving tomorrow. He wanted to discuss each others strategies for the rest of the trail. I got the sense that ST wanted to walk faster and further each day than his friend. Most people who started the trail with someone found staying together a challenge in itself.

Finally having made up my mind, I left town around 7:00 pm which gave me 2 hours of light to hike in. I decided to walk the road back to the trail, as I wasn't in the mood to try hitching and it was only 1.4 miles back to the trail.

My pace was slow from having eaten so much, but I kept it steady. I was unsure what the camping situation would be, but the maps indicated there were some open campsites before starting the exposed climb out of the Sierra City Valley.

Tonight's camp was in the top 10 campsites along the trail. The lens on my phone's camera was dirty and I didn't realize it. The pictures don't do the site justice at all!

There was one other person in camp, I would later find out it was Simon, a section hiker I met while in Sierra City. His friend had decided the trail wasn't for him and he was going back to his home in Switzerland. I say again, getting to Sierra City was tough for a lot of hikers.

As I was setting up my tent, Simon unzipped his tent (it was dark as the sun had already set), looked out and yelled, "HEY". I didn't know what it was all about, but he later told me he thought I was a bear.